 Every now and again I come across an artist and wonder WHY ARE THEY NOT PLASTERED ACROSS EVERY RASS CLOT BLOG ???!! Of course, there is so much new music, videos, news etc coming at all of us daily through many platforms so a lot of good music can get lost in the crowd but luckily that's why I'm here.I love to dig, discover some new vibes and share with the world. Me and my day 1 squad have a group chat on Instagram where we send each other memes, plan trips (2018 get ready for some Black Girl Magic ), talk about our goals and what we're up too. It was in this chat I discovered This Rude Boy of the week, Mikel Ameen. Who is Mikel Ameen? - A free thinker building a new reality How did you get your start in music? I come from a family of entertainers and was always encouraged to pursue our performance abilities, I started writing when I was 10 and dropped my first project when I was 18 and I've just kept going World Changer! What is this movement all about? What does being a World Changer mean to you? World Changer Life is my mindset movement, through my music, experiential events and lifestyle I want to inspire people to live their best life based on love, not fear. there are 7.5 billion people on the earth but only one with your finger print and DNA, the moment you were born you became a world changer, but the real World Changer Life begins when you realize you are the architect of your reality. I love your series on YouTube Convos With Queens. How did you the idea or concept for it? I have a lot of female friends and I realize most people don't understand why, so whilst I was in LA the idea came to record my conversations with my female homies just so the world can get an insight into the dope women I have around me. Boss Girl 101. This is my anthem right now! When did you first get the idea for the song? What was the idea behind the video? The song started off as a freestyle over a Beyonce beat and my producer Melo Renn said we should turn it into a song so we did, but yeah the song is really just me bigging up the kind of women I have around me as I feel like there ain't a lot of songs that speak directly to them from men. For the video, it was important that I represented a wide spectrum of black women as I feel being a BOSS or a QUEEN is not about how you look but more how you think and act, so I wanted to celebrate Black women in ALL their glory. Besides knowing how to cook Plantin and other things mentioned in the song, what does it mean to the terms Boss Girl /Queen? For me, a Boss Girl and especially a Queen is a woman who practices self-love at the highest level she has full awareness of her mind, body, and spirit and she is at peace who she is on all levels. Checking out more of your music your lyrics are positive, empowering for not only women of color but for colored people as a whole. I can also see the influence of the Caribbean and African culture in your videos. How much of your culture inspires your music? My culture is everything to me and I use it at all levels of my creation, from the formation of lyrics to the journey of the music I produce. It's important people hear that when they listen to me and I'm glad you picked that up. What are your plans with World Changer Movement and Music? What Can we look forward to? Last year we took nearly 100 people to Paris for a weekend experience which ended with my live concert at Afropunk Paris this year World changer Life have our first intercontinental road trip to KENYA in October and we are bringing 10 people from around the world to the mother land to have a 7 day exploration of the mother land which will also end with a live concert featuring me and Kenya's top artists in Nairobi. we will be doing a WC Dinner party for my birthday on September 24th and this will be an ALL VEGAN FEAST starters, main course, dessert with champagne and an after party. Lastly, expect some more dope music and music videos from me. **** Make sure you follow Mikel on Social Media to learn more about this great artist! xo Low Mikel Ameen music: https://soundcloud.com/mikelameen Mikel Ameen videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/MikelAmeen Mikel Ameen instagram: https://instagram.com/mikelameen
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 Hey guys I'm back with another interview. Whoop Whoop. This time I caught up with artist Missy D to chat about her project. More Recently She has dropped some wicked visuals to go with her track XX featuring another talented female , Kimmortal. This track ,produced by David T , and video is about being a female in a male dominated industry ,such as hip hop. Not only does it give light into a topic that many female artist have to deal with but it also celebrates being a minority and how we all deserve equality. Check out XX below and be sure to Vote for Missy D on here for a chance for her to win StoryHive. Voting closes at 12 noon July 28th! Who is Missy D? We could simply talk about the bio but the question is complex.Yes I am a bilingual female emcee born and raised around the Motherland. I call Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe and now Vancouver , my Home. My Hip Hop sounds like what I call "Rap & Soul". From the Erykah Badu to Missy Elliott , J.Cole and Chance the Rapper, or mix in some Tupac and Kendrick with your 90's throwback. Don't forget some MC Solaar or Diam's! I love them all! How did your Journey into music start? A little summary of my Hip Hop Serendipity. It started back when I was 11 at my French School in Zimbabwe. One semester we went from learning about the recorder to the rhymes of MC Solaar ( French rapper) and were assigned as a final project " to write a rap". I was always a fan of Hip-Hop but after learning its history , technique and importance, it all clicked. I fell in love. I had been writing poems before , I added a rhythm and flow to it and surprised my friends. Everybody started calling Missy Elliott , and soon enough the birth of Missy D came thru , performing at every talent and music show since 2003. When creating a track what's your process by yourself or when doing a collab? With just me , its like a lyrical diary , I usually write a lot when I have high amounts of " Feelings" hehe hence #toomanyfeelings. You could say I am an over thinker so that happens often. Whether it be joy or pain , it flows in my google drive. Later on , I sometimes share it at a show as a new track or it stays hidden in my cloud. Music is therapy, music answers to some of the questions I have , music is writing my story. With a collabo, I love the idea of sharing and vibing with someone else. I like to know the concept behind the song and let each person find their flow to it. Its all about the beat hitting home for all artists and them making it their own . 2016 you release your first solo Project. How did the journey start into creating it? Definitely started with #toomanyfeelings. Just going through the motion of " adulating" , graduating from UBC and looking at what my next chapter would be. You end up thinking about everything from family , love , career... It brought a lot of Pain, 'once school wasn't there to distract. So I had to sit down and unwrap some of these feelings and left it in " When Music Hits You Feel No Pain". Music has been a constant healer throughout my life . We then worked overtime, threw a campaign, hours of studio and writing , and somehow it came along!*this makes it sound easy bt nah!!!* Your Track Frere Jacques you hit us with some French, which was dope. Do u find a difference in creating an English song verses a bilingual track? Do you approach it in the same way? It' s always interesting to create a bilingual track because I'm hoping that people don't stop it and say " I don't understand this , so cut it!" I try to find melodies that are familiar or rhymes that might make you recall your Grade 8 French Class .Similarly, that's how I learned English while trying catch the melodies of Jill Scott , Erykah Badu, India Arie, Lauryn Hill, Tupac( let me not namedrop an essay here )..... Frere Jacques is a special track, it brings up my childhood, I am also directly talking to a French Speaker but then in the second verse bring up issues that we are facing in North America. In a bilingual track you want to intrigue people but also make them feel connected. Since the release of the project how has the reception from other artist and friends been? This release is my official my introduction as Missy D to Vancouver. I have always performed at various shows from Studios to Fortune Sound Club and many more but often it was usually student based. But now I have received various offers from online listeners , to shows with amazing upcoming artists like So Loki or connecting with the family at Emotions Open Mic. I have recently had the chance to feature in a short movie for Crazy 8s Festival and feature "XX" my single off the album. I really wanted this album to be a stepping stone. It is just a beginning, but the reception has been promising, even my mama said "I had a feeling you would end up doing this(the album) one day!" Now moving forward in 2017 any big plans? Yes definitely! For this beggining of the year, the promotion continues for the album. Meanwhile I am cooking up some new solo tracks but also focusing on nurturing new collabos. Recently, Kimmortal dropped a video for Jungle , our new collabo together on March 8th ,My band Laydy Jams will be dropping an EP on April 1st .Summer 2017 will be the completion of working on some fresssh new projects with fellow artist Francis Arevalo for his project The Lions We Are. More surprises to come as well with Floetic , Lowkita , Shaylen and Kimmortal! Late Summer 2017, a possible EP from yours truly and an offical video for XX as well. I don't know yet but we will see where go by Dec 2017 and start apply to festivals and all.  Photo taken by @jonathanzoeteman -People are pearls 2017 Back in May, I got the chance to perform in Calgary at a great event called People are Pearls. At the event people with a passion come together and showcased their art and thoughts. The cool part of this event was that with everyone’s performance left you thinking, and the networking and just meeting new people was great. I’m not a super social person so I was a little out of my comfort zone but it was fun. On the chalk board, there was a question and you had the chance to write your answer. That day I was feeling myself not so much me as a person but what I was wearing so I answered “my Kick game” just for laughs really but when I received the photos it looked like I was thinking so hard. Since no one really knows me 100 percent I thought it would be cool to share my list of 5 things I love about myself. OPEN I love that I’m willing to try new things. It may be food, fashion, music etc. I’m always willing to give something or someone a shot because you never know. I also love that I'm open to meeting new people. Even if they speak another language I always try and understand because I could easily be them in another country and trying to communicate. If someone was giving me a hard time id hate it. Metabolism Some people are might hate me for this one but I love the fact I can eat and eat and eat and it doesn’t stick. Of course, that means no booty no boobs and no shape it also makes it incredibly hard to find jeans or any pants that fit right but I love my body and wouldn’t change it for anyone else (except Jlo's lol ) My Hair “Don’t touch my hair…” is what is sing to myself every morning. My hair consistently changes week to week. No wigs or weaves either! Could you imagine if I wore wigs hmmmm? I'm actually considering it. Any wig company suggestions comment them below! Vibes I’d like to think I give off good vibes, I’ve been told I do. I try not to carry negative energy around with me even if people around me are balls of negativity. POSITIVE VIBES POSITIVE LIFE Outlook on Life I love my outlook on life. I think everything happens for a reason but I also think you have total control over situations and everything works out in the end. Never stress Stay blessed. Now that you know a little about me and what I love about myself, what do you love about yourself? Leave a comment below, tweet me, or DM me Keep it Rude! Low  Photo taken by @jonathanzoeteman -People are pearls 2017  Howdy Folks. I recently went back home to YYC (Cowtown, Calgary, Alberta ..Canada) and decided that I would actually go out and do things. Growing up there the only thing I wanted to do was leave so as soon as I turned 19 I was out! From Ecuador to Montreal I went to random places and had a good time but there’s nothing like coming home to family and some good food. When I was younger the only thing to do was go to all ages and wait till stamped was around. If you were really bored we’d go to the Movie Dome and catch a 2-dollar movie or even just walk around 17th ave. But Calgary has completely changed. THERE ARE THINGS TO DO. (although I was a very busy child/teen) I took my daughter to some cool places as well as check out some old spots. I had a really good time. I figured instead of telling you what I did day by day, it would cool to let people know Calgary isn’t boring anymore (but I’m not moving back anytime soon sorry) 1. FESTIVALS!!!! Maybe it’s the time of year I came, but I swear there was are tons of festivals going on. And according to my Instagram feed, you guys really do almost every weekend. I loved it! Although I wish I could have attended one of them I saw loads of photos and they looked great. Whether it was the picnic in the park hosted by YYC Food Trucks or the Lilac Festival they all looked fun and exciting. 2. STUDIO BELL. CALGARY!!!!! YOU HAVE STUDIO BELL!!!! Do you guys understand how cool that is!!!!! Maybe its cause I’m a music junky or just love life, but that place is amazing. 5 levels of Canadian music history. Why didn’t they teach that at school I would have received all A’s? Not only did I have a good time but so did Jhene. The kid’s area is perfect to let your child run free and explore different instruments and sounds.  3. THE CALGARY ZOO! Some of you might be reading this and saying “Cam the zoo isn’t that great”. TRUST ME DADDY (HA if u get it u get it) THE ZOO IS ON ONE!!!!! I haven’t been since I was a kid but the way they have developed it into more sections and building it up more and more is amazing. Spent almost the whole day there until Jhene decided to fall asleep. I guess you can get really sleepy after running and trying to pet butterflies 4. FOOD. Of course, there is nothing like mom's home cooked meal or in my case some Oxtail/Curry Goat meal from Joycee's, but Calgary has got some new gems. Although I hate the fact that 17th ave (RedMile) is now basically a food district (Rolls eyes), at least the food spots are good. For my birthday my Prima Cindy and her boyfriend took me to a cute little Taco spot called Native Tongues. It was extremely busy but amazing and super cheap. I will return and eat all the frijoles I want mmmm 5. EAST VILLAGE! If I ever moved back this is where I want, wait no, I NEED to live. As you enter downtown from the North you see a little “village” just outside the main downtown area. The layout of East Village is an amazing. Having walked around and checked out the area it is definitely the perfect place for someone looking for a way to be downtown but not have to be in the main area of traffic. You can easily walk or hop on the train for free anywhere in the downtown core. Not only is Downtown developing but so many new neighborhoods and new houses are being built and its way cheaper to live there than it is in Vancouver so enjoy that. 6. COMMUNITY. For me, I’ve always had some sort of a community around me but to be honest it was always the same folks that basically grew up together. With events like 10 @10 and other various dance events, the “urban” community has grown and has created and open the doors to so many other great events as well as meeting new people and artist. Recently I performed at People are pearls and even though I completely messed up my lyrics it was still one of my favorite performances to date. The vibes were amazing and I had so much fun. So my Calgary friends next time I hear any of you complain I will be sending you a digital smack upside your head because your city is now Jiggy Jiggy! The only thing I can say that sucks is the set up in Music Nightclub PUT THE BAR BACK IN THE MIDDLE hahaha.. Till next time Folks P.S Also be sure to check out my Last Rude Gal ABC’s PodCast here for the last letters! P.P.S. I’m sure there is still tons of stuff you can complain about but at least there is more to do now. Low  SO SAD THAT PHOTO IS BLURRY =( It’s been a blessed week/weekend. Been busy doing something almost every day and this week can only get better. Each week I’ve been trying to apply what it means to me to be a rude gal, and I can truly say this was my Hustle week …I worked almost every day and when I didn’t work I made sure I did something productive. Really proud of myself and so is my bank. account (hehe) The weekend I decided that it would be my pre-birthday celebration since I won’t be in Vancouver for my actual birthday! That meant Saturday Kranium!!! And it did not disappoint. Unfortunately, I only caught 1 song from 1 of the opening act. Her Name was Shalli and I wasn’t sure what she was wearing I wasn’t feeling it at all I wish I took a photo. About 10 minutes after her came THE MAN OF THE NIGHT!! MR KRANIUM!!! AMAZINGGGGGGGG! He can SANGGGGG . When the riddim for Stamina dropped Me and my homegirl went off. I truly wish I had the video to show you guys how “off” we went. Couple songs later he invited some ladies on stage to show off their wineing skills…DEAR VANCOUVER LADIES U DISSAPOINTED ME! Next up he brought out DJ Marley Waters who actually Produced the track We Can along with Sak Pase. He was dope too. Overall the show was WICKED if you missed it make sure you’re at the next one. Here are some photos of Me, Kranium and Dj Marley Water! Every time I go to a concert I always try and take away something from it which I can apply in my own shows. At this show, I actually didn’t learn anything but I did learn being different is a good thing. I’m probably the only person who showed up with a Polaroid but Nio and I did get a memorable moment of him saying “you loyal and you smart”. To you, that may be minimal but we were chatting bout it the rest of the night ha!  That was just the start of the weekend next day was exciting too but before I get into that let’s continue this talk about what it means to be a Rude Gal ABC’s. You Can also catch my podcast of me getting more in-depth with the letters and explaining why I chose these words HERE M-Motivation N- NEW (Neva Eva Wack) O-Open P- Patience’s & Positivity Q-Questions R-Rebellious & Reggae S- Savings, Shoes, Savage What was your best concert experiences? What letters Of my Rude Gal ABC’s relate to you? Let me know in the comments, tweet me, Slide in My Dm’s, just drop me a Line.!! Xo Low P.S You Can Check out the Vibe we had on the Boat VIA my Instagra,m (@rudegallow) !!! Pure Vibes But enjoy this little Clip ! |
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