Sitting Down with some of the Ladies of “She’s So Fresh III”
The women of last Thursday’s She’s So Fresh show aren’t just dynamic onstage. Check the conversations I had the pleasure of engaging some of them in before their sets
Dante. I asked the fly Ms. Dante about her take on today’s youth and her message especially now given the state of our youth’s education and economic crisis.
The one question that I asked that stuck out: How do you feel about Obama?
Her Answer? “Change takes Time.” Dante alluded to the fact that all good things come with time, elaborating on how our country didn’t get messed up overnight so it sure can’t be fixed overnight, stating you have to wait. Coming from a personal place she touched briefly on the violence that today’s youth face and believing kids need an escape from all the negative constantly surrounding them Dante said she tried to focus on the positive making uplifting “feel good music.” Those are words we can all get behind!
Anomolies. Established in 1995, these women have been vibing together for 15 years! Fifteen years ago I was 11. SO my question is, How in the world do these ladies manage to still look so good? Anomalies broken down is “No Mo Lies”. (Word!) They told me that their group was formed out of a need to see more of them and their voice reflected in the art form they loved. I got into hip hop five years after Anomolies was founded. I remember being sixteen and going to shows where there was hardly a female base-but there were a few female emcees holding it down here and there. I can’t imagine what it was like for these young ladies imagining the number to be drastically slighter when they started. Seeing the same few faces every show, they naturally gravitated towards each other and over the years have been refortifying and nurturing each other’s solo interests and projects with astounding success. They even started out rocking in one of my school’s building’s – Parson’s! The order of appearance? Tara who held it down as an attendee of the New School, then Helixx Armageddon, followed by Kuttin Kandy, Pri and lastly Invincible.
Some things from our conversation that stood out:
The Anomolies consider their selves to be more of a collective than just another group. they all embrace solo projects and see this collaboration as an invaluable opportunity to pool resources and give support. Holding it down for fifteen years, you could add that they are community. They have been around since 90s hip hop evolved from many different genres with a voice to the formulaic after industry got involved and took it over, destroying a huge part of the art and voice that created the form. This shift contrary to silencing hip hop drove many underground where that voice and those genres still flourish today evidenced by my young love of underground hip hop to the youth that you will still see going to shows all over the world today. Having worked with kids they know that Apathetic Youth is a misconception. If they could see anything given to the youth? 1) mentors 2) Opportunities to open their eyes and expand their worldview 3) More avenues for them to use. Pri the Honey Dark knows firsthand how valuable these tools are in an education system that is consistently failing and giving up on kids. Having fought with the school board about the “Certificate of Completion” that NY appears to hand out liberally to students that teacher’s can’t be bothered to teach, Pri knows that many of these children can learn. Her son is a beautiful shining example of that face. Having been diagnosed with Autism, Pri’s son was destined to be yet another victim of this certificate. But she fought back and schooled her son at home, allowing him the inalienable right to learn and become everything he can be. Her son has since graduated and is looking forward to college. You can hear more about this inspiring story in the following article written by Pri herself : Pri’s Words
For more info about the She’s So Fresh Showcase I attended check this: Where My Ladies At? She’s So Fresh III!
