the Revolution of FRESH...: February 2010

2/23/10

she's so ILL...

hey everybody! so we back this week with another "She's So Fresh" Fridays! this week we are discussing the skills and accomplishments of a truly dope DJ! her Ill Banger Thursdays have become a staple in NYC nightlife and due in part to her skill at blending Hip Hop, R&B and Reggae sounds and vibes. of course, I am speaking of the incomparable...

DJ ILL P.

her mixing shows versatility and an extensive passion for music and with every set she proves that female DJs don’t lack talent and aptness to play on vinyl. In addition to her roles as an event promoter and an established female DJ in New York City, this Bangkok native (raised in Queens, NY) has spun at venues in Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, just to name a few stateside.

she's rocked venues like Blender Theatre, Studio B, East Village Radio, Webster Hall Studio, Le Poisson Rouge, Santos Party House, No Malice Palace, The Delancey, Sutra Lounge, Katra, R Bar, Fat Baby, Triple Crown, East River Bar, Deity, Solefood NYC..whew! and that's just some! she's been featured in M.I.S.S. Women Making History (March 2009) as well as 5 Questions:: Ill Prohibited (February 2008) and and I abso adore her because she is a woman after my own heart in her support of other sistas in this craft. as a matter of fact I met her at one of her events, ILL Party Wednesdays at The Delancey, that featured an all woman line up of artists!

and you may recognize one of our previous features and fave DJ's, Jasmine Solano, in that pic above, shouts!

so ms. ILL Prohibited p.k.a. DJ Illy P took some time to answer some questions for us:

me: in your opinion, why are there not more female turntablists?

ILL P: I feel like the DJ scene is still male dominated. Presently, there are many respectable female DJs out there but not enough that are actual turntablists. Most have chosen to not dedicate their time to practicing and mastering the craft of turntablism. With recent software developments, it's so easy to mix, blend, and prepare a playlist in such a short period of time. You can be a DJ now without having to own actual vinyl records or even change/touch the pitch control. You don't event have to practice! I remember being in a state of bliss when I bought my first pair of turntables and vinyl records. I'm glad to have learned the "hard way" and I respect myself for that. You gotta have a love for it. All in all, I think it's strictly up to the person (male OR female) to choose whether or not they want to dedicate their heart and their time to practicing day after day. And I suggest watching DJ battle videos/DVDs!

me: what motivates and inspires you?

ILL P: We're all constantly surrounded by music. That's my number one inspiration. When I hear certain songs, I would think of another song that would blend in perfectly with the first. My fiance, DJ Teddy King, is a dope turntablist. Watching him practice makes me want to practice. Also, going out to parties/events/shows and seeing other DJs or musicians killing it makes me want to practice. When I'm out spinning, people would come up to me and tell me that they're feeling my set and it encourages me to keep pushing myself to get better.

me: have you ever experienced what you felt was discrimination b/c you're a female?

ILL P: Plenty of times. People (mostly men) don't really know what to expect of me when they see me standing behind the DJ booth but once they see me perform, their attitude changes. And these days lot of promoters book female DJs based on looks and not for their talent. I think it's BS.

me: what's been your absolute fave experience as a DJ?

ILL P: My favorite moment as of yet is opening for DJ Jazzy Jay and GM Melle Mel at my birthday party in 2008.

werd! so shouts to DJ ILL P, holding down sistas on the true turntablism stylee! be sure to support her and check out her some of her mixes:

and def check out her links!

Facebook.com/illpnyc

Myspace.com/illp

Myspace.com/illpnyc

Myspace.com/illpartybk

Twitter.com/illyp

so thanks for stopping by this week for "She's So Fresh" Fridays! your continued support is always appreciated and if you're in nyc and want to support a sista, come through on March 6th!

so til next week, keep it FRESH!

peaces rox

2/18/10

and breev...

wassup good people!

if you're reading this that means you came back through for another week's "She's So Fresh" Fridays, so welcome back and thank you, you are appreciated! and for all my new peoples checking in, welcome! please follow here or on twitter, leave a comment and continue supporting Women in Hip Hop! so now that we're all introduced and stuff on to this week's feature. A sista after my own heart b/c she is Boston via Brooklyn, and I be Brooklyn via the beloved Beantown! ladies and gents, give it up for:

Kiki Breevlife.

in her adopted home of Boston, MA, she's created a fan base using two of the most important tools in the arsenal of an artist: word of mouth and the skills to back it up. with songs like “Mind is Free”, “Hurt People, Hurt People” and “Far Away”, she's presenting diverse views of life, social issues, and personal experiences.

having won the 1st "War of the Roses” Female MC Battle, she took home the title as Champion against 32 Male and Female rappers at Kevin Powell's 2002 Harlem Hip Hop Speaks. she's been nominated for M.I.C's Hip Hop Music Awards and Urban Music Awards for Best Female Rap and rocked stages at Critical Breakdown, The Middle East Café, House of Blues, Milky Way Lounge, Paradise Lounge, Bill's Bar, Avalon, S.I.R Studios, Caviar Studios, EOW, 106 & Park (with crew Raw Earth) as well as Cuba and Jamaica.

and after rocking a spontaneous set in Boston with Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Bahamadia, Slum Village at the Lyricist Lounge Tour, it's been all about building for Kiki Breevlife.

In 1999 she founded R.A.W E.A.R.T.H, (Real Artistic Women Entering Any Realm Trying to Hinder). and later, when Lexi Driva and Wizdom joined to round out the crew, together they were not only a female rap trio with influences of Wu Tang and Boot Camp but Raw Earth was also an entertainment company that offered young women resources through showcasing their individual talent. consisting of young female actresses, rappers, singers, and a STEP team, with Kiki conducting workshops with young people, performing for them and with them.

she's shared the stage with KRS One, Akrobatik, Special Ed, Pharoahe Monche, PMD as the only female gracing the stage at the 1st Annual Hip Hop Fest in Boston and returned to the 3rd Annual Fest in 2005 to rock with the likes of MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane and more.

I def had some questions for this sista:

me: do you feel there are advantages or disadvantages to coming out of the Boston Hip Hop market?

Kiki Breevlife: Coming from the Boston Hip Hop market has more advantages than many would think. The closest analogy I can think of is to compare Boston to a small university where the classrooms are smaller and there is a closer connection between the students and the faculty rather than a larger university. Here in Boston, the "who's who" in the music scene are well known based on thier talent and productivity. That makes it easier to carry out a national rapport and gain more support in the long run. Boston tends to have this natural family vibe that anyone who appreciates quality art will support an artist as a family member would. Fans and the people involved in the growth of an artists work (whether it is buying your product, attending shows, or aiding in the creation of a finished piece) kind of feel like they're a part of the artists' success. People here sense a connection with the artists based on the fact that you are coming from Boston and can carry out the city's legacy on a national scale.

me: have you ever felt discriminated against because you are a female?

Kiki Breevlife: Yes and no. I do think that the sub-conscience discrimination towards women is always present in any field that is pre-domninately male. I refuse to believe however, that anyone (male or female) should blame thier lack of success based on gender alone. In the words of the late James Brown "I don't want nobody to give me nothin', I just open up the do' and git it myself!" That's the attitude that anyone passionate about their art should have and the support will follow. When I began Raw Earth, I felt that most talented women weren't getting enough recognition. But we can't sit around and play the role of 'damsel in distress' all the time. Ironically, we just need to 'man up', work hard, and stop pulling the gender card. When you're a go-getter and stop looking for hand-outs, people will respect that. Soon everyone will take notice, and voila...A dream realized.

me: what is your favorite personal Hip Hop experience?

Kiki Breevlife: I have many personal Hip Hop memories but to sum it up I can tell you what I miss. I miss the days when hearing a rapper spit made me want to write. I miss when a new album came out and I rushed to the nearest record store early on a Tuesday morning to buy it. I miss freestlye sessions and ciphers, head nodding, and the days when the beats weren't so generic and we had an actual thing called "Hip Hop Quotable". Many of my best Hip Hop experiences all came from a time when that existed. Hip Hop evolves in its on way, so I know I'll have many more experiences and memories are being created every day I'm alive. I just want that good ol' -feel good feeling once again.

me: if you could let young sistas know one thing about doing what you do, what would it be?

Kiki Breevlife: Don't worry about being the next no-one and seriously just be yourself. Trust me, it works.

Kiki Breevlife is currently working on her new project: Positive vs. Negative (TBA), she's apart of R&B Group B'tru. in 2002 she teamed with Soulkore Productions and continues to work closely with Boston’s notable female DJ Nomadik.

so keep checking for Ms. Kiki Breevlife and her upcoming projects! and I'll see you next week with another sista out here creating and contributing to Hip Hop!

peaces,

rox

2/11/10

in the mix...

wassup all!

we're back this week with our "She's So Fresh" Fridays feature! so when I did my first full-length album, this sista was one of the first people to step up and give me a shout. she interviewed me for her website and I'm honored now to be able to return the favor, werd!

this week we are profiling a sista in the struggle and the founder of femmixx.com.

Tachelle Shamash Wilkes.

femmixx.com stands as a platform for the Woman DJ, MC and Producer and this sista co-founded one of the first all female turntablist competitions, the "She's My DJ" Battle series. she's been featured in Scratch Magazine, Amsterdam Newspaper and Remix Magazine to name a few and has been on WWRL Radio, ABC News, and BBC Radio.

she produced and directed the documentary Lady Beat Makers: Vol 1, which won her an Impact of Women in Hip Hop Award from the Hip Hop Culture Center. not to mention the fact that she's teaching the babies in New York City Public Schools in Brooklyn. and holding a Master's in American Literature from Brooklyn College, she's written her first novel, Amanda's Ray, about one young sista's journey to express herself through her passion for Hip Hop.

so aside from being an author, a supporter of Women in Hip Hop and an entrepreneur, she is also one the coolest people I've met on my own journey. no pretense, just real and down to earth with a love for the Hip Hop that is proven by her actions, done in honesty and humility. in my humble opinion, Hip Hop would do well to have more people like Tachelle Shamash Wilkes.

so def check out femmixx.com, peruse the interviews up right now with Conscious Daughters, Psike and more! and keep checking back here every week for a new "She's So Fresh" Fridays, lots of good things going on in 2010! til next week... peaceandblessings

rox

2/9/10

dope images from thursday's "She's So Fresh" Showcase III...

so waddup all!

these are just a few pics from "She's So Fresh" Showcase III that went down last week Thursday, 2.4.2010. there will be more to come, but just so y'all can get a clear image of how these sistas were holding that mic! it was ridiculous! not pictured are Dante, Mala Reignz and Toni Blackman's Rhyme Like A Girl Freestyle Collective, but we will be posting more as they come in! so if you got some you'd like to share, please feel free to join and add them to our Facebook Group:

http://bit.ly/92kyiJ

and I'll add them as they come in!

so thanks again to all who came out and enjoy!

DJ Mocha Sunflower

TastyKeish

GNU

True Daley

Bless Roxwell

Big Tara

Kuttin Kandi

Helixx

Pri the Honeydark

Invincible

ANOMOLIES

all photos by Kamia Funchess for AriTaurus Photography.

2/5/10

"She's So Fresh" Showcase III...

peace everybody!

so last night was "She's So Fresh" Showcase III and it was crazy. and I know I'm biased but I had such good time! the talent was ridiculous and the guests was rocking and everybody was rocking and it was dope!

there will be footage to come soon but as a quick little rundown:

Rhyme Like A Girl freestyle collective opened the show going off the dome, so it was already evident how it was going down.

Mala Reginz dropped some fiyah from her new mixtape "Calm Before the Storm".

Dante hit the stage and moved the crowd with her slick uptempo flow.

GNU...smh, these sistas here? just be ready for how open you bout to get.

True Daley rolled in from Toronto with some Hip Hop and a little reggae thrown in.

and Anomolies: Big Tara, Pri the Honeydark, Invincible, Helixx, Kuttin Kandi. that's all that really needs to be said, if you don't know...

so there will be a more in depth review of the evening but I know that it was such dope energy there tonight that I can't wait for the next one. so shouts to all those who performed, shouts to all those who came out to support and shouts to Sputnik in BK for hosting us. and hopefully I'll see you all at the next one!

peaces

rox

2/4/10

we're at it again!!!

"She's So Fresh" Showcase is back with our 3rd installment of FRESH!

AND

we are going to be celebrating Invincible's Bearthday!!

featuring performances by:

Mala Reignz

Dante

GNU

True Daley

Bless Roxwell

Anomolies

Music by: DJ Mocha Sunflower

Hosted by: TastyKeish

Special Guest Performances!

Cupcakes and Gift Bags!

Doors: 9:00p

Showtime: 10:00p

Damage: $8

we are supporting Women in Hip Hop and Urban Arts and we'll also be collecting donations for:

Haiti Relief

Fighting For Futures

Detroit Summer

Palestine Education Project

The Mobile Homecoming

Special Thanks to all of our Sponsors:

The Elan Group

Stilettos and Sounds

The Bside Show

JBrewer Photography

Spicey Promotions

Fusicolgy

Digiwaxx

DeVaNy

Fighting For Futures

The Bloom Effect

Bucktown USA

Game Night Club

2010 is shaping up to be such a dope year for J.A.G. Music and Media and "She's So Fresh"! your continued support is always appreciated so we'll see you there!

♥

the Revolution of FRESH...

"She's So Fresh" Showcases!