Zulu Radio is Seattle’s source of new school, old school, true school, local, and worldwide Hip Hop for the masses!
Listen to Zulu Radio on KBCS 91.3 FM (www.kbcs.fm) live every Saturday from 10pm – Midnight, Pacific Standard Time as hosts Khazm, WD4D, Able, and DJ B-Girl bring you 2 hours of real, forward thinking, quality hip hop. No filler, no nonsense, just the good music you’ve been denied of… Until now!
With a continuing mission to elevate the culture of Hip Hop, Zulu Radio provides a diverse array of quality and innovative music programming. It is a platform for Hip Hop as a cultural movement to nurture growth within our communities.
Broadcasting from Bellevue Community College the show can be heard throughout Bellevue, Seattle, Tacoma, other Greater Puget Sound areas and now across the world on-line! Log onto www.kbcs.fm and click Listen Live.
What: 4th Annual Hip Nic
Where: Saint Edward State Park (14445 Juanita Dr. NE, Kenmore, WA)
When: Saturday, August 8th from 1-9PM
Come out to the 4th annual Hip Nic at Saint Edward State Park Saturday, August 8th at 1PM. This day long Hip Hop picnic brings urban arts into state parks and provides an opportunity for inner-city youth to experience nature and outdoor recreation.
Here is what you can expect at Hip Nic!
*Family Friendly Positive Hip Hop
*Hip Hop Workshops including Breaking, Djing, Urban Art, Spoken Word, Beatmaking and more!
*BBQ Lunch and Snacks
*Live Performances by Local and National Urban Artists
Hip Nic Schedule: Workshops 1-3PM
BBQ Lunch 3-5PM
Live Performances 5-9PM
This event is FREE and open to all youth. Transportation is provided from the following locations:
1. 11AM and 12PM pickup from the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center (104 17th Ave S Seattle, WA 98144-2107 (206) 684-4758) to the park
2. 1PM pickup from the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club (4520 Martin Luther King Jr Way S. Seattle, WA 98108 (206) 436-1890) to the park
Buses will be leaving Saint Edward State Park at 7PM back to Langston Hughes and Ranier Vista in the evening.
The Hip Nic is a part of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission’s Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program in partnership with Northwest Heritage Resources. Funding for the Hip Nic comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Washington State Arts Commission, and the Washington State Parks Foundation.
By Niema Jordan
Published: June 4th, 2008 | 7:15pm
THE DREAM GIRL
Aima the Dreamer
Photograph by Matt Reamer
AIMA THE DREAMER AKA AIMA PAULE Hometown: Born in Chicago but creates in Oakland, California. Age: 27 Sound: Conscious and thoughtful rhymes over dance worthy hip-hop and experimental beats. The power of music: Aima has a vision for her music. “I want to use MCing as a bridge between communities of all different races, genders, age, sexual orientation, class, and anything else that we use to separate ourselves,” Aima says. “I want to use MCing to communicate my story, my life, and create an idea of a better world.” As a member of rap duo Mamaz, Aima isn’t avoiding the mainstream by any means. “I would love to bring my message to every radio, TV, broadband, iTunes, and whatever other form of communication that reach the people,” she says. “I want little girls singing my songs and little boy learning how to respect women.” What’s next? A tour in France and the debut album from Mamaz. URL:aimathedreamer.com
THE VETERAN
DJ Zita
Photograph by Ben Mayorga
DJ ZITA AKA MARITEZ APIGO Hometown: San Francisco and Oakland, California Age: 32 Sound:Classic hip-hop, smooth R&B, and the best in dancehall. Pump up the B.A.S.S.: DJ Zita, who only spins vinyl (no iPods here), is well known in the Bay Area for the way she rocks two turntables. With a goal of building the talents of female DJs, Zita, Pam the Funkstress, and Neta founded a crew called Bay Area Sistah Sound (B.A.S.S.). The collective fills a void in the Bay Area’s hip-hop scene. “If there is a female DJ at an event, it’s one woman spinning with a group of men, usually promoted by men,” Zita says. “We figured we could be doing this ourselves.” What’s next? Look out for her July: Where My Ladies At?! A Tribute to the Queens of True School Hip Hop. URL:djzita.com
THE CONSCIOUS ENTREPRENEUR
Invincible
Photograph by Apollo Brown
INVINCIBLE AKA ILANA WEAVER Hometown: Detroit Age: 27 Sound: Soulful hip-hop with complex lyrical content. Carving a space: “I learned English by listening to hip-hop,” says the Midwest-based MC who was born in Champagne, Illinois, but moved to Palestine as a 1-year-old. Now she uses hip-hop culture as an educational tool for others. An MC and an activist at heart, Invincible works with Detroit Summer’s Live Arts Media Project and the U.S. Palestine Youth Solidarity Network in addition to performing at youth empowerment conferences.
The lyricist, who’s also a member of the all-female collective Anomolies, started her own label Emergence Music and is using cooperative economics to build her label. “Hip-hop is a way to learn business and cooperative economics,” Invincible says. “It’s about building community in general through the music. I’m not just an entertainer.” What’s next? Her debut solo album ShapeShifters. URL:emergencemusic.net
THE NEW SOUND
RYE RYE
Photograph by Courtesy of RYE RYE
RYE RYE AKA RYEISHA BERRAIN Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland Age: 17 Sound: Hip-hop, house, dance, and club. The Game is changing: The young M.I.A. protégé is out to make music on her own terms. And she doesn’t plan to use her body as a form of marketing. Despite popular images, she says more female MCs are going the same route. “The new generation is not about exposing your body; it’s about making fun music,” Rye Rye says. “You don’t have to be sexy; you just have to have fun.” When asked about the state of women in hip-hop and her hope for progress, Rye Rye says she thinks women will be more noticeable in the future. “Females are coming up with more uniqueness and their own styles,” she says. What’s next? Working on her debut album. URL:myspace.com/tharealryerye
GOLDEN RAPPER–NEW ERA
Sontiago
Photograph by Matthew Robbins
SONTIAGO AKA SONYA TOMLINSON Hometown: Born in Pennsylvania but now lives in Portland, Maine. Age: 32 Sound: Lyrics and beats that challenge and adhere to old-school hip-hop constructions. Living in the moment: When she was younger, Sontiago played the clarinet and the piano, so the arts are extremely important to her. So important that she works with young girls to help them develop as dancers, poets, and lyricists. “I want to see the arts continue beyond my generation,” she says. But as she encourages the youth, Sontiago isn’t one to dwell on the past. “I don’t see hip-hop going back to a golden age. We were at a pivotal point in history, and it’s hard to mimic that,” Sontiago says. But she doesn’t plan to give up on the craft. “The keys to success are persistence, practice, and persistence.” What’s next? European tour and another album. URL:myspace.com/sontiago
MEDIA MAVEN
DJ B-Girl
Photograph by Marshall of Manik Skateboards
DJ B-GIRL “CHILLZ” AKA MIA BEARDSLEY Hometown: Born in Seoul, Korea, she now lives in Seattle. Age: 31 Sound: Experimental rap and trip-hop with an old-school feel. Stepping up: In the midst of building her own media company, DJ B-Girl has put a lot of thought into the role of women in the music industry. “There are a lot of women in control behind the scenes,” the entrepreneur says. “But they are sometimes just going with the flow and aiding the process of repetitive destructive imagery and ideas being spread to our communities through the mass media.” Enter B-Girl Media, the record label that DJ B-Girl “Chillz” hopes to expand into an independent media channel. “I’d like to portray a more honest and realistic picture to our communities and youth.” What’s next? “Cultivating B-Girl Media, new releases by two new artists, and reppin’ the two-oh-six.” URL:bgirlmedia.com
THE BEAT MAKER–RHYME SAYER
Run_in_Watta
Photograph by Jenny Bouchier
RUN_IN_WATTA AKA JULIA BOUCHIER Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta Age: 32 Sound: Thought-provoking songs with a soulful backdrop and effortless and yet skilled rhyming. Talent not gender: “[Producing] was just another way of proving to my self that I’m not just good for a girl, I’m good, period,” says the Canadian rapper and producer. “If you hear my production, you can’t tell whether I have boobs. Talent and hard work speak for themselves.”
Despite the negative messages in the media about women and the inequality in hip-hop, Bouchier keeps her mind on the positive. “I’m not worried about how my figure looks like to make beats or do shows,” she says. “I can’t speak for other women, but I’m on the rise, and there is no limit for what I can do. I don’t put my self in that category — women in hip-hop. I am hip-hop.” What’s next? Creating music as a producer and rapper. URL:myspace.com/runinwatta
THE PARTY ROCKER
DJ BackSide
Photograph by Amaka Nwigwe
DJ BACKSIDE AKA RITA FORTE Hometown: Oakland, California Age: 26 Sound: Old- and new-school radio favorites with blends and remixes that are sometimes nontraditional but make a ton of sense like “Whoop There It Is” mixed with “Soulja Boy.” The Catch 22: With a little more than five years in the game, DJ Backside has observed several issues in the hip-hop scene. “Female DJs and female MCs are rare, so we will always be picked apart and scrutinized — at the same time praised, sought after, and revered for doin’ something of rarity,” says DJ Backside, who coined the phenomenon “diamond-in-the-ruff syndrome.”
DJ Backside describes herself as being on the fence with hip-hop. “Some of the songs coming out in hip-hop these days are just thoughtless and elementary,” she says, noting that these kinds of songs are not new. “But it seems in recent years, those songs are getting most of the promotional dollars and support from major record labels.” What’s next? BackSide Blends and The Western Breed compilation DVD. URL:myspace.com/djbackside
THE MISSING PIECE
FM Supreme
Photograph by myspace.com/fm_supreme
FM SUPREME AKA JESSICA DISU Hometown: Chicago Age: 19 Sound: Raw passion from the lyrically inclined. It’s about timing: A staple on Chicago’s youth slam scene, Supreme has dedicated a lot of time and energy to cultivating her craft. “I think that to survive in this game, a true MC needs patience and perseverance,” the poet-rapper-scholar says. “In due time, positive MCs will get the recognition they rightfully deserve.”
Until then Supreme is planning her next steps, which include creating a production company, getting a distribution deal, and earning her doctorate so that she can teach hip-hop and African-American studies. “[I’ll] write a few books on the correlation of the two and speak on my experiences as an African-American woman entertainer and academic. Hopefully with my influence as an artist, I can continue to break barriers and educate.” What’s next? A mixtape titled The Go State of Mind. URL:myspace.com/fmsupreme
THE PERFORMING ARTIST
Queen GodIs
Photograph by Sean Palmer
QUEEN GODIS Hometown: Brooklyn Sound: Lyrical and soulful reflections. Multi-talented: “I consider myself a performing artist first,” says the rapper, poet, and actress. Queen Godls’ debut, Power U, spawned her off-Broadway piece “Birth of Power You,” and she continues to merge genres to create works that promote female empowerment. For Queen GodIs, hip-hop isn’t just music or a culture. It’s an entity. And together they have a relationship that goes through the cycles of any other partnership. But no matter what happens, she goes back. What’s next? A show with the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, which travels every year around the U.S. URL:myspace.com/queengodisbiz
GET THE HIP-HOP ISSUE: Venus Zine’s summer issue is available from June 1–September 1, 2008, and features Missy Elliott, Santogold, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, Remy Ma, and many other leaders in hip-hop. Order the issue here or purchase a copy at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Chapters.Indigo, Newbury Comics, Waldenbooks, and record stores.
We sat down with longtime Seattle dj/producer B-Girl Chillz from the Emerald City-Seattle. She just released her 4th album ‘Love and Fate’ which has been getting rave reviews. During our interview we covered alot of topics including the importance of being seen and known as a B-Girl. She explained that she’s a practioner of all 4 of Hip Hop’s elements and that she wanted to rep the culture to the fullest by being all encompassing. She also explained that it was important to highlight the b-girl who has always been alongside the b-boy from day one.
We talked about the Seattle scene as B-Girl Chillz talked about many of the pioneering female figures like; Laura ‘Piece’ Kelly, Toni Hill, DJ ms Broadway and many more who helped shape the sound of the city. Chillz talked about Seattle’s evolution after the country was introduced to Sir Mix-A-Lot. She talked about the important role producers like Vitamin D played in bringing national attention to the city as well as groups like Blue Scholars and their Massline label.
During our interview Chillz talked to us about the challenge facing female producers and how she goes about executing her craft. She talked about the equipment she works with and went through the process of recording a record and how she engages the many artists who come through her studio.
Joining us in the interview was well know Seattle organizer and emcee Julie C who is prominently featured on the album. She is newly signed to B-Girl’s independent record label as one thrird of the newly formed group ‘The Knox Family’ which includes B-Girl and a cat named Jermz.
We talked abiout the recent attention being paid to female emcees thanks to MTV/VH1’s new reality show featuring ‘Yo-Yo’. Chillz described the attention as the industry shining a flashlight and rediscovering a big part of Hip Hop that never left and has always been there.
We concluded our interview by talking about the music business and how Chillz stays sharp and gets her hustle on, not only as a producer running her own label, but also as someone who starting to licence her music to commercials and TV shows. She also talked about how one should get their international game on.
Back in its heyday, Fifth Avenue venue I-Spy regularly featured rock and hip-hop acts. It has since disappeared and been replaced by retail and office space. DJ B-Girl refers to her opening for eccentric L.A. MC Busdriver at I-Spy as the gig that validated her presence in Seattle’s hip-hop scene. But her reference unintentionally dates her, considering the popular hangout closed back in 2003.
Breaking into music is harsh, unless you know somebody. DJ B-Girl (real name: Mia Beardsley) had a degree in audio engineering and recording when she moved to Seattle from Bellingham in 2001—but she knew close to nobody. It would be years before she networked with enough of the appropriate people and gained a business savvy about her.
As she stoically points out, “That’s why I’m sitting here talking to you right now…and I’m 31 years old.”
With three failed attempts to release albums in the past decade, it would’ve been easy for DJ B-Girl to fade into obscurity like many of the venues she’s performed at over the years. But earlier this year, DJ B-Girl released her first full-length album, Love or Fate, which helped create buzz about her talent with its slick production and exceptional track list. (Choice pick: “Murder She Wrote” featuring Sista Hailstorm and Julie C.)
“I feel like I can finally say that I’m a producer in Seattle,” DJ B-Girl tells me at Oseao Media Group, the digital music company she works for during the day and many of her evenings. “It feels like the dam that broke and released all the creative energy.”
DJ B-Girl lived with three roommates in the U District when she first came to the city. Money saved on rent went toward purchasing high-end tables and speakers to practice her craft. Days were spent working at Guitar Center, and nights were spent relentlessly pursuing gigs. She works more now than she did then, about 80 hours a week. Despite having a solid footing in the city’s hip-hop scene and her new album to support, she’s got another agenda to keep her preoccupied: helping other female artists find the connections she never had.
Last year, DJ B-Girl ensured she’d be getting even less sleep when she launched her own record label, B-Girl Media, and formed B-Girl Bench, a centralized forum (which meets at Oseao) for local women in hip-hop to meet weekly and research viable options to increase their visibility.
By drawing from her personal experiences and knowledge in digital distribution, DJ B-Girl hopes to help propel Seattle’s female hip-hop artists into the limelight. The greatest hurdle for many aspiring artists (including herself early on) is that they aren’t always well-versed in the business side of the music industry, she says.
“We have artists in Seattle who are talented enough that they should be getting national exposure—and they’re stuck at the regional level,” she notes. “How does that happen after they’ve put in 15–20 years of hard work? How can we help each other out and get to the next level?”
Two words: Media literacy. Rather than remaining passive, she says, artists must build their own momentum by understanding and using mass media to their advantage. B-Girl Bench participants, who include MCs like Julie C. and El Dia, help provide female artists with mentorship on finding promotion and performing opportunities, as well as access to different media outlets. Participants currently host Hip-Hop 101 on Seattle’s public-access television and often air on KBCS-FM (91.3), Bellevue Community College’s radio station.
“The key is to recognize women and the wealth of resources they hold,” DJ B-Girl says. “There’s strong leadership that’s scattered across the city, but we have a common goal and we need to come together. Cases in which an artist goes from the grassroots level to the national level are few and far between. We need to create a ladder for artists to climb toward that level. This is one of the steps.”
DJ B-Girl envisions the artists of B-Girl Bench (many of whom are on her label) touring at some point. She’d like to collaborate with women’s hip-hop organizations across the country and have Seattle artists performing nationwide several times a year. “My vision for B-Girl Media is to get artists as much media as possible while they still maintain their voice,” she says. “The industry tells you what to sound and look like; I want to have a label that reflects who the artists really are.”
By the time the complete B-Girl operation she envisions is up and running, DJ B-Girl could be in her 40s. She’s keenly aware of just how tough it will be to achieve her lofty plans and isn’t reveling in her success thus far. As she sums up in a voice both besieged and determined, “I’ve still got my work cut out for me.”
Check this full-length hip hop album featuring a handpicked line-up of fresh Seattle talent. A myriad of styles and flavors collide, from regal to battle ready, indie to experimental, hear what makes Seattle’s top female producer so unique. There’s a little something for everybody on this release, so be prepared, Seattle’s on the rise!
Track Listing:
1. Livin It feat. Khanfidenz and Toni Hill
2. No More Beef feat. Inkubiz
3. Identity Theft feat. Phreewil and DJ WD4D
4. Need the Game feat. Jerm and Cyreeta
5. On the Rise feat. Julie C. and Cyreeta
6. People feat. Sage Nomad
7. Life feat. Piece, Toni Hill and Forrest on Bass
8. Stay Alive feat. Sista Hailstorm
9. The Arena feat. Inkubiz
10. Murder She Wrote feat. Sista Hailstorm and Julie C.
11. Two-Oh-Six feat. Asun
12. Get Low feat. Julie C. and Asun
13. Free Yoself Dub feat. Inkubiz and George on Percussion
Release Date: 01/16/2008
Artwork by Angel179
Recorded at B-Girl Media
Mixed by DJ B-Girl
Mastered by Steve Turnidge at Ultraviolet Studios
DJ B-Girl and Wiseproofteamed up with UK label, Pigeon Project, for the Show & Prove EP which features remixes by Tez & Sir, Jace Syntax, Steve City, Hyperdraw Orchestraand B-Girl. The Tez & Sir drum and bass remix is as hard as any great dance floor filler, featuring strong synths, tech step drums and damaging basslines. Jace Syntax brings a high energy house remix to the table with chopped up vocal samples, and B-Girl features a synth-laden hip hop remake that crawls along in time with Wiseproof’s vocals.
Track Listing:
1. Show and Prove ft. Wiseproof
2. Show and Prove ft. Wiseproof (Jace Syntax House Remix)
3. Show and Prove ft. Wiseproof (Tez & S.i.r. Drum and Bass Remix)
4. Show and Prove ft. Wiseproof (Hyperdraw Orchestra Dub)
5. Show and Prove ft. Wiseproof (Steve City House Remix)
6. Show and Prove ft. Wiseproof (B-Girl Remix Explicit)
7. Show and Prove ft. Wiseproof (B-Girl Remix Clean)
Release Date: 08/15/2007
Artwork by Pigeon Project
Original version recorded at B-Girl Media
The Human Collective EP is DJ B-Girl’s first release. Working with a collective of artists, spanning a variety of genres, The Human Collective EP gives the listener a small glance into B-Girl’s world. Moving from hip hop to electronic, mixing the code of the streets with a unifying hope for the future, B-Girl and these guest emcees will help expand your mind and broaden your horizons.
Track Listing:
1. Intro feat. Spyc-E
2. The Emperor feat. Wiseproof & DJ Hail
3. No More War feat. Mia
4. Anti-Rap feat. MC Squared
Release Date: 06/30/2004
Artwork by Andrew Alvarado aka Looner
Recorded at the Kirkland Teen Center
Mixed and Mastered by Mell Dettmer
Available on 
