Sabur Muhammad, known on stage as “C?ue,” began writing poetry at eight, long before he knew it would become a calling. His voice sharpened in the rooms of the Waterloo Writing Project, echoing across Iowa with their youth slam team. He rose to claim the inaugural Tri-State Slam crown, later becoming a two-time IPA champion (2024, 2025), and securing a place among the nation’s top ten.
On an international stage, he represented Iowa City at the UNESCO City of Literature, ranking fourth in the world. Now with the Io-What State Slam Team, he meets each mic with quiet gratitude. Rooted in hip-hop and the Harlem Renaissance, his work moves with rhythm and truth, carrying his grandmother’s words and one lingering question: What does love cost the greedy?