The Conscious MC: RADICAL HIP HOP
Check out these artists who
expand and redefine the art and practice of
hip-hop music and style.
MASIA ONE
Raised in Vancouver and a resident of
Toronto, Masia One is winning admirers with
her intelligent lyrics, commanding stage
presence, and dedication to her craft. “I
discovered Public Enemy in Grade 2, and I’ve
been interested in hip-hop culture ever
since. These guys had something to say, they
were doing it the way they wanted, and they
were unapologetic.” With two music videos
(for “Halfway Through the City” and
“Split-Second Time”) on Much Music and Much
Vibe, as well as an album called
Mississauga, Masia One has established
herself as a force to be reckoned with in
the Toronto hip-hop scene.
www.masiaone.com
MC
The 28-year-old MC is based in the UK, where
her family has lived since fleeing war-torn
Sri Lanka when she was 11. M.I.A. is Maya
Arulpragasam. Her eagerly awaited album
Arular is one of the most politicized
party albums you’re likely to hear.
Delivered in spitting, scattergun style, she
plays topics like teenage prostitution,
poverty, war, and consumerism off each other
against a devastating backdrop of dislocated
beats and pounding basslines.
www.miauk.com
K’NAAN
At age 9, K’naan was doing what most
American kids were doing: hanging out on his
neighborhood street corner, MC’ing for
his friends, dropping Nas and Rakim verses,
dreaming of a day when he would posses the
lyrical skills and the rhythmic flow
of his hip-hop heroes. K’naan brings a dose
of realness and urgency to the hip-hop world
at a time when people are desperate for it.
From a personal and cultural history rooted
in poetry, K’naan widens the traditional
hip-hop perspective.
www.thedustyfoot.com
