If Bahamadia was to drop an album today, she would be the go to vibe. Kendrick would be out of a flow or two, Jay Z would have one of the illest female emcee’s on Rocnation and there would be alot more female collaborations. With a mix of todays producers and yesterdays delivery, she can be played to all listeners of all ages. The Queen deserves more praise in Hiphop easily landing in the top 10 female MC list. Not many artist make it out of the city of Philadelphia and she did it with remaining true to the essence.
To kick off her career Bahamadia started out as a DJ and switched trades when MC’s such as Sha-Rock (Funky 4+1 More), Lady B, and Salt & Pepa entered the rap game. Becoming one of the most sought after lyricists on the underground scene, Bahamadia earned the respect with rhyme skills, which were undeniable since the earliest days of rap, and her progressive musical outlook. Listening to the music of her time in todays climate makes her more than just an incredible MC. Bahamadia is an innovative talent acknowledged in various musical genres as a pioneer of tomorrow’s music. She released her debut album Kollage in 1996, and followed up with the independently released EP, BB Queen in 2000, then a full length album, Good Rap Music in 2005 and a 2010 it released it on all streaming platforms. Not only did she shout out every rapper in Philly on her first album, she stamped her name in history with the 1996 project Kollage. If you need a Philadelphia hip hop history lesson, tune in to “Uknowhowwedu”.
BEING QUEEN DURING THE GOLDEN AGE
Good morals, impowerment, high standards and unity are a few words I would use to describe the message in Bahamadia’s music. In addition to being a respected songwriter/producer, Bahamadia serves as a positive role model for, and mentor of, many upcoming artist. She is a regular participant in educational lectures at universities, as well as in music conferences and seminars. She has been a contributing writer for Stress Magazine in New York City, her historic weekly radio show at Philadelphia’s 103.9FM.
“Bahamadia’s B-Sides” (circa 1997-1999), reigned as one of the highest rated radio shows in Philadelphia. ” Bahamadia’s B-Sides” gave Philly radio listeners their first taste of then unknown artist like Eminem, Mos Def, and many of the Rawkus Records roster of artist during the late 1990’s. “B-Sides” showcased underground talent worldwide and served as a template for taste-maker forums such as “Now Hear This” presented by fellow Philadelphians The Roots. In Bahamadia’s words, “the show was designed to nurture grass-roots culture.” Bahamadia collaboration and guest appearance list is off the charts.
Although many of these collaborations have resulted in groundbreaking creations(for example, the track entitled “New Forms”, produced by Mercury Award winner Roni Size, was the first “Drum-n-Bass” track to feature a rap vocalist), they mostly came about in distinctly |organic fashion. Simply put, “sonic gems” were created because of musicians’ mutual respect for each other. These works include songs with Lauryn Hill, Morcheeba, Sweet Back (Sade & Maxwell’s band), Towa Tei, The Roots, King Britt, Ramsey Lewis (Jazzmatazz, Vol.2), Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Mc Lyte, Zap Mama, and more. When asked why she chooses to work with such an eclectic range of artist, Bahamadia explains, “I do it in order to push the envelope and stop the music from being stagnant”. Not only in demand for concert performances throughout the United States, Bahamadia had been invited to participate in many overseas tours, embracing |fans in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, England, France, Poland, Austria and Australia gaining a global “cult” following based on integrity & skill.
