THE INV!S!BLES celebrate life through hip-hop
Hyderabad: Hyderabadis’ long wait to attend a live concert was all set to come to an end on Saturday as the American hip-hop group THE INV!S!BLES were gearing up to perform at the St Francis College for Women, Begumpet. On Friday, the artistes – Carl “DJ Invisible” Hollier, Richie “Robot” Steighner, Miz Korona, Hans Pierre, […]
Hyderabad: Hyderabadis’ long wait to attend a live concert was all set to come to an end on Saturday as the American hip-hop group THE INV!S!BLES were gearing up to perform at the St Francis College for Women, Begumpet. On Friday, the artistes – Carl “DJ Invisible” Hollier, Richie “Robot” Steighner, Miz Korona, Hans Pierre, and Khary Kimani Turner – even organised a workshop at the college to teach music enthusiasts the nuances of hip-hop.
This musical extravaganza, ‘Bridging Cultures Through Hip-Hop’ was presented by the US Embassy and Consulates in India, in association with the American Voices, and produced by Teamwork Arts.
Speaking at a media event at Taj Deccan on Friday, THE INV!S!BLES said they were interested to know how hip-hop is interpreted in Hyderabad. Although the hip-hop culture began in New York City, the group said it was exciting to see how so many other countries across the world have made it their own.
“We’ve witnessed people of all age groups attend our concerts – from kids to teenagers, young adults and elders, and that’s what I love about hip-hop. Although sometimes elders do not understand us verbally, they understand the beats and the music. I’ve heard of so many people learning English and other languages through music,” shared Miz Korona, best-known for her role in the movie ‘8 Mile’ with legendary rapper Eminem.
Korona spoke about how she first sang at a concert when she was just in second grade. As she grew older, her mom introduced her to hip-hop and she snuck into a bar for her first performance as a teenager.
“I had a difficult time in the beginning because there weren’t many women in the hip-hop community then. And I was quite young then and it was not safe for me to be at these clubs. Luckily, I met a friend of Eminem named Proof who would watch over me. People would even ask me who wrote my songs and I had to tell them it was all me! People underestimated me because I was a girl and would say disrespectful things to me. Record labels would also have an issue in signing me because I identify as lesbian,” shared Korona.
Advising young hip-hop artistes, the group spoke about the importance of making a mark in one’s own country instead of dreaming of fame in America. Citing the example of Barbadian rapper Rihanna, the artistes said it’s important to first make some noise locally before becoming huge internationally.
