It's been seven long years since Meta Sarmiento has been on Guam. Now the Filipino rapper, poet, speaker, and educator is back home. It is all part of the homecoming tour made possible by Humanities Guahan. KUAM News caught up with him as he gets ready to perform for the very people who helped shaped his craft.

It was back in 2015 when Sarmiento won a competition called 'Spoken Art for The World' and it afforded him the opportunity to perform in Paris, France at a Un Climate Negotiations event. In that moment that was so impactful, he realized just how big the world was in terms of artistry.

"I needed to grow and i knew if I stayed on island I wouldn't grow because I was comfortable everything was cool here and that was when I decided I needed to step out of my comfort zone, I needed to experience new things both personally and professionally an so I made the decision to jump to Denver, Colorado in 2016," he said.

He believes it was the best decision he's made as an artist. "I've been able to grow exponentially in just the last seven years in comparison to the entire time I've been on island. I feel like I've changed so much as a person and as an artist and I definitely don't regret leaving," he shared.

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Over the course of seven years, the former Dededo and Yigo resident has made a formidable name for himself and continues to hone his craft from music videos, spoken word poetry to speaking in front of huge audiences for a TED Talk.

"I just wanted to tell stories and to do it in as many mediums as possible. And while I was in Denver, I always kept a pulse on the island, because this is home - this is the place that raised me. All that I am is because of here. As part of my work as an artist, I wanted to remain a bridge, expand my own horizons, but still stay connected to the places and the people that I love so much," he said.

And now with the support of Humanities Guahan, he is back, ready to share what he's been up to. According to him, he is the sharpest he's ever been, saying, "Humanities Guahan is doing a really good job running this series where they are engaging the community, trying to raise their critical consciousness around these really important issues and topics on island like cultural identity, equity, and climate change, and the hyper militarization of the region."

"We're going to be using my work as an anchor point to launch into deep conversation about some of these issues. So to be able to do it in a way that is not intimidating, and not didactic, and trying to lecture people, but through story telling and conversation, that's so islander- that's what we do, we sit around and we talk story."

On Tuesday, July 11, you can enjoy An Evening with Meta at 6pm at the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom and on Thursday, july 13, you can catch a public performance by Meta at 7pm at UOG Fine Arts Theatre.

And if you're on the fence whether to attend any of the events, he has this to say: "Engaging with these really important topics, it's hard to do in a really fun, creative, and meaningful way. And Humanities Guahan and my performances are community conversations is going to do it in that way."

"If you got time and you got energy, you should definitely come."

As for any advice he would like to offer other creatives? "For the younger generation chasing the arts, chasing voice, and chasing purpose," he said, "I really think it's important to keep going because it takes a really long time to figure out what you want to articulate and what you want to say, and if you give up now, you're never going to get there. So keep at it, stay patient, and have fun with it...is the most important thing."

You can still get your tickets for both of the events or by following the Humanties Guahan profile on Instagram.