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GOOOO MISSISSAUGA!
Louroz
Not your usual rapper chick
Masia-One gives western 'burbs a voice
First CD Mississauga released on Thursday
RAJU MUDHAR
STAFF REPORTER
"You know, you're the first reporter who didn't ask `what's it like to be Asian and female' as the first question," says Toronto-based Masia-One. "Because really, I've already got that answer down pat." She should, considering she's been both for the past 24 years, but when you're likely the only small, female Asian rapper freestyling with the boys on one of the many mic nights around town, it's pretty easy to draw attention.
But the independent artist is strictly business and she's ready for her close-up. Her independent debut album, Mississauga, has started to make the rounds of local record shops and she's ferociously gigging, last weekend in Ottawa, at T.O.'s Dundas Square as part of Style In Progress last Thursday and on Saturday night at a female showcase at Clinton's. This Thursday she's the headliner at Reillys, where's she's holding her CD release party.
Although she's really a British Columbia native (née Masia Lim), she decided to name her album after the west 905 suburb because that's where the majority of her collaborators — producers and musicians — were located.
"I think it needs a better transit system, because that's how I was getting around up there," she laughs. But she wants to help shed a light on the several sick beat makers that live in the 'burbs. "With hip-hop kids always wanting to represent their area — so with Scarborough, 'cause it's more hardcore and gangster — but there's so many amazing musicians and producers coming out of Mississauga that have their own home studios and get no recognition because everyone associates some suburbs with nerdy, white picket fences. But a lot of brilliant music is coming out of there."
She has moved from Vancouver to study architecture at University of Toronto, and has been listening to the music since she was 9. She started writing in her teens but kept it to herself. Two and half years ago, she performed at a showcase called I Used To Love H.E.R. (after the Common track) that was put on by her then-roommate (and now co-manager) when someone dropped out. She took the spot to conquer her stage fright. From that single performance she snagged a commercial for MuchVibe and from there she's been rolling.
She recorded the album over the last seven months and it's a tight collection of 11 tracks. It showcases the different sides of her lyrical flow, from the fast and furious of "Dizz Knee Land" to the sing song "Milk Truck Man" and the jazzy downtempo "Sugar," Masia impresses, as do the various styles of beats and samples produced by her 905 posse.
"You know looking at me, being a tiny Asian girl, people would think it's all be conscious, spoken word type of stuff, so we wanted to play with different styles and flip it up, be more grimier and show that I wasn't one-dimensional."
She knows that her look does set her a bit apart, but it's obvious that she wants to be judged on her merits. When asked if she's a feminist, she hesitates: "Well yeah ... but more in what I do than what I say," she says.
"I just did a show in Ottawa and I was rhyming with three other female MCs, and it was great. It was good to see that there's actually a community in that city, whereas you don't usually see it. Everyone likes to sensationalize that there are female MCs. There's lots and lots."
To that end, she's hoping to do a track with fellow femme rappers Tara Chase, Eternia and Matriarch, sort of an estrogen-powered "Northern Touch."
Masia's been performing a lot of late, but she likes to keep things fresh. Sometimes it's with the backing of DJ Mensa, other times she's accompanied by one of her producers on acoustic guitar. At her CD release party (Reillys is at Yonge and Elm Sts.), she'll be performing with her nine-piece backing band, Ultra Magnus. The band will also perform and she wants a space for folks to come out and dance to a live band. As well, she'll be performing at the Ex this weekend as part of the Toronto Urban Music Festival on the same bill with heavy hitters Pharoahe Monch and J-Live.
She's just releasing her first album officially, but she's already thinking about the next.
"This is the first one and it's more like a demo. It's all completely produced, but with the next one I'm thinking of having all live instrumentation," she says. "Besides that, it's just all about pushing this record."
With good reason, since Mississauga has never sounded so good.
Louroz
Not your usual rapper chick
Masia-One gives western 'burbs a voice
First CD Mississauga released on Thursday
RAJU MUDHAR
STAFF REPORTER
"You know, you're the first reporter who didn't ask `what's it like to be Asian and female' as the first question," says Toronto-based Masia-One. "Because really, I've already got that answer down pat." She should, considering she's been both for the past 24 years, but when you're likely the only small, female Asian rapper freestyling with the boys on one of the many mic nights around town, it's pretty easy to draw attention.
But the independent artist is strictly business and she's ready for her close-up. Her independent debut album, Mississauga, has started to make the rounds of local record shops and she's ferociously gigging, last weekend in Ottawa, at T.O.'s Dundas Square as part of Style In Progress last Thursday and on Saturday night at a female showcase at Clinton's. This Thursday she's the headliner at Reillys, where's she's holding her CD release party.
Although she's really a British Columbia native (née Masia Lim), she decided to name her album after the west 905 suburb because that's where the majority of her collaborators — producers and musicians — were located.
"I think it needs a better transit system, because that's how I was getting around up there," she laughs. But she wants to help shed a light on the several sick beat makers that live in the 'burbs. "With hip-hop kids always wanting to represent their area — so with Scarborough, 'cause it's more hardcore and gangster — but there's so many amazing musicians and producers coming out of Mississauga that have their own home studios and get no recognition because everyone associates some suburbs with nerdy, white picket fences. But a lot of brilliant music is coming out of there."
She has moved from Vancouver to study architecture at University of Toronto, and has been listening to the music since she was 9. She started writing in her teens but kept it to herself. Two and half years ago, she performed at a showcase called I Used To Love H.E.R. (after the Common track) that was put on by her then-roommate (and now co-manager) when someone dropped out. She took the spot to conquer her stage fright. From that single performance she snagged a commercial for MuchVibe and from there she's been rolling.
She recorded the album over the last seven months and it's a tight collection of 11 tracks. It showcases the different sides of her lyrical flow, from the fast and furious of "Dizz Knee Land" to the sing song "Milk Truck Man" and the jazzy downtempo "Sugar," Masia impresses, as do the various styles of beats and samples produced by her 905 posse.
"You know looking at me, being a tiny Asian girl, people would think it's all be conscious, spoken word type of stuff, so we wanted to play with different styles and flip it up, be more grimier and show that I wasn't one-dimensional."
She knows that her look does set her a bit apart, but it's obvious that she wants to be judged on her merits. When asked if she's a feminist, she hesitates: "Well yeah ... but more in what I do than what I say," she says.
"I just did a show in Ottawa and I was rhyming with three other female MCs, and it was great. It was good to see that there's actually a community in that city, whereas you don't usually see it. Everyone likes to sensationalize that there are female MCs. There's lots and lots."
To that end, she's hoping to do a track with fellow femme rappers Tara Chase, Eternia and Matriarch, sort of an estrogen-powered "Northern Touch."
Masia's been performing a lot of late, but she likes to keep things fresh. Sometimes it's with the backing of DJ Mensa, other times she's accompanied by one of her producers on acoustic guitar. At her CD release party (Reillys is at Yonge and Elm Sts.), she'll be performing with her nine-piece backing band, Ultra Magnus. The band will also perform and she wants a space for folks to come out and dance to a live band. As well, she'll be performing at the Ex this weekend as part of the Toronto Urban Music Festival on the same bill with heavy hitters Pharoahe Monch and J-Live.
She's just releasing her first album officially, but she's already thinking about the next.
"This is the first one and it's more like a demo. It's all completely produced, but with the next one I'm thinking of having all live instrumentation," she says. "Besides that, it's just all about pushing this record."
With good reason, since Mississauga has never sounded so good.