Rafael Casal

Rafael Santiago Casal (born August 8, 1985) is an American writer, rapper, actor, producer, director, and showrunner originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also an online creator of music, poetry, web shorts, and political commentary. Early life Casal grew up in Berkeley and Oakland, Ca. He was expelled from Berkeley High School after two years and earned his diploma through an alternative independent study program. He attended undergraduate at University of Wisconsin, Madison. Casal identifies as Irish, from his mother's side, and Spanish and Cuban from his father's side. Career Poetry When he was 18, Casal appeared on 3 seasons of HBO's Def Poetry Jam. At the same time, he was touring, performing, and teaching nationwide with YouthSpeaks. He is a two time Brave New Voice Poetry Slam Festival champion. Casal spent three years designing and serving as creative director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's First Wave Spoken Word and Hip Hop Arts Learning Community while earning his degree at night.