FEATURE ARTIST VIDEO “Push It Pull It” by Hatty Keane (U.K.)
BGM- Despite only being 20 years of age, U.K.’s Hatty Keane has more experience than most, completing over 500 shows since signing to BGM at the age of 16. This incredible work ethic has seen her support heavyweight artists such as Rudimental, Ellie Goulding, Olly Murs, Ed Sheeran,Wretch 32, JLS (19 Date Arena Tour) and Wiley. Hatty’s sound is the product of talent and hard work, and her determination has led her to collaborate with some topline writers and producers including Luigi ‘LUGO’ Gonzalez (Janet Jackson), Luney Tunez (Rihanna), Si Hulbert (One Direction) andHank Hughes (Naughty Boy, Emili Sande), shaping her sound to guarantee club night mayhem.
Soul Singer Nneka Announces Summer 2015 Tour Dates
New LP Arriving May 26th
Soul singer-songwriter Nneka will be heading out on a North American tour this summer. The upcoming trek will kick off on June 2nd in Seattle, WA, and make stops in big cities like Oakland, L.A., Chicago, Toronto, and Philly, before wrapping June 23rd in New York.
The new tour will support Nneka’s forthcoming album, My Fairy Tales, due out May 26th via Bushqueen Music. The German/Nigerian songstress recorded the LP in France, Denmark, and Nigeria while living in Paris. Like her previous offerings, including 2011’s ‘Soul Is Heavy,’ Nneka will continue to tackle personal and political issues.
“My Fairy Tales is a concept album, exploring the lives of Africans in the diaspora and the struggles they face,” she explained. “How we cope hustling in ‘another man’s land,’ but also the aspects of endurance, perseverance and gratitude.”
Nneka Tour Dates (Tickets for select shows are on sale now):
Taken from durmhiphopsummit.com.(Durham, NC) It seems like only this past August was when one of the BIGGEST events hit the Triangle. Hip Hop took over the city of DURHAM… or should I say, DURM… wait it was!! This year its going to be even BIGGER and BETTER! Leading up to 2014′s DURM Hip Hop Summit will be a monthly concert series, where every 3rd Friday we will introduce the city of DURM to an amazing out of town Hip Hop Artist and bring to you phenomenal Local Artists that are making their mark and taking over the triangle hip hop scene. Within this DURM Hip Hop Summit Concert Series will be mini summit style events to include Producer Battles, Freestyle Battles, DJ Spin offs as well as Graffiti and BBoys out side when the weather starts to get warmer! Each event will be held at Devines located at 904 W Main St . To KickStart the series on FEBRUARY 21st, the Man, the Myth, the Legend, Kourvioisier will start off the evening. Followed by some out of town help by Joe Crush DURM’s very own and founders of the DURM Hip Hop Summit, Toon & The Real Laww will round out the evening!! February 21st, 2014 (RSVP Here).
Reality TV shows bore me these days, so I wasn’t expecting to like BIG FREEDIA, The Queen of Bounceon fuse. But his lovable personality sold me. I was transfixed by Big Freedia’s passion and excitement for bringing New Orleans’ unique style of rap, bounce and twerk dance to mainstream audiences- and he’s got the whole world watching!
“Excuse, I don’t mean to be rude!” yellsBig Freedia as he shakes up cities across the country and abroad, recently making a tour stop in the Bull City (Durham, NC) for the Pinhook’s 5th anniversary event. Featuring a high energy dance troupe comprised of some of the best twerkers and bounce dancers in the world, Big Freedia performed for a packed, nicely diverse audience and took downtown Durham to a whole new level on a Tuesday night! Fun for everyone, Big Freedia’s shows touch a place in all of us that just wants to dance, bounce and feel good! WATCH THE FULL EPISODE. Leslie Cunningham, TRIBES
TRIBES Magazine is distributing its content free via a new digital viewer, PDF downloads and iPad. In the streets and online for nearly a decade, TRIBES has traveled the indy scene spotlighting artists generating the next trends in music, visual arts and the printed word. Today, TRIBES is one of the leading publications covering urban music and arts around the globe.“Best Online Zine (BlackWebAwards, 2009) and “Poetry Magazine of the Year” (National Poetry Awards, 2010), every issue is throbbing with the beat of music, politics, visual art, and photography, bursting with writing, articles, poetry, and personal narratives authored by a winning team of entertainment journalists, artists, and social critics. In the archives are greats like Damian and Kymani Marley, India.Arie, Tyler Perry, KRS One, Dead Prez, Ludacris, and so many more who have been featured. Still, the heart of TRIBES is always with the self-sustaining arts and ever-committed to showcasing the countless lessor known (but no less prolific) artists across the globe as they pioneer expression and make essential noise in their communities. View the current issue now!
“Jerode Rodgers, better known as Jeronimo was born in Chicago and raised in the “Low End” projects of the inner city. It was here that Jeronimo was introduced to freestyle and battle rapping. At the time Jeronimo had no clue that practicing these skills would be his gateway art to what would turn out to be his truest and most successful passion the art of Spoken Word. He began creating Spoken Word pieces in late December of 2011. Since then Jeronimo has released two Spoken Word EP’s. Spoken Hip Hop was the first release early in 2012 with extraordinary pieces like 80’s and 20’s. There was quite a bit of controversy throughout Jeronimo’s Christian fan base because of language used in several pieces. A remnants of battle rapping days where almost anything goes. Jeronimo was so grateful of the outpour of love, he decided to create his next EP for his Christian fanbase and kept it clean. Psalms of the Streets was created and then released in November of 2012. Over 300 people walked through the doors of the I.C.E. Theater for the event Heirs to the Throne, where Jeronimo held his release and listening event.” Read Jeronimo’s complete bio at http://www.jeronimospeaks.blogspot.com/p/bio.html.
BULL CITY rE-FASHIONED, a Fashion Show by dtownMARKET
The purpose of dtownMARKET’s “re-fashioned” is to give local fashion designers a space to showcase their work, perhaps make a little money and bring local design to the Bull City. dtownMARKET began in Durham, North Carolina in May 2011 when owner Kala Wolfe of Retrospective Vintage organized a one-time pop-up market for local fashion designers and artists to come together and sell their goods. Today, dtownMARKET isn’t just an event, it’s a community of really amazing people having a good time.To learn more, visit dtownmarket.com.
Cover Story/Interview by Alana Jones. Photographs by Emanuel Cole Studios.
The Real Laww lives for the expressions on the faces of the fans that come to his shows- the laughter, the head bobbing, the dancing, and raised hands during a performance. The hardest working MC in the Triangle got his fill from local audiences this September at Raleigh’s 2012 Hopscotch music festival.
“Hopscotch was insane,” says Laww. “The claps and love, the daps and hugs,” he thrives on that feeling that comes after a show and, as Laww continues to break ground for area hip hop, appearing at popular venues and events across the state (including the highly anticipate The Art of Cool Project), TRIBES Magazine caught up with the artist to discuss his music, the indie grind, and his unique contribution to the growing hip hop scene, here in the Triangle.
TRIBES: Thanks for speaking with us. Can be begin by discussing your stage persona? Are you a superhero and is there a story behind the tagline “Your Friendly Neighborhood Super artist?”
LAWW: Why yes, yes I am a superhero, faster than a Busta Rhyme Lyric, more powerful than the new Lady GaGa fragrance. Able to destroy tall booths in a single verse. The most humblest person in the history of humbleness like EVER! The tagline derived from me teaching myself how to do everything in the studio. I was able to get my own equipment but couldn’t afford constant studio time. I was already writing and rapping but I wanted custom beats. So, I taught myself how to do that. I wanted my vocals to sound a certain way. So, I taught myself how to engineer. THEN I was able to help others record, write, make beats, engineer and master their [own] mixtapes and albums or singles. Like a super hero, I never really charged for my services because I loved it so much [but] my manager isn’t too fond of that idea.
TRIBES:What is the meaning behind your moniker, The Real Laww (with two ‘W’s)?
LAWW:Lyricist At Work Work because ‘I’m constantly working son- no days off son, sleep is a crutch yo. grind hard and all that good stuff son-daughter! O_o’ But Laww originally was L@w but I couldn’t put L@w on any websites like facebook.com/L@w. It wouldn’t work on the digital market. So, I thought Law but if you google “Law,” a lot of legal stuff pops up. So, freak it [I thought]. Throw in the extra W (I constantly work anyway). It works! What Laww has grown into though is order and unity. If you come to a show, you’ll see that. Their isn’t a majority of one color of people or another. Its an even blend of all walks of life. I’m black (mom) and white (dad). So, I love to see everybody come together. Plus Laww is the beginning of my middle name Lawrence, so it makes it easier for me to remember.
TRIBES: When and how did you discover a love for music and Hip Hop?
LAWW: Music has always been around me, like since the womb. My grandmother was a lounge, jazz singer out in California. I didn’t know that until recently. My mother, my brother and sisters and I had a group together when I was small, singing at family functions and weddings. I love all types of music, from my kentucky roots with bluegrass, to classical, jazz to rock, dance to country, dubstep to salsa. I discovered hip hop listening to my older brother’s CD of Busta Rhymes The Coming. The Raw energy, the punchlines, cadence, timing and flow was ridiculous. I was hooked.
TRIBES:Who are some of your early favorites? Can you share an early Hip Hop memory?
LAWW: I just want to represent those folks that may be too busy to represent themselves and would like to be heard and acknowledged for the hard work they’ve been putting in Busta Rhymes was my first. Then while doing research on that [artist], I found A Tribe Called Quest and Da La Soul. My brother got me hooked on hip hop, jazz like Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli. As a grew, I got more into the harder, more edgy stuff like Biggie and Pac, Nas, Jay Z; and then I heard Eminem. That blend of witty punches and storytelling like with Pac and Biggie but with a cadence and delivery I never heard before. Putting words together in a way that is insane, but so mind blowing. [I was] constantly rewinding the tracks.
TRIBES: Have you always had a special way with words? And a big imagination? Where does that come from?
LAWW: I always used to rhyme to remember stuff before i even knew about hip hop. I think everybody did that but I would end up making long songs in my head to remember and retell stories. When I started rhyming, I had a fascination with word play and cadences. In high school, they use to call me dictionary because damn near ever word rhymed WITHIN a line. Although most people wouldn’t even know what I was talking about (and neither did I at times), it sounded great and was fun to just listen to… not even rapping off a beat but still making people bob their heads. Read the full interview in TRIBES Magazine’s 8th Anniversary Issue available in print and digital formats at http://www.tribesmagazine.com.
Text by Jim Mathers. Photographs courtesy of Emanuel Cole Studios.
Joining the band & bar hop across downtown Raleigh on a recent weekend in September, TRIBES Magazine hit the streets, for the third annual HOPSCOTCH MUSIC FESTIVAL and found visitors enjoying some of the nations best independent and major label bands as they all converged on downtown Raleigh, NC this September 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2012. A favorite among many exciting highlights in the Triangle music and event scene and perfect welcome to a Fall 2012 concert and event schedule in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill region, the festival, founded in 2012 by the Independent Weekly’s own Greg Lowenhagen and beloved music editor, Grayson Currin, continued its mission with this years showcase, bringing important local bands together with established national indy and major label acts, in a way that exposed them to new partnerships, influences, and audiences, while forging groundbreaking new communities here in the Triangle. Read more now in TRIBES 8th Anniversary issue!
BULL CITY rE-FASHIONED, a Fashion Show by dtownMARKET
The purpose of dtownMARKET’s “re-fashioned” is to give local fashion designers a space to showcase their work, perhaps make a little money and bring local design to the Bull City. dtownMARKET began in Durham, North Carolina in May 2011 when owner Kala Wolfe of Retrospective Vintage organized a one-time pop-up market for local fashion designers and artists to come together and sell their goods. Today, dtownMARKET isn’t just an event, it’s a community of really amazing people having a good time.To learn more, visit dtownmarket.com.
The leaves have started to change outside of TRIBES headquarters and as we put this eighth anniversary edition of TRIBES Magazine to bed, the quiet beauty and meloncholy birth of this years’ dying season is an unexpected epilogue to an end-of-summer, music festival season vibrant and alive with creative energy here in the Triangle and our sister cities, like Atlanta.
Fall is here and we honor the changing seasons by relishing in all of the fun we had this September at Hopscotch with new music and poetry contributor Jim Mathers (in Music TRIBE Special Feature: Greetings from Hopscotch, pp 28). We had a blast interviewing our cover artist, The Real Laww (pp 21) after he mc’d one of many unique, new serial events at Motorco Music Hall, the exciting and beloved anchor of Durham’s growing fashion and nightlife on Rigsbee Street (illustrated by Emanuel Cole and Larry Dixon Jr. in the photostory, Bull City refashioned, pp 9).
In Award Tour (pp 14), we celebrate our growth over the years with resident hip hop historian and music editorial writer, Dialo Askia. Introducing readers to the most exciting hip hop festival on the East Coast and a slew of up and coming artists that hail from nations around the globe, you will definitely want to check out his recommendations (on the web at TRIBESMagazine.com and in the ATL as part of the 2012A3C Hip Hop Music Festival’s October showcase).
For our eighth anniversary, we continue to celebrate our roots, showcasing other artists on the independent grind with long-time contributor Gabriel Rich (check out John C. McMahan in Just a Man, pp 34 and Nikeema Lee’s Upscale Desires, pp 40) and contributor, Nichole Martin, in her interview with Marty Johnson, creator and host of the Muzic Lounge (pp 36).
The scene was on fire this past summer and as the nights come earlier and the sun sets on eight years of TRIBES Magazine, the looking back is bittersweet, like Hannah Sawyer’s reflections in “The City” (pp 44). Here at TRIBES Central, we are unsure of what may come in the future. Yet, the looking back on years of TRIBES Magazine and all of the wonderful support we have received from writers, artists and readers, is good. Thank you for joining us on this adventure and enjoy the issue!
“Memoria” narrates a journey of more than fifteen years in which Bocafloja has utilized spoken word and rap music as an alternative platform to communicate and build with communities all over the world. The video was shot in Harlem and Bronx New York by Magee and produced by Nomadic Wax. The project effectively portrays Bocafloja’s journey as an artist and activist, whose final destination is the establishment of an emancipatory experience. Visit emancipassion.com or bocafloja.bandcamp.com.
ShirletteAmmons‘ is a Durham NC based poet musician whose most recent works include a collaborative album with Chapel Hill based rock band, The Dynamite Brothers called And Lover’s Like. The album includes guest appearances from Justin Robinson (formerly of The Carolina Chocolate Drops), Kelly Crisp (The Rosebuds), Juan Huevos, Greg Humphreys, Yahzarah, Jocelyn Ellis, and Pierce Freelon. Her most recent collection of poetry, Matching Skin featuring The John Anonymous EPwas published by Carolina Wren Pressin 2008. Read more now at shirletteammons.com .
The Cool Kids is an American hip hop group consisting of rappers Antoine “Sir Michael Rocks” Reed and Evan “Chuck Inglish” Ingersoll (originally from Mount Clemens, Michigan). The Cool Kids’ music has been released primarily to the independent Chocolate Industries via their own label C.A.K.E. Reed and Ingersoll have made appearances in numerous forms of media, as well as in collaborations with other artists such as Chip tha Ripper, Asher Roth, Yelawolf, Kenna, Ivan Ives, The Bloody Beetroots, Drake, Travis Barker, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Mac Miller, Maroon 5, Curren$y, and The O’My’s. For more info, visit The Cool Kids at http://coolxkids.com.
The Catalpa Festival, held July 28th/29th weekend in Randalls Island NYC, featured over 40 performers from many musical genres including Blues, Rock, Hip-Hop, Electronic, Reggae and Indie. Photographer, Becky Yeecaptured the event’s headliner, music legend Snoop Dogg. Visit BeckyYee.com to check out more of her work.
A new day is upon us and hip hop’s answer to the question “what happened to the female rap game” is here. Blessed with the lyrical prowess to compete with the hottest emcees in the business, singing every R&B hook on their album and being touted as the female version of The Neptunes, the female Hip Hop duo KIN4LIFE is a force. Together as a group for ten years and friends for over fifteen, IQ and Nor have solidified their family ties and KIN4LIFE has never had a truer meaning. Born and raised in Mt. Vernon, NY, a town known for its contribution to hip hop in the late 80s and early 90s, KIN4LIFE is determined to bring hip hop glory back to their hometown and respect back to their genre. Learn more now at reverbnation.com/kin4life.
Phil Adé a proud representative of the DMV, spent a better portion of his life in California, Alabama, and Florida. Adé started rapping in his spare time as a source of fun during his junior year of high school, writing cliché raps based on what he heard from various local artists and the radio. After a couple years of recording and studying the creative style of other rap artists such as The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and Nas, Adé finally found his own artistic identity, and with motivation from his friends he began to foresee his hip hop dreams. Currently Phil is under D.C. based artist management company “PaperBoy Management” and recently signed to the independent Hip Hop label 368 Music Group also based in the Nation’s Capitol. As of late amidst his grind, Adé has dropped such popular mixtapes including “A Different World” and “PhilAdeFriday2″. For more information on Phil Adé, visit :PHIL ADE OFFICIAL SITE.
Hip Hop started out in the park but if you trace the roots of the Hip Hop tree further, you’ll find yourself traveling back through the Caribbean and across the Atlantic to the Motherland, with your ear to the ground, feeling the vibration of the African drum. The early years of Hip Hop held a strong connection to African roots and the music instilled pride in the community while educating listeners.
Greek, Italian, Polish …my senior year in high school, English class included monthly cultural lessons with visiting college professors that would lead us in study and discussion of various cultures. For the sake of authenticity, professors born of the given culture conducted the lessons and so, on the day of the African studies, I enthusiastically walked to the auditorium ready to be instructed by an academic with roots on African continent, a person of color, only to be greeted by a white professor.
TRIBES magazine has been nominated for“Poetry Magazine of the Year” by the National Poetry Awards (NPA) a national poetry arts group which began in Raleigh, NC in 2010. That same year, TRIBES won an award for our continued commitment to showcasing urban poets and spoken word artists nationally. Help TRIBES magazine win the award in 2012!
This year, NPA is preparing to travel to St. Louis, Missouri for the third annual event held August 17-18, 2012. NPA is planning a great weekend of poetry, slam competitions and networking! Visit their website at thenationalpoetryawards.comfor more information.
Australian indie singer, songwriter, & producer, Gotye, is dominating nearly every corner of the music charts with his single “Somebody That I Used To Know”. In the U.S. alone, the song has remained on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the now fourth consecutive week in a row and digital sales have reached more than 400,000 units in the past three weeks alone.Upon completion of his second solo album, Like Drawing Blood, Gotye set up a recording studio in a barn on a 13-acre plot of farm. Read more now in TRIBES Magazine Summer 2012 Issue.
Hip Hop started out in the parkbut if you trace the roots of the Hip Hop tree further, you’ll find yourself traveling back through the Caribbean and across the Atlantic to the Motherland, with your ear to the ground, feeling the vibration of the African drum. The early years of Hip Hop held a strong connection to African roots and the music instilled pride in the community while educating listeners.
Greek, Italian, Polish …my senior year in high school, English class included monthly cultural lessons with visiting college professors that would lead us in study and discussion of various cultures. For the sake of authenticity, professors born of the given culture conducted the lessons and so, on the day of the African studies, I enthusiastically walked to the auditorium ready to be instructed by an academic with roots on African continent, a person of color, only to be greeted by a white professor.
In the spirit of ushering in a new summer and preparing to bring this latestTRIBES Magazine Summer 2012: Spark Africaissue to press, the crew at TRIBES Central took a field trip to the Carolina Theatre for a highly anticipated, limited screening of Marley, the new documentary film from Kevin MacDonald chronicling the complete life and works of the international superstar. Immersing his art in the political and socioeconomic realities of life in post-colonial Jamaica and committed to reclaiming a cultural homeland and spiritual roots for all members of the Africa diaspora, Bob Marley was beloved by his fans and peers for his commitment to the work of truth and reconciliation in his music and the love for humanity that permeated his life and work.
In this issue of TRIBES Magazine, join us as we head to Nigeria, Kenya, Sierra Leon, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, and S. Africa by way of Germany and the United States,to meet musician and activist Nneka– raising awareness around big oil business, natural resource exploitation, and state corruption in her hometown of Warri- Hip Hop Activist, promoter, and journalist, Buddha Blaze– co-founder of Spark Africa and various efforts to generate and unify Hip Hop communities across the African continent- Sister Fa– Female MC and subject of the new documentary film, Sarabah, on her mission to combat female genital mutilation (FGM) practices in her Senegalese homeland- and MAMA AFRICA, Miriam Makeba, and her peace and humanitarian work during and after the fall of apartheid in her native South Africa.
These individuals, and the other artists and activists to grace the pages of this Spark Africa edition, teach us that through intensely personal, substantively relevant expressions of art and culture, we become infinitely connected and limitless beings with voices amplified for the work of improving our world. Celebrate inspired community and the arts with our favorite summer concerts and festivals, write your Spark Africa summer playlist after a visit to our Music TRIBES and find inspiration for new forms of expression in Pierce Freelon’s latest project, Tar Heel Tracks, and Renaldo Davidson’s collaborative, mixed-media work, Black Clown.
In this summer of 2012, love, and as a means for revolution, reigns supreme and thus, we welcome you to the TRIBES Magazine 2012: SPARK AFRICA Issue. May your heart’s light illuminate the darkness! Alana Jones, TRIBES Executive Editor
The National Poetry Awards (NPA) is a national poetry arts group which began in Raleigh, NC in 2010. That year, TRIBES Magazine was nominated and won “Poetry Magazine of the Year”. After two successful years, NPA is preparing to travel to St. Louis, Missouri for the third annual event held August 17-18, 2012. NPA is planning a great weekend of poetry, slam competitions and networking! Vote for TRIBES Magazine after June 1. Visit http://www.thenationalpoetryawards.com for more information.
SHELLY B is not one to take her work as a Hip Hop emcee lightly.The Raleigh native has worked far too hard to gain her status as a pioneer in both the Triangle Hip Hop scene and nationally. Strong, dedicated to her craft and on a mission, Shelly B.’s versatility is what sets her apart from the rest of the pack. You have rappers that can entertain but aren’t lyricist and there are wordsmiths that can fashion a rhyme but can’t entertain. Neither is a problem for Shelly B. She’s more than capable of giving you something for both your mind and your body and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that knows her. After all, Shelly B’s been in the game long enough to know about pleasing fans.
Shelly B. represents a number of firsts for female rappers in North Carolina. She was the first female rapper from the state to be featured in the Source Magazine’s “Unsigned Hype.” Shelly B. was also the first female artist to make it on Allhiphop.com’s “Breeding Ground” section. The winner of numerous awards in her home state, Shelly B. is a leader in NC Hip Hop and a leader among Indie artists on the Hip Hop scene. Challenge her to a battle and she’ll clean her claws on you just to let you know why she is who she is. TRIBES Magazine interviewed Shelly B during her photo shoot for the TRIBES Magazine Spring 2012 Women in Hip Hop edition.
TRIBES: You’ve made a name for yourself in the Triangle and beyond. How are you being received now?
SHELLY B: I think I’ve always gotten love from this area. It was a little tough when I first started, because at that point in time, the idea of a female emcee was foreign to the entire industry, let alone the local industry. There weren’t very many females in this area grinding and going to the studio. So in the beginning, I had to fight for my respect; for a couple of years. But when I started putting myself out there, I had that determination to be known and make sure everybody knew who Shelly B was. I started doing every talent show and open mic I could find.
I started calling up promoters. I called the radio station until they put me on. I got my actual start on the Larry Pickett Show, which was like a local talent show that was on TV in the Raleigh area. That’s where a lot of people know me from. So I always say that’s where I got my start. After I made my appearance on that show, I started getting my name out there and the respect just grew.
TRIBES: How would you rate the Hip Hop scene in the Triangle and the Carolinas?
SHELLY B: I think with anything, growth is going to get it where it needs to be, to its ultimate destination. There definitely needs to be more growth and a bit more unity here but the talent here is out of this world as far as singers, rappers, producers…just entertainment professionals, period. This is one of the most talented markets that I know of. I think that with people getting a bit more in touch with the business side of it, coming together, unity and all that good stuff, we’ll be alright. But we’re getting there. Carolina’s got next…No. We got now! [laughs] READ MORE NOW.
Sha-Rock was the first female MC. She rocked with the Funky Four Plus One More in an era where the competition was ‘furious’. These were the days of live battles. There were no second takes if you made a mistake. The Funky Four Plus One More had routines that flowed like synchronized swimmers; but it was the crowd that was holding their breath in anticipation. These weren’t the three-minute, round battles to crown a victor, of today. Back then, they battled with shows.
The group, initially known as the Funky Four, formed in 1976. These were the beginnings of Hip Hop when advertisement was word-of-mouth and B-boys and B-girls descended upon the park to display foot and ground work to a Kool Herc break. After a lineup change, the Funky Four Plus One More was born: two deejays and five mc’s- DJ Breakout, DJ Baron, K.K. Rockwell, Keith Keith, Lil Rodney C, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and MC Sha-Rock. Their music displayed cohesiveness in the way their voices intertwined with the beat, from one mc to the next, building music like an assembly line…READ THE FULL ARTICLE NOW.
SHELLY B is not one to take her work as a Hip Hop emcee lightly.The Raleigh native has worked far too hard to gain her status as a pioneer in both the Triangle Hip Hop scene and nationally. Strong, dedicated to her craft and on a mission, Shelly B.’s versatility is what sets her apart from the rest of the pack. You have rappers that can entertain but aren’t lyricist and there are wordsmiths that can fashion a rhyme but can’t entertain. Neither is a problem for Shelly B. She’s more than capable of giving you something for both your mind and your body and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that knows her. After all, Shelly B’s been in the game long enough to know about pleasing fans.
Shelly B. represents a number of firsts for female rappers in North Carolina. She was the first female rapper from the state to be featured in the Source Magazine’s “Unsigned Hype.” Shelly B. was also the first female artist to make it on Allhiphop.com’s “Breeding Ground” section. The winner of numerous awards in her home state, Shelly B. is a leader in NC Hip Hop and a leader among Indie artists on the Hip Hop scene. Challenge her to a battle and she’ll clean her claws on you just to let you know why she is who she is. TRIBES Magazine interviewed Shelly B during her photo shoot for the TRIBES Magazine Spring 2012 Women in Hip Hop edition.
TRIBES: You’ve made a name for yourself in the Triangle and beyond. How are you being received now?
SHELLY B: I think I’ve always gotten love from this area. It was a little tough when I first started, because at that point in time, the idea of a female emcee was foreign to the entire industry, let alone the local industry. There weren’t very many females in this area grinding and going to the studio. So in the beginning, I had to fight for my respect; for a couple of years. But when I started putting myself out there, I had that determination to be known and make sure everybody knew who Shelly B was. I started doing every talent show and open mic I could find.
I started calling up promoters. I called the radio station until they put me on. I got my actual start on the Larry Pickett Show, which was like a local talent show that was on TV in the Raleigh area. That’s where a lot of people know me from. So I always say that’s where I got my start. After I made my appearance on that show, I started getting my name out there and the respect just grew.
TRIBES: How would you rate the Hip Hop scene in the Triangle and the Carolinas?
SHELLY B: I think with anything, growth is going to get it where it needs to be, to its ultimate destination. There definitely needs to be more growth and a bit more unity here but the talent here is out of this world as far as singers, rappers, producers…just entertainment professionals, period. This is one of the most talented markets that I know of. I think that with people getting a bit more in touch with the business side of it, coming together, unity and all that good stuff, we’ll be alright. But we’re getting there. Carolina’s got next…No. We got now! [laughs] READ MORE NOW.
Sha-Rock was the first female MC. She rocked with the Funky Four Plus One More in an era where the competition was ‘furious’. These were the days of live battles. There were no second takes if you made a mistake. The Funky Four Plus One More had routines that flowed like synchronized swimmers; but it was the crowd that was holding their breath in anticipation. These weren’t the three-minute, round battles to crown a victor, of today. Back then, they battled with shows.
The group, initially known as the Funky Four, formed in 1976. These were the beginnings of Hip Hop when advertisement was word-of-mouth and B-boys and B-girls descended upon the park to display foot and ground work to a Kool Herc break. After a lineup change, the Funky Four Plus One More was born: two deejays and five mc’s- DJ Breakout, DJ Baron, K.K. Rockwell, Keith Keith, Lil Rodney C, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and MC Sha-Rock. Their music displayed cohesiveness in the way their voices intertwined with the beat, from one mc to the next, building music like an assembly line…READ THE FULL ARTICLE NOW.
TRIBES Magazine jams with Ryan “RyMo” Moran, drummer for Slightly Stoopid, and gets the real scoop on San Diego’s most blazin’ reggae rock band, stoopidheads and decriminalizing marijuana in America. Interview by Leslie Cunningham (2010).
Stories from the Frontline of Urban Music, Arts and Culture 