so what's good peoples! hope everyone has had a blessed week and looking forward to this one coming up! this week we are leaving New York and venturing to Chi-Town! big ups to the Chi! this week's "She's So Fresh" Fridays feature is:
PSALM ONE.
“Kanye West and Common gave Chicago its reputation as a breeding ground for innovative rap, Psalm One furthers this tradition.”-Will Hermes, Entertainment Weekly
I agree. this is a sista is after my own heart, raising the bar lyrically and expecting more from those who also hold the mic. I am so not mad.
having rocked stages with Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Digable Planets, Rakim the God MC, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, POS, Mike Relm, Gym Class Heroes and so many more, she's introducing the world to her sound one mic at a time.
born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Psalm One knew from an early age that education is the key to success, and this sista graduated from University of Illinois with a degree in Chemistry. yes. Chemistry. after which, she released her first commercial album, “The Death of Frequent Flyer” with Rhymesayers Entertainment.
citing the influences of Stevie Wonder, Fiona Apple, Prince and MC Lyte she could be called an oddity amongst the standard MC. she hasn't released a project since "Death of Frequent Flyer" and the world eagerly awaits because her skill set is serious. one thing I always try to tell MC's whether male or female is, to quote KRSONE, build your skill. Psalm One steps to the game with her skills intact and ready to rock your stage, his stage or her stage. she reps Rhymesayers Entertainment and reps it well, holding her own amongst some other truly dope MC's.
she took some time out of her super busy schedule to answer some questions for SSF Fridays:
me: what inspires you?
Psalm One: You mean, like, today? *giggles* I don't really look for inspiration in a single thing--I trust that it will find me. Sometimes it can be a smile, a billboard, a perfect meal, or even a conversation….but music is what moves me. I give my surroundings my full attention, and I keep my space open enough to receive what comes to me. My life, my peers, and my place all inspire me in different ways at different times.
me: how often do you write?
Psalm One: I write every day. It might not be a "hot fire 16" lol; it might be a stream of consciousness, a short story, or an observation. I might sit down and write three songs for me, or just a hook, or I might even ghostwrite for someone else. But I write every single day. That's my job.
me: which MC's and /or other artists would you say have influenced you the most?
Psalm One: Stevie Wonder, the original Bozo the Clown, Lauryn Hill, and of course, Psalm One.
me: have you ever felt tested by someone BECAUSE you are female?
Psalm One: Being a girl in a boy's club can be a test of strength, will, intellect, balls….etc. Personally, I try to stay solution oriented. Where there’s a will there’s a way. One time for instance, a producer told me I had 20 minutes to write my verse and record it. I didn’t stop to think whether or not he was treating me differently because I was a girl, I just did it... I later found out that he was treating me differently, but by achieving the task, I set a standard for him and became a legend in his eyes. Being a woman is something I cherish in this game.
she's also one the incredible sistas featured at this year's SXSW All Female Hip Hop Showcase presented by Emergence Media "The Revival" along with a few of our past features: Invincible, Tiye Phoenix, Eternia and Eyeris, with additional performances by Bahamadia, Diamond, Perseph One, Miz Korona, Boog Brown and more:
so if you don't know now you know. don't say I didn't tell you. and here's your opportunity to experience the future of women in Hip Hop..check her out here: Psalm One or follow a sista on twitter, you will not be disappointed!
til next week good folks! def check back for next week's "She's So Fresh" Fridays and you may find out about a sista you didn't know about before, ya heard!
waddup everybody!
so last week I mentioned an event that was going down on March 6, 2010, Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen. Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen Volume 3, Back to Our Roots, will be honoring International Women’s Month by shedding light and creating awareness on Environmental Injustices and Educational Inequalities and their impact on women of color. in bringing together women of color educators, students, environmentalists, djs, emcees, b-girls, poets, visual artists, dancers, healers, pastors, organizers and activists, Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen expressing solidarity with Women’s rights and supporting sistas in Hip Hop!
MHHK Vol. 3 is going down for the second year in a row at Hostos Community College in the South Bronx, the birthplace of Hip Hop, and the poorest congressional district in the nation, also called “The Forgotten Borough.” In reality, the borough of the Bronx is not forgotten because one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city, Riverdale, lies just northwest and has every amenity a human can ask for.
and so two powerful sistas, Kathleen Adams and Lah Tere, came together to create this really dope yearly event with performances by some of our past "She's So Fresh" Fridays features like Lah Tere, Misnomer(s), Rokafella and B-Girls (All the Ladies Say) and GNU, not to mention Patty Dukes, Kalae All Day, Ne Ne Ali, LMNOP, and so many more! oh yeah, and I'ma do my thing I do as well..;-).
I asked co-founder Kathleen Adams a few questions about MHHK Vol. 3, this year's show and chefing up some "Soup for the Hip Hop Soul!":
me: if you could put into words the exact message MHHK is trying to send to the world and the Hip Hop Community, what would it be?
Kathleen Adams: We want the world to realize that female artists are talented and deserve to be respected. We want to show that female artists, especially women of color do not have to take off their colors and be raunchy to get attention and coverage.
me: how do you feel MHHK has been received by the Hip Hop Community in NY?
Kathleen Adams: As far as we know, we feel that we have been received positively. We have such a plethora of talent who want to be in our show, but we are limited to the artists we can select to participate in our annual event. Fortunately though, we have smaller installments throughout the year where female talent can be showcased.
me: are there plans to expand MHHK?
Kathleen Adams: We would love to expand MHHK. We’ve been offered to bring it to Washington, DC, Ohio, and Los Angeles. We are willing to travel and organize this show anywhere we are invited! We are ready to bring MHHK on the road!
me: what is the criteria for artist selection for MHHK?
Kathleen Adams: With MHHK we want to showcase polished as well as up and coming talent as well. Often times an artist can sound hot on a track, but has a bad stage presence. We choose artists who can wake up the crowd and keep them entertained and educated at the same time. We strive to include artists who are out there organizing in their communities and creating change. We feel the media only shows women of color in hip hop as video vixens and as overtly sexual. We want to showcase female artists who can serve as role models for our young girls out there.
so if you're in NY definitely come through Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen Vol. 3 fuses energy, politics, ancestry, traditions, art, song and dance into a brew for Environmental Justice, Education Equality and of course, Hip Hop.
When: Saturday, March 6th, 2010
@ the Hostos Center for Arts and Culture
450 Grand Concourse (at 149th St.) Bronx, NY
(Main Theater)
Time: 2-5pm
This event is FREE and open to all ages.
for more information about the event, check out www.mhhk.orgCopyright J.A.G. Music and Media, LLC
Mentoring Mixer & Panel Discussion: New Year, New Career!
Featuring Thembisa Mshaka, author of "Put Your Dreams First!: Handle Your [entertainment] Business" and one of our "She's So Fresh" Fridays features last year!
With entertainment business entrepreneurs Abby Dobson, Celia Faussart (pka Blue Nefertiti), Jackie Rhinehart, Danrella Dunham, DJ Reborn and more...
Moderated by Fiona Bloom of The Bloom Effect
Author and industry veteran Thembisa S. Mshaka interviewed stars and the people who make them for her new book "Put Your Dreams First...", described as "mentorship in a bottle" for those hoping to break in to the business. This evening, a panel of those featured in the book, moderated by publicity maven Fiona Bloom, will talk about their experiences and answer your career questions in an unmatched intimate setting.
Thursday March 4, 2010!
Panel: 7:30p
Mixer and Signing: 8:45p (Wine will be served!)
Panelists include:
Independent recording artist Abby Dobson
Celia Faussart, co-founder of Les Nubians
Darnella Dunham, Radio Trade writer and producer
DJ Reborn, DJ instructor and Music Director of Def Poets on Broadway World Tour
Jackie Rhinehart, marketing veteran and author, My Organic Soul
Voice and stage actor Raqiyah Mays ("Platanos & Collard Greens")
A mixer will follow with the book's author, the panelists as well as Rhonda Cowan, Vice President of BET.com, filmmaker/producer Nefertiti Strong of Catch-A-Dream Entertainment, and other music and media movers and shakers, and will offer attendees the chance to gain the benefit of the experience of women in the business.
www.thembisamshaka.comwww.putyourdreamsfirst.comGREENLIGHT BOOKS
686 Fulton St, near South Portland
Brooklyn, NY 11217
C Train to Lafayette, 2/3/4/5 to Nevins or B/Q/D/N/R to Atlantic Avenue/Pacific St.
regarded as one of the leading female MCs in Latin America, she's rocked on tracks by Control Machete, Bajofondo And DJ Bitman but Iher collaboration with Julieta Venegas on “Eres Para Mi” expose her to a mainstream audience. she's also been nominated by MTV Latin America VMAs for “Best New Artist” and “Best Urban Artist”, ya heard!
she's currently on her extensive U.S. debut tour (see dates and locations below), which began at SXSW in Austin, TX, which is where I started to hear (via our fave twitter.com) some rumblings about a sista smashing stages and sets with a unique stylee...
that unique perspective made even more sense when I found out that Tijoux was born in France to a French mother and a Chilean father in political exile during Pinochet's dictatorship. upon the return to democracy, the family moved to Chile, where she found a home in the emerging hip-hop scene of Santiago and first started rhyming in French, then later in Spanish. Tijoux initially established herself as the frontwoman of the popular Chilean hip hop group Makiza, renowned for their socially conscious lyrics and dynamic production. Since Makiza, Tijoux has developed her own distinct voice as a solo artist.
with multiple features, the collaboration with Mexican rock star Julieta Venegas on the track, “Eres Para Mi,” became a TV and radio smash hit across Latin America and the U.S. and solidified her as a force in Hip Hop.
With her new album ‘1977,’ Tijoux uses her jazzy vocals, sophisticated lyrics and hynoptic beats to prove her abilities as a true “rapera”. The album, named for her year of birth, paints a picture of her childhood in France and pays homage to the early 90s era of hip-hop that influenced her as a teenager in Chile. revisiting "the classic albums - Nas’ ‘Illmatic,’ Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘36 Chambers,’ and A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Midnight Marauder,’” Tijoux says. “It was like running into your first ex-boyfriend after many years and falling in love all over again.”
“’1977’ is like an album from that ‘golden-age’ of rap, a style that I never get tired of,” she explains. “I can’t stand much of modern rap music, it’s just not what I’m about: bling, fancy cars, etc. That music is like the brothel of rap. I’m trying to stage a revival of the generation that I liked the most – ’92 – ’95.”
Recorded between May and September 2009, ‘1977’ features production by a trio of Santiago’s best: Hordatoj, Foex and Tee. with special guest features including acclaimed Detroit-based MC Invincible (shouts to Emergence and the Detroit Hip Hop movement) on a virtual Myspace collaboration for “Sube” and Solo Di Medina on the French track “Ooh La La.”, this project is highly anticipated as one of the best offerings out of Latin America and into International Hip Hop for 2010!
‘1977’ is now available early at iTunes and will be released everywhere on April 27th, so make sure you cop and support!!
Anita Tijoux Tour Dates:
3/18 – Official SXSW/Naco Showcase @ Flamingo Cantina (Austin, TX)
3/20 – Official SXSW/Chile Showcase @ Maggie Mae’s (Austin, TX)
3/21 – Pedi Cab Bar & Grille (San Antonio, TX)
3/22 – Café Sevilla (San Diego, CA)
3/23 – Little Temple (Los Angeles, CA)
3/24 – Mucho Wednesdays @ La Cita (Los Angeles, CA)
3/25 – La Peña Cultural Center (Berkeley, CA)
3/26 – South First Billiards (San Jose, CA)
3/27 – Martyr’s (Chicago, IL)
3/30 – 5 Elements Gallery (Detroit, MI)
3/31 – Las Brisas (Toronto, ON)
4/2 – The Green Room (Montreal, QC)
4/4 – Le Poisson Rouge w/ Pacha Massive + Maluca (New York, NY)
4/6 – WNYC Greene Space w/ Sharon Jones (New York, NY)
4/8 – Drom (New York, NY)
4/9 – Clandestino @ Tommy Doyle’s (Boston, MA)
4/10 - Trinity International Hip Hop Festival (Hartford, CT)
til next week all! stay FRESH and stay tuned as we have some major announcements regarding "She's So Fresh" Showcase IV!! we at J.A.G. Music and Media are very excited about the opportunity to bring you another FRESH event supporting Women in Hip Hop and Urban Arts! it is what we do and what we love!
© 2010 J.A.G. Music and Media
