FOR YOUR GRAMMY® CONSIDERATION
XONE VOL. 1
Malachi Rivers with The Charles Reese Experience
BEST SPOKEN WORD POETRY ALBUM
From Harlem to Chicago to Los Angeles, Xone Vol. 1 is where Spoken Word Poetry meets House music — and where the dance floor becomes a sanctuary.
Created by award-winning actor, writer and recording artist Malachi Rivers, Xone Vol. 1 is a journey through poetry, rhythm, memory, healing, identity and liberation.
Rooted in the storytelling tradition of spoken word and carried by the pulse of House and dance music, the album celebrates two art forms that have long given voice and refuge to communities searching for freedom. It honors Harlem and its extraordinary legacy of Black art and poetry, Chicago as the birthplace of House music, and Los Angeles as a place of evolution, creation and reinvention.
Across the album, Rivers moves from home to the city, from introspection to the club, and ultimately into the Xone — that deeply personal space where the outside world disappears and you are free to move, feel, heal and simply be.
Created alongside The Charles Reese Experience and a dynamic community of poets, vocalists, musicians and producers, Xone Vol. 1 refuses to separate the poem from the beat. Here, poetry can make you think. Poetry can make you heal. And poetry can make you dance.
At its heart, Xone Vol. 1 is an invitation:
Come outside.
Find your sanctuary.
Dance like no one is watching.
Get in your Xone.
X marks the spot.
Xone Vol. 1
Malachi Rivers with The Charles Reese Experience
For Your GRAMMY® Consideration
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
Album Out Now!! On All Music Streaming Platforms.
XONE VOL. 1
Xone Vol. 1 (pronounced “Zone”) is Malachi Rivers’ celebration of spoken word poetry and house/dance music—two art forms that have long represented freedom, healing, expression, and sanctuary. Created alongside The Charles Reese Experience, whose unmistakable voice moves between preacher, prophet, storyteller, and ballroom emcee, the album takes listeners on a journey where poetry meets the pulse of the dance floor.
The project brings together a dynamic collective of artists, including 3x GRAMMY nominee Queen Sheba, GRAMMY-nominated spoken word artist Marc Marcel, Carla Gibson, JGordon, Davi Akei, Jael Bathsheba, Chelsea Vonchaz, Courtnee Roze, and Idella Johnson, with production from GRAMMY-nominated, Billboard-charting dance producer Hanz Nobe, Brandon D’Lux, eCUSSIONIST, and legendary London-born, Harlem-based DJ Stormin’ Norman.
Rooted in Black music, spoken word, house culture, and the communities that turned dance floors into places of refuge, Xone Vol. 1 is ultimately about finding the spaces where we are free to exist without explanation. It is music for the outcast, the ostracized, the marginalized, and anyone who has ever discovered a place where they could finally exhale, move, heal, and be completely themselves.
Enter the Xone.
New Single “Healing”
The lead single from Xone Vol. 1, “Healing” sets the emotional and sonic foundation for the journey ahead—a soulful house record about release, restoration, and finding freedom on the other side of what once held you captive. Featuring the stirring vocals of Carla Gibson and produced by GRAMMY-nominated, Billboard-charting dance producer Hanz Nobe, the track brings Malachi Rivers’ spoken-word storytelling into conversation with the pulse and liberation of the dance floor. “Healing” reflects the heart of Xone: the idea that healing doesn’t always happen quietly—sometimes it happens surrounded by music, movement, community, and the freedom to dance your way back to yourself.
Every time I think a door is closed, God shows me land to build a house.
-Malachi Rivers
WHO IS MALACHI?
From the vibrant streets of Prince George’s County, Maryland, to the creative pulse of New York City and Los Angeles, Malachi Rivers is a true Renaissance artist—an award-winning actor, writer, content creator, producer, spoken-word poet, and recording artist whose work moves fluidly across stage, screen, poetry, and music.
His artistic journey has taken him to iconic stages including The Kennedy Center, The Apollo Theater, and the Blue Note, while his talents have extended to Hollywood, where he appeared as “Mr. Butler” in David Fincher’s Academy Award-winning film Mank. His acting credits also include Poz Roz, where he served as Executive Producer and Music Supervisor and earned a 2020 Indie Series Award for Best Soundtrack, as well as Rhonda Mitchell M.D. and LIPS (Love Inside Prevails).
A seasoned performer in the music world, Malachi toured as a spoken-word poet with GRAMMY-nominated jazz artists Marcus Strickland and Keyon Harrold and the Twi-Life group, lending his voice to the critically acclaimed album Open Reel Deck. The collaboration took him across the United States and internationally, including a memorable performance for NPR. His work earned critical praise, with AllMusic highlighting his socially conscious poetry and jazz critic Tom Hull describing his spoken-word performances as “riveting.” His collaborative work has also crossed genres, including projects with Latin GRAMMY-nominated artist Tamela Hedstrom and Doodlebug of Digable Planets.
Malachi’s work as a creator and storyteller has garnered significant recognition. His series Moments earned him Best Actor – Drama and Best Writing – Drama at the 2024 Indie Series Awards. The series also received Best International Series and Best Drama at Rio Web Fest, among other honors. Earlier in his career, Malachi received the 2017 Peach Theatre Rising Star Award and Best Musical Performance in a Play from the National Association of Women in the Arts for his leading role in the NAACP Theatre Award-winning production Ferguson: The Musical.
His return to recording marked another major chapter with No Signal, Vol. 1, a spoken-word project featuring an eclectic collection of celebrated artists. His collaboration “Choice” with 3x GRAMMY nominee Queen Sheba would take on a life of its own, appearing on Queen Sheba’s GRAMMY-nominated album A Hurricane in Heels and making Malachi a featured artist and songwriter on a GRAMMY-nominated album.
Now, Malachi enters a new creative Xone.
His latest project, Xone Vol. 1 (pronounced “Zone”), brings together two art forms that have profoundly shaped his life: spoken word poetry and house/dance music. Created alongside The Charles Reese Experience, whose commanding presence moves between preacher, prophet, storyteller, and ballroom emcee, Xone Vol. 1 transforms the dance floor into a space for storytelling, liberation, healing, reflection, and release.
The album assembles an extraordinary community of voices, including 3x GRAMMY nominee Queen Sheba, GRAMMY-nominated spoken-word artist Marc Marcel, Carla Gibson, JGordon, Davi Akei, Jael Bathsheba, Chelsea Vonchaz, Courtnee Roze, and Idella Johnson. Its sonic landscape is shaped by producers including GRAMMY-nominated, Billboard-charting dance producer Hanz Nobe, Brandon D’Lux, eCUSSIONIST, legendaryand London-born, Harlem-based DJ Stormin’ Norman.
More than an album, Xone Vol. 1 is Malachi’s love letter to the Black, queer, spoken-word, house, dance, and club communities that have created spaces where people could find freedom when the outside world did not always offer it. It is for the outcast, the ostracized, the marginalized, and anyone who has ever found a room, a rhythm, a dance floor, or a community that allowed them to finally exhale and exist fully as themselves.
From film sets and theater stages to poetry, jazz, and the dance floor, Malachi Rivers continues to build a body of work centered on fearless expression, human connection, and the transformative power of storytelling.
Enter the Xone.