Times of the Teller- Cut close into Meta4’s verbal validity.

Meet Jerrid “Meta4” Massey. A wordsmith with groundwork in channeling the change. High vibing speaker on low valley struggles, the local spitter captivates the ears and intrigue with metaphoric messages. Tap into our chat on his early days and wordplay.

“I wrote my first rap in 3rd grade.”, shares the St. Louis native poetic penman. Jerrid Massey aka “Meta4” spent his younger years with an ear in gear for rhymes of reason. “I used Microsoft Word to print it out and pass it around the school.” A gesture later leading into Meta4’s journey and his lyrical calling.

The 32 yr. old artist and educator grew up in a music loving and industrious family. “My whole family just been around music. My dad used to bodyguard for Chingy.”, says Massey. “I’ve been in and out of studios since I was about 10 or 11.” The young protégé remembers soaking up the creative currents while watching artists work and record. He later connected with a friend and local poet, Just Aaron. “He started writing and performing around 2021. That sparked me to want to play with words again myself, so in 2022 I started doing poetry.”, Meta4 recalls. “He’s a big influence on me. One of my best friends.”

The HSSU (Harris-Stowe State) alum also found inspiration in many lyricists and rappers, such as Drake. “Believe it or not, Drake is a real influence on the way I play with words.”, he says. The artist also draws influence from J. Cole, and New Orleans native rapper, Lil Wayne. “If you pay attention, I kind of structure my poems to hit like Lil Wayne’s flow a bit bar after bar, something new every time.” His first poem was written for a Black History program at work. “I would have written it like out of a book if I wasn’t introduced to spoken word.”

The spoken word artist is best known for his “range” of subject matter and point of view. “From educational to Black History Month all the way down to sexuality.”, Meta4 explains. “I can touch on pretty much any topic. It’s just art. I don’t have a specific niche when it comes to style, I just go by what I feel.” The spitter has performed on notable stages and platforms throughout the region. His debut track, Free Game was released on streaming platforms in early February of this year. “I crafted that poem based off of the thought of meeting my students outside the classroom and talking to them on the curb, this is how I would speak to them.” He followed up with Letter To My Opp(ressor) Vol. III, So St. Louis, and March 4 Dimes. His debut album R.A.P: Rhythm and Poetry was released in April 2025. “I think the public would have to tell me what my niche is. I think I don’t have one, but to give it a poetic spin, I would call it “urban sermon.”

Meta4 is also a member of the city’s Hustle City Slam Team, a poetry competition collective. “We’re working on getting some team pieces together for competition.” He is currently performing his pieces locally at open mics and curated shows. “I’m also looking forward to making this a non-profit organization where we can get into schools and do pop ups, workshops, and creative writing.” The wordsmith also advocates to see more support and exposure of St. Louis’ poetry community outside of the region. “St. Louis really has some pens, but we’re not really respected in the game of poetry. That could be because spoken word came out of New York just as hip-hop. I feel like our style hasn’t reached yet, but that’s why we’re working to get eyes to look this way.”

“Write it. Record it. Just do it. Don’t worry about if it’s your best. If it’s your best…there’s nowhere to go from there.” -Meta4

IG: @poet.meta4