mrDaveyd | Hip-Hop and Politics

500 Female Emcees: Meet Shadia Mansour-First Lady of Arabic Hip Hop

March 18, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Known as the First Lady of Arabic Hip Hop, British born, Palestinian, Shadia Monsour has been kicking up dust and making moves for a minute. Her politically charged songs in which she both sings and raps have been a source of pride for many who are in the liberation struggle for Palestine…

Shadia began rapping in 2003 and has gained recognition in the Middle East, Europe and the United States for her own songs and collaborations with other artists. She performs wearing a traditional Palestinian thawb and has said that she considers herself to be part of a “musical intifada” against the occupation of Palestine, conservatism and oppression of women.

Mansour’s first single, “Al Kufiya Arabiya” (The Kufiya is Arab), featured rapper M-1 of dead prez and lyrics emphasizing the kufiya’s role as a symbol of Arab nationalism. The song was written when Mansour discovered an American made blue-and-white colored Arab scarf with Stars of David on it. Mansour introduced her song on stage in New York: “You can take my falafel and hummus, but don’t fucking touch my keffiyeh”.

Mansour has recorded music with producer Johnny “Juice” Rosado of Public Enemy and was featured on Chuck D‘s website shemovement.com.She has also collaborated with artists like Iraqi rappers Lowkey and The Narcicyst, and Palestinian hip-hop group DAM. Mansour has toured with Existence is Resistance, an organization supporting hip-hop shows in Palestine, and is part of the “Arab League” of Hip Hop, a collection of performers who share views on the Middle East.

source: wikipedia

Shadia Mansour w/ M1 of dead prez Al Kufiya Arabiya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21OXQ4m1-Bo

Shadia Mansour w/ Omar Offendum We Have to Change

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LcLqP-GOj0

Shadia Mansour Sho Eli Saar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA6weVw5c3A

Ana Tijoux w/ Shadia Mansour Live Performance in Chile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8hXbCP1vBs

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: First lady of Arabic Hip Hop, musical intifada, Palestine, Shadia Monsour

500 Female Emcees: Meet Ana Tijoux-Comin’ Straight Outta Chile

March 18, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Anita Tijoux also known as Ana Tijoux is what many would consider an emcee’s emcee. Born in France to two exiled Chilean parents who later returned after the US backed dictator General Augusto Pinochet was disposed, her nice, intense, laid back flows are precise, mesmerizing and often laced with social and political commentary..Ana’s popularity is understated..

At almost every show I’ve seen her perform from Austin, Texas to the Bay Area gets sold out, attracting crowds that know every word to her songs, even as she raps in Spanish and French.

She had been grinding away for a minute. Initially it was with the group Makiza who many compared to NY’s famed Native Tongues because of their sound and style.. They made some noise with a couple of underground bangers in the late 90s that made the charts in Chile..The group put out a couple of albums including; ‘Vida Salvaje‘ and ‘Casino Royal‘ which was released in 2005 to rave reviews..

The following year Makiza broke up and Tijoux went solo. In 2009 she became a break star internationally with the release of her album 1977 which proclaims the year of her birth and is mostly autobiographical. Many in the US got their first peak at her when she touched down at SXSW in 2010 and blew up the spot doing songs off that album including the popular jam Sube which was done with Detroit emcee Invincible. The SXSW stop led to her launching a successful US tour..

Since then she’s released two other projects including; Elefant Mixtape and the album La Bala which was nominated for a Grammy. Her music has been featured in the video game FIFA 11 and on the hit TV show Breaking Bad. She was also voted as Best Female Emcee Dominating Mics Everywhere on MTV Iggy…Lastly she’s been part of a campaign for women’s empowerment called Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

If you don’t know Anita Tijoux, you been missing out.. Check out some her joints below

————————————-

Ana Tijoux w/ Quantic Doo Whop That Thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kDjbvIU1zU

This is a recent song from Anita Tijoux where she hooked up with Colombia-based, British-born producer and musician Quantic. Here the two do a dope cover of Lauryn Hill‘s classic hit “Doo Wop (That Thing)” The lyrics are flipped into Spanish by Tijoux, whose understated yet charismatic flow makes her a beguiling vocal presence, along with a Cumbia beat giving an alternative, tropical slant to this landmark jam.

Ana Tijoux Elephant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDO-_HW5DdA

This is from the mixtape Ana dropped about a year and half ago.. Its a fun video and a warm up to what she had in store on the album LA Bala which would be nominated for a Grammy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAayt5BsEWg

Anita Tijoux Sacar La Voz ft (Jorge Drexler)

This is vintage Ana Tijoux…low key, but powerful and captivating ..It’s an inspiring song about walking proud, being fearless, even if you have ‘nothing in your pockets’ and standing up in the face of oppression.. One of my favorite cuts from her featured on the La Bala album..

Anita Tijoux Shocked

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=177-s44MSVQ

This is one of Ana Tijoux‘s most popular songs to date which she did a couple of years ago to bring attention and support to the massive student strikes that were going on in Chile, which brought millions of people out to the streets but was ignored here in the US..She later re-did an acoustic version of this song in Tuscon, Arizona to bring attention to the plight of undocumented folks and the harsh anti-immigrant SB 1070 laws.. You can peep that video
below..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkvgAXkd7yM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Ky836XM-s

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: 1977, Ana Tijoux, Anita Tijoux, Chilean Hip Hop, female emcee

500 Female Emcees: Meet Lah Tere-Chicago Born, Soulful, Mic Wrecker

March 17, 2014 By mrDaveyd

One of the fiercest to bless a mic is Lah Tere. She’s a humanitarian, organizer, activist, femcee, songstress, proud BBW, and a visionary speaker for the 21st Century. The Afro-Antillian/Puerto Rican/Boricua sister grew up in Chicago’s historic Puerto Rican community of Humboldt Park near the famed Paseo Boricua. She is first generation born on the mainland, and the daughter of revolutionary educators and survivors of Chicago’s notorious ghettos.

Lah was a member of Rebel Diaz, an internationally known rap group that took a critical and political stance on many social issues from police brutality on the streets of New York to violence against women globally. Her dedication and hard work granted her the opportunity to travel to Spain, Germany, Guatemala, Chile and Venezuela. She is also a founding member of the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective (RDAC), a multimedia arts and music community center in the South Bronx.

Lah writes and performs about domestic violence issues and links popular media examples of violence against women to secrets and silences in communities of color around molestation, rape, and other forms of violence against women’s bodies that is too often normalized and naturalized in popular culture. She is a proud BBW ( Big, Beautiful Woman).

Through her political and global activism, Lah Tere has worked to carve her own niche outside of the commercial hip-hop industry, and focused on building communities from within. As an emcee, she uses hip-hop as a didactic tool as well as an emotional release technique for individual and communal healing.

Lah is a co-founder of Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen: The Soup Kitchen for the Hip Hop Soul (MHHK), a multifaceted hip hop event designed to showcase intergenerational women artists, especially women of color. MHHK serves as a social justice community-organizing platform that educates and empowers women of color on issues that impact their lives, including Health, HIV/AIDS and reproductive justice.

Lah is also the founder of InnerCityQueens, an organization who is set out to provide a mobile safe healing space for children, women and men in war torn/third world countries through events, workshops, and meditation using the arts. In recent years Lah Tere’s vision of teaching women and children about the healing power of Hip Hop truly manifested itself.

She taught and performed in some of the poorest communities in Palestine (West Bank), Guatemala City (Comunidad Incencio), Ireland’s Ballymun (like the BX) and most recently Azua, Dominican Republic. These experiences have equipped her with a wealth of knowledge and have expanded her career. She is currently being booked internationally as a motivational speaker and lecturer on women’s rights and Hip Hop Healing.

Lah is globally sharing her message that “Self-Love dissolves Self-Hate” and is conjointly working on her own personal healing. Be on the look out for her debut solo album which is armed with piercing lyrics and a message that could change the world for better. Lah Tere plans on bringing everything to the party, and leaving no life untouched.

source: http://www.lahtere.com

Lah Tere Terra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEzbhG9OF0I

Lah Tere You Are

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnsVgDCRWB0

Lah Tere Live at 7efa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkCkRpnAA3Y

Lah Tere Crush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Cp7yVg9tA

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: Chicago, female Rap, Inner City Queens, Lah Tere, Momma's Kitchen, Rebel Diaz

500 Female Emcees: Meet Keny Arkana-She Brings Rage to Her Music

March 16, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Keny Arkana is an Argentine-French rapper/ activist who is deeply involved in the anti-globalization and civil disobedience movements. Fuled by the fact that she was placed in a foster home at a young age, her tormented childhood led to her being anti-judges, anti-police and anti-system. She was one who definitely uses Hip Hop as a tool for liberation.

In 2004 she founded a music collective called La Rage du peuple, in the neighborhood of Noailles in Marseille, where she began to make noise.

Prior to that she founded a hip hop group called Mars Patrie, followed by another called Etat-Major. Her status in the French hip hop circles took off with the release of La rage which chronicled the Civil Unrest that engulfed France..

Keny Arkana also launched a series of local social fora through the association Appel aux sans voix (“Call to the voiceless”).

Her later studio albums include L’Esquisse 2 (May 2011) and Tout tourne autour du soleil (December 2012).

Keny Arkana –La Rage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1Co1mfz23U

Keny Arkana – Vie d’artiste

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFb6T6mmh6M

Keny Arkana – Victoria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERYbBKffvz0

Keny Arkana – Gens Presses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAMD_mHjgec

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: 500 Female Emcees, female Rap, French rap, Keny Arkana, La Rage

500 Female Emcees: Meet Ruby Ibarra-Bay Area Icon

March 16, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Ruby Ibarra is a Cali-bred spoken word artist/rapper/lyricist. Born in the Philippines and raised in the Bay area; she has been writing and rapping for several years. Recently she decided to take her art to another level and to pursue it professionally.

Penning her lyrical style as 90’s hip- hop sound with elements of raw poetry, Ruby describes her style as “a variety of topics — boastful raps, about my culture, society, politics, my experiences, and stories of others that I feel haven’t been told too often.”

Pursuing more success as a talented a rapper and lyricist, Ruby recently caught the attention of XXL Magazine by being featured on their site column ‘The Break,’ and MYX TV cable channel. With the ups and downs that come with being in the industry, Ruby has a strong foundation to stand on from her family, despite the shadiness the business can be at times. “I try not to be intimidated by the fear of rejection or failure in the music industry because at the end of the day, I’m doing this because I love it, enjoy it, and it’s one of things I feel natural in and know that I’m good at.”

Ruby continues to hone her skills, while currently working on a mixed tape. She is focused on reaching her the long-term goals of having multi-platinum selling albums, touring the world, and most of all, maintaining control over her art and image.

Ruby recently released a mixtape called Lost in Translation… check for it HERE

Ruby Ibarra – Nonconceptual

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0-gCaGLO18

Ruby Ibarra – Game Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K-hAty8kek

Ruby Ibarra w/Kris Payne – Where They Go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4wvexC3U2s

Ruby Ibarra – Guess Who?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pTBGRueleA

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: 500 Females emcees, Filipino Hip Hop, Ruby Ibarra, women rap

500 Female Emcees: Meet Rapsody-The First Lady of North Carolina

March 16, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Hailing from Wilson, North Carolina, Rapsody is the protégé of Grammy Award-winning producer 9th Wonder and is seen by many as new force in hip hop. Her lyrical mastery sets the bar high for all emcees, male and female alike as she is blazing a serious trail for a new generation of emcees.

Rapsody is the first lady of North Carolina super crew Kooley High where she first her teeth and one of the first artists signed to 9th Wonder’s Jamla Records/It’s A Wonderful World Music Group.

Paying homage to her hip hop godmothers MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, and Lauryn Hill, Rapsody represents much more than just the female side of hip hop culture; she is an emcee who represents hip hop culture beyond the lines of gender, proving that anything the boys can do, she can do, too, and better. Her virtuosity and dexterity behind the microphone highlight her presentation, and her humble demeanor attests to her constant pursuit of improvement with every beat and rhyme.

After proving her impeccable craftsmanship with features on 9th Wonder’s “Dream Merchant 2,” Skyzoo’s DJ-Drama hosted “The Power of Words,” and numerous Kooley High releases, Rapsody made her solo debut on December 7, 2010 with “Return of the B-Girl,” a 20-track project boasting production by 9th Wonder and DJ Premier among others, as well as features from Big Daddy Kane, Mac Miller, Skyzoo, Rah Digga, Phil Ade, and more. A published review praised the record: “A poet-turned-rapper, Rapdiddy (as she’s dubbed herself) has always possessed outstanding wordplay, but B-Girl finds her effortlessly nimble delivery — capable of both gritty and biting or sassy and sultry — continuing to improve.”

Rapsody has shared the stage with hip hop legends and rising stars alike, including Raekwon, J. Cole, Wale, Colin Munroe, Tanya Morgan, Suede of Camp Lo, Blu and Exile, and The Clipse, but it’s her ability to captivate diverse audiences with her explosively dynamic live performance that sets her apart and has earned her much-deserved accolades from major media sources including Vibe, XXL, HipHopDX, and more.

Her style is polished and distinct, and her wordplay and flow are unparalleled in both delivery and execution. As she continues to strive to contend with her hip hop predecessors like Jay-Z and Mos Def, Rapsody is already undeniably one of the strongest and most promising forces in today’s hip hop culture. Check out her album ‘She’s Got Game‘..

Rapsody – Believe Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kSoVSgWK9o

Rapsody – The Drums w/Heather Victoria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_eO3ytC-BU

Rapsody – In The Town

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf9Rs9Stt8s

Rapsody Betty Shabazz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jGKHlD0cgg

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: 9th Wonder, Female rappers, Kooley High, North Carolina, Rapdsody

500 Female Emcees: Meet Rinko A True Survivor from Japan

March 15, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Rinko Nagahisa aka Rinko hails from Kagoshima, Japan and now lives in Tokyo. She both sings and raps and has made a name for herself. What makes her stand out is the realness of her music. Coming up she was sexually assaulted and is a survivor of domestic violence. She notes that music was her salvation.

Here’s what she noted in her bio

Parents were constantly quarelling, I was verbally and physically abused. I was fed up with it at all. The next thing I noticed, I was holding a knife against my mother.

Just as I thought my singing career started to progress, I was confined then sexually assaulted for 10 days. When I finally ran away for police , the officer told me ” go back to wherever you are , I don’t care you get killed”. I couldn’t believe anyone. After the incidents I was really alone, suffered from PTSD, depression, panic disorder which kept me down for 4 years.

I struggled to continue singing without looking away from severe realities. I had to be strong. I sing true to my experience so people like me who suffer inside can ease their heart.

My songs empowers listeners with truth and my way of life.

Rinko What u gonna do?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvbRptodhz8

Rinko Tatakae

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSPUcSPvcpM

Rinko I know You want Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ggovyr1yhE

Rinko Spend Money

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KcF2ophGrw

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: female hip hop, Japanese hip hop, Rink, women rap

500 Female Emcees: Meet Akua Naru-World Traveler, A True Wordsmith

March 15, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Having begun writing and performing rhymes as a young girl, in her native New Haven, CT, Akua Naru, began crafting in her early years what would later reveal to be a great talent for profound lyricism and extraordinary musical performances.

Known as a traveler, as chronicled throughout her Jan. 2011 debut release, The Journey Aflame, this female wordsmith has garnered attention by trotting the globe, recording her experiences and fusing musical genres with her brand of hip hop.

Formerly based in Philadelphia, there have been many stops along the way, from traveling West Africa to touring China, Naru moved to Cologne, Germany where she currently resides and creates music.

Naru has performed with the world renowned Afro Beat pioneer and Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, toured with classic Hip Hop group Lords Of The Underground, & shared the stage/collaborated with artists Patrice, Tete, Ursula Rucker, Blitz The Ambassador, Angelique Kidjo and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of the legendary Roots crew to name a few.

Not just an emcee, Naru has also recently teamed up with one of the nation’s leading scholars, Dr. Tricia Rose, author of the classic book “Black Noise” & “The Hip Hop Wars”, to lecture at The Hip Hop Academy in Hamburg, Germany.

Akua Naru’s album ‘…The Journey A Flame’ has a rare depth, warmth, and honesty that has garnered international appeal. With her first official release, Naru reflects on her path with an intricate landscape of words that provoke thought, inspire, and soothe. With this album, Naru reveals that her journey has not only been aflame: it has just begun.

‘‘I have written, sung, and performed since I can remember having my first thoughts. I have never discovered the music; the music and rhyme discovered me.‘‘ she noted

Akua Naru – The Backflip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb-wbEntrXI

Akua Naru — The Block

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj6LLXtZPRY

Akua Naru – The Wound w/ Blitz the Ambassador

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aPClT6PCKI

Akua Naru – Nag Champa Gold

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvoEVD6N2gI

Akua Naru -Tales of Two Men w/ African Footprint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMLVgk7mTOk

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: afrocentric, Akua Naru, female emcee, socially conscious

500 Female Emcees: Meet Jean Grae-Iconic, Legendary-the Best

March 15, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Originally known as What? What? Jean Grae (Tsidi Ibrahim) was born in South Africa, but says that she will always be a New Yorker by heart. She is the daughter of two jazz musicians where she learned an appreciation for all genres of music by age 9.

She attended the famed High School of Performing Arts as a vocal major and was later accepted to New York University as a Music Business major. She was recruited by a rapper named Ocean to form a group Natural Resources where Jean cut her teeth as a song writer and producer.

In 1997, Natural Resource founded their own record label, Makin’ Records, and released the 12″ single, “Negro League Baseball“, which became an underground hip-hop classic.

Natural Resource dissolved in 1998, after which Jean changed her stage name from What? What? to Jean Grae, which she was a reference to the X-Men character Jean Grey. She released her first LP—Attack of the Attacking Things—in 2002, and followed it in 2004 with This Week.

She created a buzz for herself and which led to her recording tracks with artists like Atmosphere, The Roots, Talib Kweli, Da Beatminerz, Phonte, Masta Ace, Mos Def, Styles P, Pharoahe Monch and Immortal Technique just to name a few.

Jean linked up with producer 9th Wonder to record and album called Jeanius which was never completed after it was leakedon the internet. She went on to be signed to Babygrande Records where she released the critically acclaimed ‘This Week‘ and ‘Evil Jenius‘

In 2005 Jean signed to Talib Kweli’s Blacksmith Records. On April 28, 2008, Jean Grae posted a blog entry on her MySpace page saying goodbye to her fans.She later cited disenchantment with the music industry and desire to start a family as the reasons behind the “retirement” and said that she was working on new material and still wanted to continue in music: “You know what? I need that Grammy. I think I might be able to stop after that”^.

According to her wikipedia entry…In July 2008, Talib Kweli posted a blog entry explaining Grae’s album, mentioning that she was not retiring. The blog ends encouraging fans to purchase the album, referring to Grae as “one of the last true MCs left.” Grae returned to doing live performances later that year.

On September 18, 2008, Jean Grae posted a Craigslist ad offering her creative services for $800/16 bars.^[ On her MySpace blog entry, she states, “I don’t wanna complain anymore, I just wanna change some things about the way artists are treated and the way you guys are allowed to be involved, since it IS the digital age.”

On June 23, 2011, after an almost four-year hiatus, Grae released a free mixtape entitled Cookies or Comas, which features guest appearances from Styles P, Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch, it also includes the highly praised tracks “Assassins” from Monch’s W.A.R. album and “Uh Oh” From Talib Kweli’s Gutter Rainbows.

On October 22, 2012, Jean Grae performed with MeLa Machinko and DJ Mr. Len in New York City at WNYC’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, also recorded as an episode of Judge John Hodgman. During the episode the upcoming records “Gotham Down” and “Cake or Death” were named.

On January 2, 2013, she released a 10-track project called Dust Ruffle. Dust Ruffle features unreleased songs from between 2004 and 2010. Of the album she says: “It’s such an interesting retrospective project because I get to actually hear myself evolve from 2004-2010. Snapshots of life.”

Between October and November 2013 she self-released a series of EPs titled Gotham Down Cycle 1: Love in Infinity (Lo-Fi), Gotham Down Cycle II: Leviathan. Gotham Down Cycle 3: The Artemis Epoch. In December 2013 she combined the releases into one and titled it Gotham Down Deluxe. Jean Grae also released an online sitcom titled “Life with Jeanie”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjb5JnhmrFU

In January 2014 she also released The State of Eh, an audiobook. All are available for download on her website.

Jean Grae My Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFz6ECvaiqQ

Jean Grae Love Thirst

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9gE4ybCp_c

Jean Grae Kill Screen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzK-fn9NaCE

Jean Grae Supa Jean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXeMYZQRmXM

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: 500 Female Emcees, Cake or Die, Evil Jenius, female hip hop, Jean grae, Underground Hip Hop

500 Females Emcees: Meet Lucia Vargas from Columbia

March 14, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Columbian based rapper Lucia Vargas Salinas is a citizen of the world, convinced that music and art have the power to generate a positive transformation in all aspects of human development. She believes in a proactive re -evolution, loves music that inspires poets and whose rate is based on the rumbling sound of musical instruments and musical passion of beatmakers. For Lucia, the world moves on word of mouth, has the hidden force of the self-management done right.

She began her musical life accompanying traditional Colombian music groups who influenced the construction of her lyrics focused on the ancient wisdom. Combining this with the revolution influence concocted by HIP HOP, resulting in her first work entitled “RE- EVOLUTION LAND AND FREEDOM ” being released in EUROPE in 2008.

After touring to many communities worldwide following and sticking firm in her conviction that music can generate social justice, she released a second album in 2010 entitled ” THE ESSENCE VIVA ” which launched a second European tour entitled ” POSSIBLE WITHOUT ANY DREAM FIGHT “.

Lucia Vargas – Mientras exista

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhLjX3mC3b4