My Rock! Like A Girl Experience!
First off, MAJOR shout out to Beverly Bond for creating a place for Black women to be celebrated and heard in mainstream media! It is MUCH needed!
DJ Beverly Bond shown above. Photo Credit: Black Girls Rock!
In case you’re unfamiliar, Rock! Like A Girl is a media platform, concert, and conversation series created by DJ Beverly Bond as an extension of the Black Girls Rock! organization.
This was the first year of the annual concert and it started off with a historic bang as the performance lineup included MC Lyte, Jean Grae, Ana Tiloux, Be'la Dona, Rapsody, Miri Ben-Ari, the incomparable Ms. Lauryn Hill, and of course DJ Beverly Bond herself!
The event was hosted on Saturday, April 5, 2014 at the infamous JFK Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C. as part of the two-week One Mic: Hip Hop Culture Worldwide festival. No other event in the festival contributed an all-female performance roster.
I didn’t find out about the event until the Wednesday before, but I instinctively knew that I had to be there. So off to D.C. I went! Tickets were given away on a first-come, first served basis at 4:30 PM on the day of the show. I intended to get to the Kennedy Center early in the morning to get a good spot in line, but due to my own lack of haste and a horrible traffic jam, I didn’t arrive until around 2:30 PM. By then, a line was progressively forming around the building. I hurried to the back where I ended up being approximately #250 which guaranteed me a seat inside the venue, just not necessarily one where I could distinguish the laughing lines on the performers faces lol.
After leaving to grab a quick bite to eat, I came back only to see the line had multiplied by what seemed to be 1,000 people. There were people everywhere…literally. I made friends with my fellow attendees until tickets were distributed. Finally, after hours of waiting with tired, grumpy feet, we all walked into the Kennedy Center with anticipation rising every step of the way.
After about 45 minutes more of waiting, the event officially began! Be'la Dona opened up with a strong go-go music performance that quickly got everyone on their feet. Next, MC Lyte lit up the stage with a shortened performance of “Cha cha cha” and kept the energy alive the entire night as host of the event. Jean Grae performed several classics including “You Don’t Like It” which had everyone in the audience either throwing a middle finger up and/or shouting “I DON’T CARE!” to the top of their lungs!
Jean Grae pictured above. Photo Credit: Helen Collen, Black Girls Rock!
Ana Tijoux blazed the international spotlight, rapping entirely in Spanish, but still managing to get the crowd moving. A mid-show treat came in the form of performances by D.C. native Nonchalant who rocked with the crowd favorite “5 O'Clock” and Mumu Fresh with a special rendition of “We’re Already Royal” as a twist to Lorde’s popular single “Royals”. There was also a special performance by Black Girls Rock! mentee Mercy Jaye and 3 other accompanying mentees that also performed a spoken-word piece.
The show continued with N.C. native Rapsody rapping smooth bars over classic 9th Wonder instrumentals. Next, Miri Ben-Ari brought a classical music element to the show with a brilliant violin performance over an original hip-hop mash up. Afterwards, DJ Beverly Bond lit the entire room on fire, scratching back-to-back hits with MC Lyte by her side. The crowd went wild!
Photo Credit: Jati Lindsay, Brightest Young Things
Finally, Ms. Lauryn Hill took to the stage as the perfect finale to a star-studded event! She and her band mesmerized the audience with newly revised hits from Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Fugee classics. People from nearly every race and creed recited her lyrics in unison as the theater became filled with reggae vibes and nostalgia.
Photo credit: Black Girls Rock!
A panel discussion on Hip-hop feminism was scheduled to take place after the concert, but due to time constraints, unfortunately did not. Still, the event was amazing! What impressed me most about it, more than the quality and display of musicianship, was the spirit of unity behind it all. It seemed to move from the organizers and performers all the way to the attendees. There were so many beautiful, Black women there simply to support and lift one another up. But it wasn’t just Black women, it was Black men as well and so many people of other nationalities celebrating the unique voice that Black women bring to hip-hop and music as a whole. Special moments were even had backstage as the performers met and shared stories:
And you know I had to do a little networking of my own! I was fortunate enough to meet Jean Grae, Rapsody, and a couple of members from Ms. Lauryn Hill’s band. They were all very nice and approachable. I was hoping to meet Ms. Hill, but I came prepared with a gift package that her DJ promised to give to her for me. So, that was AWESOME! Overall, this was a life changing event for me and I left feeling inspired to continue to create music in the way that I do. I am SO GLAD to say that I attended the very first Rock! Like A Girl event and that yes, THIS IS HOW I ROCK!
From left to right: Jean Grae, DJ Rampage, Robert (the guitar player), and Rapsody!
Until next time,
Ms. Monroe