500 Females page | Hip-Hop and Politics

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

Lucia Vargas – Condenados

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

Lucia Vargas -Vuelo Entre Recuerdos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFTMMIXyV2s

500 Female Emcees: Meet Hime Holding Down Tradition

March 14, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Hime hails from Japan and connected to famed Hip Hop icon DJ Honda. She released her debut solo album Hime hajime in October 2003 which was notable because of its use of Japanese cultural themes, including tanka metre and sampling of kabuki and bunraku narrations.

She has also been given props because her work often touches upon themes of female empowerment. Hime describes herself as the voice of the ‘Japanese doll.^‘ One example of the incorporation of traditional Japanese poetry and contemporary hip-hop can be heard in the song Tateba shakuyaku or Standing, she’s a peony

“this sound,
giri and ninjo
the spirit of harmony
will the surprise attack
come from the peony”

In the chorus of the song, as seen above, Hime writes in a thirty-one-syllable tanka

Hime’s embrace of the ancient form of poetry in her rapping, as well as her frequent use of Japanese cliche’s and traditional rhythms, show a trend in some Japanese hip hop to localize at the same time that they are embracing a global musical form. “Hime’s use of Japanese cliches is provocative in a club setting where the latest slang from MTV tends to be most valued”^. Yet she also uses rhyme, something imported, since Japanese does not have much of a structure for rhyming.

At the same time that she is embracing aspects of Japanese culture into her hip hop, we also see how Hime presents herself. Often in her videos she is dressed in ways that are clearly taken from American, and specifically hip hop, culture as was the case when she appeared on the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards.

Hime’s songs “Black List”, “Himehajime 2006”, “In The Rain”,and “Fuyajo” are featured in The Fast and the Furious video games.

Hime ‘Ukina’

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

Hime ‘In the Rain’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFp9pl5EE5Q

Hime ‘Blacklist’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aWRzqZCbXg

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: DJ Honda, Female emcees, Hime, Japanese hip hop

500 Female Emcees: Meet Brier, Japan’s Strong Woman

March 13, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Brier hails from Japan and has one of the dopest flows around. Its been hard finding a lot of information on her and her careers. What we do know is that she released an album called ‘Colors’ a couple of years ago that was banging.

Prior to that she did a few tracks with a Peruvian born artist named El Nando. Many were anticipating her to drop some more music, but she kinda dropped out of sight. It’s been hard to both track down the album except for a few cuts that were uploaded on Youtube as well as any in depth articles on her…

Brier ‘Strawberry Punch”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24ncuaAHH14

Brier ‘Strong Woman’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK18P1k595M

Brier ‘Street Cude’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm36eK6ED4M

Brier ‘Happy Birthday’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9JOSpdo_QY

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: Brier, female rap Strong woman, Japanese rap

500 Females Emcees: Meet Lecca from Japan

March 13, 2014 By mrDaveyd

One of Japan’s most popular artists is Lecca. She’s half Latina-half Japanese Jamaican inspired, reggae, hip hop, dance hall singer, songwriter. She’s considered a major ambassador for reggae inspired music in Japan.

She cut her teeth and got what she described as ‘warrior’ training in 2002 when she graduated from college and decided to spend close to a year living in New York and Toronto so she could attend open mics, work with local artists and be a part of showcases. The experience was invaluable.

When she returned to Japan in 2003 she joined she joined a Hip Hop group Legnis. A year later she left and hooked up with popular reggae performer Pang where she found her groove and calling.It wasn’t long before Lecca went solo and the rest they say is history.

Her indie debut, Recca (2005), featuring guest appearance by Pang, was delivered in 2005; it was acclaimed as one of the best reggae/ska releases of the year, allowing Lecca to play festivals along with the greats like Gregory Issacs and Marcia Griffiths and bringing her a contract with Cutting Edge, where she debuted in 2006 with the EP Dreamer, followed by Urban Pirates (2006), which charted at number 57.

Her most recent album ‘Zoolander‘ came out in 2012 and is still making noise all over the world. Stand out songs include ‘Golden Lion‘ and ‘Clown Love‘

Lecca ‘Sky is the Limit’ w/ Rhymester

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jtnpBgKc1Y

Lecca ‘Lets Begin’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EIMU-h_8oE

Lecca ‘Start Line’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B36VveqGqzU

Lecca ‘Golden Lion’

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: 500 Female Emcees, Female emcees, Japanese hip hop, Lecca

500 Female Emcees: Meet Brooke Candy Exotic Dance Turned Rapper

March 1, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Brook Candy (Oxnard, Ca)

Brooke Candy is from Oxnard California and is best known for co-starring in the music video for Grimes‘ hit single “Genesis.” She released a music video for her song “Das Me” in October 2012. Her second video, “Everybody Does,” was released on January 3, 2013. Her third video for “I Wanna Fuck Right Now” was released on February 11, 2013. Her debut album, an EP titled Freaky Princess, came out in 2013 and she appeared as guest vocalist on the lead single of Kylie Minogue‘s twelfth studio album..

Candy’s father is the CFO of Hustler magazine and CEO of Hustler Casino, and Candy herself has been employed by Hustler as a mannequin stylist. Her industry ties helped her snag an internship with reality star and stylist Rachel Zoe. Before becoming a pop singer, Candy worked in a strip-club called Seventh Veil for eight months. Although she has been approached by four major record labels, she has not signed a recording contract. Best known for sporting metallic bikinis and pink cornrows, Candy has been compared to Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, and Nicki Minaj. Candy cites transhumanism and superhero-culture as the inspiration for her metallic costumes.

Reach her on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/brookecandy

Check out our master list of 500 Female Emcees You Should Know

Brooke Candy ‘Das Me’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHULK1M-P08

Brooke Candy ‘Everybody Does’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrfvIr7cfbY

Brooke Candy ‘Dumb’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP9vjglx8sE

Brooke Candy ‘I Wanna F–K’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOx96K141SU

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: Brooke Candy, erotic, female emcee, ratchet

500 Female Emcees: Meet Apani B Fly from Queens, NY

March 1, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Apani B Fly-Queens NY

Apani aka Apani B-Fly Emcee, often referred to as Apani B. is a revered hip hop artist, author, entrepreneur and activist from Hollis, Queens in NYC. She is a founding member of the hip hop super-group Polyrhythm Addicts, along with fellow members DJ Spinna, Mr. Complex, and Shabaam Sahdeeq. Apani emerged during the golden era of the 90’s to be considered a pioneer of New York City’s underground hip hop scene.
Apani has toured internationally and been embraced by a loyal and ever growing fanbase as new listeners discover and relate to her music. She is singularly set apart by her ability to use her vocals to confidently project a large presence throughout every performance with her agile delivery as well as inspire with socially conscious themes while managing to not forget to entertain the listener.

Now although a busy and dedicated mom of 3 beautiful and talented children, Apani continues to remain relevant as an important figure on the indie music scene. Apani continues to reach new levels artistically, always making new music and collaborating with varied artists, working as a makeup artist for several high end brands, expressing creativity through fashion, authoring books, as well as producing live shows and events through her company 2040MM.

Reach her on twitter at http:/www.twitter.com/apaniclassic

Check out our Master list of 500 Female Emcees Everyone Should Know

Apani B-Fly – Estragen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDc-QaS3XCw

Apani B-Fly – A Million Stories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiE0WPiYRsk

Apani B-Fly – Let Me Know

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdT3d5So6Q8

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: 500 Female Emcees, Apani B Fly, female emcee

3 Dope Songs from Desdamona Reppin the Twin Cities

February 15, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Desdamona is a hip-hop and spoken word artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota She has won five Minnesota Music Awards for ‘Best Spoken Word Artist’ in the years 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 and is considered to be the best female spoken word and hip-hop artist in the Midwest.

Her emcee name, comes from Desdemona, the wife of Othello in William Shakespeare‘s tragedy Othello. She was born and went to school in Iowa. A childhood inspiration for her music, she said, was her father who would dress up as Count Dracula and tell bedtime stories to her.

In college, Desdamona and her friends formed a band in which Desdamona was the rapper, inspired by the R&B group TLC. The group performed around Waterloo, Iowa and had a few shows in Iowa City. When she moved to Minneapolis, she found an audience for her work. She began to go to open mic nights to perform her poetry. In this way, she became known as a spoken word artist, which was not her original intention, but which, she says, “made me a better writer.”

Desdamona was noticed for her guest vocals in Brother Ali‘s We Will Always B in 2000. Her lines criticized male dominance of hip-hop and chauvinism in general. This led to her first CD, The Ledge, which came out in June 2005.

Desdamona frequently collaborates with Twin Cities beatboxer Carnage the Executioner, also known as Carnage. On Desdamona’s second disc, The Source, which came out 26 June 2007, the duo do the first track, Infinity, together.The two have formed a group called Ill Chemistry, which was noted as a rising hip-hop group at the 2007 Minnesota Music Awards. Desdamona has noted that they’re working on a collaboration on her blog.

Desdamona co-founded an female based music festival, called B-Girl Be, which incorporates all the aspects of hip-hop and spoken word; emceeing, break dance, D.J.-ing and graffiti. She also works with schools, teaching students, as well as in the Stillwater Prison program, In the Belly.

In 2010, Desdamona was invited by Ursus Minor to sing on their third album “I will not take but for an answer” and also did the 21010 Ursus Minor October and August French Tours along with Boots Riley.

Desdamona “The Comeback”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TuCdehkcjY

Desdamona “The Source”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iC-K9eDAJ4

Desdamona ‘I Don’t Stop’

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

Desdamona “Get By”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWelD-DmsLs

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 3 Dope songs, 500 Females page Tagged With: B-Girl Be, Desdamona, female emcee, Minneapolis, The source

500 Female Emcees: Meet Audry Funk from Mexico

February 15, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Audry Funk is from Puebla, Mexico and considered one of the most representative emcees in the country. She’s put in more than 8 years on the independent music scene. She first started out doing reggae and after a while started dabbling in HIP HOP. Her first album GREEN SOUL SYSTEM came out in the year 2006. Iin

In 2010 she was invited to join the collective WOMEN WORKING Together with other female emcees who were holding down the national scene. Since 2011 she’s been working with HIP HOP tHE BOROUGH. This year he takes out his first solo material ….

Audry Funk Kemalo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX7QrfEGAmo

Audry Funk Matices

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j9qgixo-Hg

Audry Funk Destreza Hip Hop Tatuado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0NfInls8ZM

Audry Funk ft. Achepe La Simplicidad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzq3aJ6KvME

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: Audry Funk, Mexican Hip Hop

500 Females Emcees: Meet Azealia Banks

February 15, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Azealia Amanda Banks was born on May 31, 1991 Her mother raised her and two older sisters in Harlem, after their father died of pancreatic cancer when she was two years old.Following her father’s death, Banks says that her mother “became really abusive – physically and verbally. Like she would hit me and my sisters with baseball bats, bang our heads up against walls, and she would always tell me I was ugly. I remember once she threw out all the food in the fridge, just so we wouldn’t have anything to eat.” Due to escalating violence, Banks moved out of her mother’s home at age 14 to live with her older sister.

At a young age Banks became interested in musical theater, acting and singing. Aged ten, she began performing in off-Broadway musicals with the Tada! Youth Theater in Lower Manhattan. She had lead roles in three productions (Rabbit Sense, Sleepover, and Heroes) in addition to performing as a soloist. Banks was trained in the performing arts at the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. At the age of sixteen, Banks starred in a production of the comedy-noir musical City of Angels, where she was found by an agent and sent on auditions for TBS, Nickelodeon, and Law & Order, all without success. It was at this point that Banks decided to end her pursuit of an acting career, citing the large amount of competition and overall sense of unfulfillment as reasons for her retirement. Because of this, Banks began writing rap and R&B songs as a creative outlet. She never finished high school, instead choosing to follow her dream of becoming a recording artist.

source wikipedia

Azealia Banks No problem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tkEp91mWYo

Azealia Banks Liquorice

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

Azealia Banks Yung Rapunxel

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

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 500 Females page Tagged With: 500 Females emcees, Azealia Banks

3 Dope songs from LA Rapper Ak’sent

February 14, 2014 By mrDaveyd

Ak’Sent aka Krystle Kantrece Johnson is from LA..I remember when she first hit the scene around ’05, ’06, she looked like she was ready to be that main person everyone was checking for.. But then she disappeared.. Not sure what happened, but her music was dope and as an emcee she was up there..

Her father is of African-American descent, while her mother is of Mexican descent. Ak’Sent grew up quickly thanks to a rough childhood. Her father was an aspiring rapper caught up in the gang lifestyle and was killed in a gang shooting when she was four years old, and with her mother unable to support her on her own, she was sent to live with her grandparents in South Central, Los Angeles.

Ak’Sent was signed to Capitol Records when she was only 16. Since then she has worked with a number of well-known professionals such as The Jugganauts, DJ Quik, & Beenie Man.

Ak’Sent aims to avoid the glorification of violence and prefers to think of Hip-Hop as a form of “street poetry.” Her first album, International, was released on September 26, 2006. She released her second album Gem-In-I under the Avex label. It was released on July 16, 2008 in Japan only. She is currently recording her third album and a mixtape.

Although Ak’Sent signed to a major label when she was only 16 years old, her African-American/Latino background had her wondering where to fit in. Adding to her challenges, rap music wasn’t allowed in her grandparent’s house, but as Ak’Sent learned more about her father’s hip-hop aspirations, she decided she should carry on in his honor. She eventually spent time in several R&B-based girl groups and began dance training with Debbie Allen. One showcase at the age of 16 had the young multi-talent signed to Capitol and working with the production duo The Jugganauts. Ak’Sent was especially excited about the Caribbean-styled beats the Jugganauts were working on, and soon she was writing a series of dancehall numbers. One was the future hit “Zingy“, featuring guest star Beenie Man, who Ak’Sent herself had chosen because she was a huge fan. Her debut International landed in 2006 with a Spanish-language remix of “Zingy” and an ode to her departed father titled “My Life“.

source wikipedia.. for more info on Ak’sent go to http://www.aksent.com/

Ak’sent ‘The Bomb’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izg4mcWrzTY