Writer, slam champion poet, recording artist, educator, and founding member of The Getback, Rafael Casal is an undeniable rising force in the performance world. A 2-time (Inter)National BNV Poetry Slam Finalist Champion and 3-Time cast member of Russell Simmons' Def Poetry on HBO, Rafael has shared the stage with the likes of Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, KRS-ONE, Floetry, Kanye West, Saul Williams, Alanis Morissette, De La Sol, Dead Prez, Floetry, George Clinton, Carole King, and numerous others, and has performed in front of crowds of 30,000. In 2008, Rafael released his full length debut LP As Good As Your Word, a collection of songs created during his apprenticeship to Bay Area producer One Drop Scott (3x crazy, Too short, Mac Dre, E-40). He was a featured writer for Handbook of Social Justice in Education by Bill Ayers, co-wrote The One Drop Rule; a hiphop theatre piece directed by GOLDIE award winner Marc Bamuthi Joseph in collaboration with San Francisco Jazz Ensemble and Alvin Ailey tap instructor Jason Samuel Smith, and has been featured on hundreds of websites, blogs and online journals across the world. In 2009, Rafael is helping to build the first HipHop Theatre program as Creative Director at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, while gearing up to release his second LP, "MONSTER", coming soon!