Joe Horton is an emcee for internationally recognized hip-hop band No Bird Sing and a professor of Lyrical Composition at McNally Smith College of Music. He has a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Hamline University. Horton is best known for his abstract, associative approach to songwriting. 

The poem is by Joe Horton, of No Bird Sing. I met Joe a while ago through my friends Adam and Kyle. Adam, Joe, and I hung out at Pizza Luce a handful of times, coloring and telling each other ghost stories. We eventually wrote a poem together, which impressed upon me Joe’s amazing ability with word play, lyricism, and levels of meaning. Joe’s poem for Ring Ring shows that haunting lyricism, imagery of intoxicated interactions between the city and its inhabitants. I personally cannot stop listening to this piece. Call (612) 223-POEM to hear the piece. -Cole