Unpacking Artistry and Heritage: Darryl Foto’s Soul-Baring Appearance on The Pop-Up!
Cameroonian poet and spoken word artist Darryl Foto recently joined The Pop-Up! with host The Big O where he discussed his rich background, creative journey, and the roots of Black Joy in the Pacific Northwest.
The Genesis of Black Joy
Reflecting on his poem “Black Joy,” which later became a foundational mission statement and an Emmy-considered short-form video for Converge Media, Foto opened up about the poem's dark origins. Written in the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic following the murder of George Floyd, the poem was born out of necessity.
"I was writing it because I didn’t have joy. I was seeing myself die on TV,” he said. “In the depths of that depression, in the depths of all of that…we are providing so much entertainment, so much joy to the world while we are literally protesting just for y'all to stop killing us.”
Foto highlighted a singular anchor line that birthed the entire piece, capturing the haunting juxtaposition of the era: "Black joy is a breath of fresh air in a world struggling to breathe.” Expanding on that image, he added, "There's a grown ass man literally begging for air, but in the same breath, our joy is that breath of fresh air.”
Discovery of Spoken Word
For Foto, who has built a following of nearly 45,000 on TikTok, poetry was an accidental saving grace. Initially attracted to short stories, he struggled with an attention span he attributes to undiagnosed ADHD. Everything changed when he witnessed a performance by poet Neil Hilborn regarding the intersections of OCD and love.
"I didn't know words could do that," Foto said. "I didn't know somebody's story could just make me cry... I never had the attention span to actually finish a story... Then I found poetry, and it was like I could tell you my whole life in three minutes, and you'll listen.”
The Weight of Heritage and Absence
Foto noted that while his mother’s voice and the linguistic tapestries of Cameroonian culture anchor his style, an internal conflict has kept him from writing explicitly about his homeland.
"The truth be told is because I haven't been home," Foto said, detailing how he left the country as a boy under difficult circumstances. "There's a betrayal to self inside why I haven't written about my home. Because how can you claim a home that you haven't visited? How can you claim land when the people who you love most are being buried there and you don't know where they're buried?"
Foto described the physical and emotional toll of attempting to confront this distance. "Every time I write about home, it's like I start cramping... everything hurts, and I've been running away from it,” he said.
Artistry as a Mirror
When asked what the final takeaway of his poetry should be for the public, Foto rejected the traditional, clean-cut Hollywood narrative of triumph over adversity. Instead, he prioritizes raw validity and solidarity in pain.
"You're not feeling what you're feeling alone," he said. "Sometimes I'll write a poem for example and it'll be just a depressing poem... The purpose of that poem was not to lift something. It was just to say that a thing happened and it sucked...and that too is okay.”
Ultimately, Foto sees his role as a space-maker, particularly for men who struggle to express genuine vulnerability. He noted that his impact is measured in the quiet post-show interactions.
"I want to get men to really write poetry though,” he said. “Talk to me about that girl who broke your heart though. But not in the way that sounds sexy, but in a way that really hurt.”
Check out more of Foto’s work on TikTok and Instagram and make sure you catch him at his upcoming events.
Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 7 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.
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