http://odeo. com/audio/19392373/view
Meet Pittsburgh's Finest-Kellee Maize! Kellee Maize!
by Davey D
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania is one of those places that oftens gets overlooked when we talk about Hip Hop, but nevertheless is home to some incredible musical talents who
have left their mark.
We can start by talking about jazz greats like Stanely Turrentine, George Benson and Art Blakey.
Pittsburgh gave birth to Phyliss Hyman.
The creators of the hit song 'Play that Funky Music (White Boy), Wild Cherry is from Pittsburgh and this is just a short list of musical icons.
Following in those footsteps is an impressive roster of rappers including Dr Dre's producers who are pretty much responsible for delivering his signature sound.
That would include people like Sam Sneed and Mel-Man.
We have folks like Joe Beatz who are on the rise along with other artists like Slam Poet champion Vanessa German, Jasiri X and One Hood, underground phenoms Lone Catalyst and Wiz Khalifa to name a few.
Also in the Pittsburgh building is New York transplant DJ Paradise Gray from the legendary group X-Clan.
In short Pittsburgh is a city on the move.
One of the city's crown jewels is a cool, young woman named Kellee Maize.
She's endeared her self with everyone and when leaves everyone enthusiastic when she walks in the room. Many of us like to say her name twice just to show the love.
"Kelle Maize, Kellee Maize how the hell are you Kelleee Maize?" , I am often found of saying with a smile.
Kellee who originally hailed from a small town in the central part of the state, where according to Presidential candidate Barack Obama, the folks are supposedly 'bitter' and cling to their shotguns and religion, touched down in 'the Burgh' when she was 16. She brought her enthusiasm and fell in love with the burgeoning scene.
Initially her being female and white was viewed with suspicion. Folks weren't sure if she was a culture jacker trying to get over with her good looks or by being a novelty act. She explained that because she came from the heart, allowed herself to be vulnerable and can flow like no other, her Hip Hop peers soon realized that she was the real deal. She's been a staple in Pittsburgh Hip Hop ever since.
For the past few years , people have come to know Kellee as a promoter more than an artist. She works for the city's weekly newspaper and was the person who routinely booked and held down shows.
She started a woman's collective known as Nakturnal to provide women with safe place to learn their craft and to get some business opportunities. Nakturnal soon expanded into a club night and promotional company that now includes more than just women rocking on the mic.
In our recent sit down Kellee Maize noted that she was so much behind the scenes that many of her friends were shocked when she finally released her album 'The Age of Feminine'.
"They knew I could spit, but they didn't think I would ever do an album", she said.
Maize went on to talk about how her album reflected her philosophy about male and female energies and how for years we have been bombarded with energy that hits our lower shockaras. The Age of Feminine is not so much of a female empowerment album as it is a call for all of us men included to reach to a higher consciousness. She noted that female energy has been subordinate for too long and that we are at a point in time where the pendulum is set to shift.
During our interview Kellee talked about the importance of finding her voice as an artist which like so many female artists include her singing as well as rapping. She talked about how for years singing was looked upon as something soft and the only way to express oneself was to be forceful and hard. She's happy that the range of vocal expressions has widened.
She went on to add that from the stand point of delivering lots of information in a 3-4 minute song, rap is the way to go. On this album she had lots to say so we hear Kellee Maize the emcee. In future projects she will probably open up on the singing tip.
"Singing brings forth a powerful, spiritual energy", she said.
During our interview we covered a range of additional topics including; women working together in the industry and why its been so difficult, how to stop embracing negative thoughts and the influence artists like Lauryn Hill, Ms Dynamite and M.I.
A have had on her.
We also talked about the meanings and background story for several of the songs we highlighted including; 'Hawk', 'Age of Feminine', 'Marching' and the incomplete '412'.
Check out the Breakdown FM Interview Here:
http://odeo. com/audio/19392373/view
Return to Davey D's Hip Hop Corner
