From Dance Beats to Real Talk—How Unsighted Poet Inspires Authentic Growth
by Sherley Joseph · November 4, 2025 · 07:28 AM

What happens when a Toronto-based rage rapper decides to throw vulnerability into the mix? @unsightedpoet, just proved that authenticity doesn’t have to fit into neat little boxes. His journey from anonymous poet to viral sensation shows us exactly how Black Canadian creators can break barriers, build community, and stay true to multiple sides of themselves.

Let’s get into how @unsightedpoet turned a simple dance move into a global movement that’s healing people worldwide: and what every creator can learn from his approach.

Photo: 📸 @echo_cyp – Alex Chung

Creator Introduction

Meet @unsightedpoet, the Toronto creator who’s redefining what it means to be multifaceted online. With 534K Instagram followers and viral TikToks hitting 22+ million views, @unsightedpoet isn’t your typical content creator. He’s built his brand around two seemingly opposite personas: the aggressive rage rapper spitting bars in dimly lit parking garages, and the joyful dancer bringing strangers together on busy Toronto streets with what he calls the “White girl dance.”

Originally starting as @unsightedpoet during his college days to share poetry anonymously, He has evolved into one of Canada’s most compelling examples of authentic personal branding. His mission? Proving that you don’t have to choose between being the “angry rapper” or the “happy dancer”: you can be both, and that complexity is what makes you human.

What makes his journey so relevant right now is his willingness to show up fully as himself, even when it feels risky. In a digital landscape where creators often feel pressured to stick to one niche, his success demonstrates the power of embracing your contradictions.

Goals and Learning Objectives

Here’s what every Black Canadian creator can learn from @unsightedpoet approach:

Strategic Goal Setting:

  • Vulnerability as Strategy: @unsightedpoet used his personal relationship dynamics (dancing with his partner) as inspiration for content that would resonate universally
  • Community Building: Moving beyond follower counts to create real connections: people literally meeting each other through his videos
  • Breaking Creative Barriers: Demonstrating that artistic identity doesn’t have to be monolithic

Why This Matters for Underrepresented Creators:
Too often, Black creators feel pressured to fit into predetermined categories. His success shows that audiences crave authenticity over categorisation. His approach proves that showing multiple dimensions of your personality isn’t confusing: it’s compelling.

Measurable Learning Objectives:

  1. How to leverage personal experiences for relatable content
  2. Building engagement through real-world participation (not just digital)
  3. Maintaining artistic integrity while pivoting content strategy
  4. Using viral moments to amplify core artistic work (his music career)

Challenges and Approaches

He faced some real barriers that many Black Canadian creators will recognise:

The Authenticity Dilemma:
“It was scary at first,” he admits. “If I show all of this happiness and all of this joy, will I get an audience that doesn’t like the aggression?” This fear of audience rejection when showing different sides of yourself is something so many creators wrestle with.

Public Performance Anxiety:
Starting those street dance videos was “scary” and felt like “rejection therapy.” Picture this: setting up a tripod, playing Kesha’s “Your Love Is My Drug” on a speaker, and approaching complete strangers in downtown Toronto to ask them to dance with you. That takes serious courage.

Breaking Genre Expectations:
As a rage rapper, @unsightedpoet worried about maintaining credibility while embracing his “feminine energy” and joyful side. The hip-hop community can sometimes be rigid about masculinity and emotional expression.

His Strategic Approaches:

  1. Gradual Integration: He didn’t abandon his rage rap content: he balanced both personas
  2. Rejection Therapy Mindset: Treating the fear of public performance as a skill to develop
  3. Authentic Storytelling: Being upfront about his process and fears, which made audiences root for him
  4. Community Focus: Making it about bringing people together, not just personal content creation

Campaign Execution

His approach to content creation is beautifully simple yet strategically smart:

Platform Strategy:

  • TikTok: Primary platform for viral dance videos (22M+ views on signature video)
  • Instagram: 534K followers, mixing rap content with dance content
  • Cross-Platform Amplification: Each platform serves different audience segments

Content Formula:

  • Setup: Tripod + speaker + signature Kesha track
  • Approach: Genuine invitation to strangers: “I dance with strangers on TikTok, want to join?”
  • Execution: Authentic reactions, real connections, unscripted moments

Collaboration & Outreach:

  • Artist Collaborations: Working with Loud Luxury, Connor Price, Morgan Jay, Crash Adams
  • Celebrity Engagement: Tagged Kesha repeatedly until she reposted his content
  • Fan Participation: Created hashtags and encouraged user-generated content

Smart Amplification Tactics:

  • Cross-Content Integration: Using dance videos to drive traffic to his music
  • Real-World Activation: Crowdfunding campaign to bring the dance to different cities
  • Media Outreach: Leveraged viral success into mainstream media coverage (People magazine)
Photo: covers via @unsightedpoet (IG)

Outcomes and Results

The numbers tell a compelling story:

Viral Impact:

  • 22+ million views on signature TikTok video
  • 534K Instagram followers and growing
  • Mainstream media coverage including People magazine feature
  • Daily fan interactions in Toronto streets

Qualitative Success:
What really gets exciting isn’t just the follower count: it’s the stories people share. “How many people are saying, ‘This healed a piece inside of me.’ How many people are like, ‘This is healing the world,’” he explains.

Community Building Results:

  • Fans meeting each other through participating in videos
  • People approaching him on Toronto streets before he even sets up his camera
  • Messages from followers dealing with grief who find light in his content
  • Creating “more community” within Toronto itself

Career Amplification:

  • Increased visibility for his rage rap music
  • New collaboration opportunities
  • Media appearances and interviews
  • Crowdfunding success for expansion plans

The Most Meaningful Metric:
“Some of the messages are really heavy,” @unsightedpoet shares, referring to DMs from people going through intense personal struggles. That human impact? That’s the real success story here.

Photo: 📸 @echo_cyp – Alex Chung

Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Here’s the real talk: what every creator needs to know:

Authenticity Over Algorithm:
“Just because you’re an angry rapper doesn’t mean you can’t be someone who can go and have a good time dancing with people in the street,” he reflects. Stop trying to fit into boxes that other people created for you.

Actionable Strategies:

  1. Embrace Your Contradictions: Your complexity is your competitive advantage
  2. Start Before You’re Ready: He felt scared but did it anyway: that’s where growth happens
  3. Make It About Community: When content is genuinely about bringing people together, engagement follows naturally
  4. Balance Your Brand: Don’t abandon what got you noticed: integrate new elements thoughtfully

Real Creator Wisdom:

  • “I’m a cutie patootie at heart”: owning your softer side doesn’t diminish your edge
  • “Just because you align with your feminine energy doesn’t mean you’re not a man”: redefining masculinity in hip-hop
  • Use your platform for healing, not just entertainment

What Not to Do:

  • Don’t create artificial barriers for yourself
  • Don’t assume your audience won’t grow with you
  • Don’t let fear of judgment stop you from evolving

Next Steps and Recommendations

Ready to apply his strategies to your own creator journey? Here’s how:

For Emerging Creators:

  1. Identify Your Dualities: What different sides of your personality could you showcase?
  2. Start Local: His Toronto street content worked because it was authentically rooted in his city
  3. Experiment with Vulnerability: Share the process, not just the polished result

Content Strategy Applications:

  • Try Real-World Content: Move beyond your usual digital spaces
  • Engage Strangers: Create content that involves your community directly
  • Cross-Pollinate Genres: Mix different aspects of your interests or talents

Growth Tactics:

  • Tag Up: Consistently engage with accounts you want to collaborate with
  • Document the Journey: People love behind-the-scenes authenticity
  • Leverage Viral Moments: Use attention spikes to amplify your core work
Photo: 📷 @shot_byben – Ben Carmichael

Further Resources:

  • Read the full People magazine feature for more insights
  • Follow @unsightedpoet music releases and collaborations via Linktree
  • Check out his partnership strategies with other Canadian artists via Instagram

This creators journey proves that authenticity isn’t about choosing one version of yourself: it’s about having the courage to show up fully, contradictions and all. For Black Canadian creators, his success demonstrates that our complexity is our strength, our community connections are our amplifiers, and our willingness to be vulnerable is what creates lasting impact.

The Toronto streets where @unsightedpoet dances aren’t just his content backdrop: they’re proof that when we bring our full selves to our creative work, we don’t just build followers. We build movements.

I’m Sherley J. — Stay inspired, keep creating.


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