Philadelphia native Bahamadia has lived and breathed music for years. In fact, many influential musical scholars credit her as being one of the original MC's to gain Philly international acceptance in the "hip-hop" community in a major way. Initially a Dj, Bahamadia switched trades when MC's such as Sha-Rock (FUNKY 4+1 MORE), Lady B, and Salt & Pepa entered the rap game. Becoming one of the most sought after lyricists on the underground scene, Bahamadia earned the respect that allows her to declare in freestyle verse, "I'mma rap fanatic... phenomenal at it a syllable savage written or off the cabbage this chick is bananas." Her formidable rhyme skills, unceasingly honed since the earliest days of rap, and her progressive musical outlook, make her more than just an incredible MC. Bahamadia is an innovative talent acknowledged in various musical genres as a forerunner of tomorrow's music.
her introduction in 1996, she has (amazingly) only two solo album releases
to her credit. First was the now "classic" EMI Records release "KOLLAGE", which she described as "various sound blends and textures of my interpretation of hip-hop music that encompasses topics of importance to me." "KOLLAGE", which was the first LP ever written/co-produced entirely by a female hip-hop artist, generated the 1996 SOUL TRAIN LADY OF SOUL award nomination for BEST NEW R&B/RAP ARTIST.
Bahamadia 's second solo project, the critically acclaimed "BB QUEEN", was
released in the year 2000 on the indie label Good Vibe Recordings. "BB
QUEEN" was also the debut of multi-talented Virgin Recording artist Dwele.
In addition to being a respected songwriter/producer, Bahamadia serves as a
positive role model for, and mentor of, many upcoming artist. She is a
regular participant in educational lectures at universities, as well as in
music conferences and seminars. She has been a contributing writer for
Stress Magazine in New York City. Her historic weekly radio show at
Philadelphia's 103.9FM, "BAHAMADIA'S B-SIDES"(circa 1997-1999), reigned as
one of the highest rated radio shows in Philadelphia. " BAHAMADIA'S B-SIDES"
gave Philly radio listeners their first taste of then unknown artist like
Eminem, Mos Def, and many of the Rawkus Records roster of artist during the
late 1990's. In a nutshell, "B-SIDES" showcased underground talent worldwide
and served as a template for taste-maker forums such as "Now Hear This"
presented by fellow Philadelphians The Roots. In Bahamadia's words, "the
show was designed to nurture grass-roots culture."
Bahamadia has collaborated with a wide variety of her musical
contemporaries. Although many of these collaborations have resulted in
groundbreaking creations(for example, the track entitled "NEW FORMS",
produced by MERCURY AWARD winner Roni Size, was the first "Drum-n-Bass"
track to feature a rap vocalist), they mostly came about in distinctly
organic fashion. Simply put, "sonic gems"
were created because of musicians' mutual respect for each other. These
works include songs with Lauryn Hill, Morcheeba, Sweet Back(Sade & Maxwell's
band), Towa Tei, The Roots, King Britt, Ramsey Lewis(Jazzmatazz, Vol.2),
Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Mc Lyte, Zap Mama, and more. When asked why she
chooses to work with such an eclectic range of artist, Bahamadia explains,
"I do it in order to push the envelope and stop the music from being
stagnant".
Not only in demand for concert performances throughout the United States,
Bahamadia had been invited to participate in many overseas tours, embracing
fans in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, England, France,
Poland,Austria, and Australia gaining a global "cult" following based on
integrity & skill.
Now that she has helped set the stage for Philadelphia artist and other
practitioners of her idea of "quality" hip-hop to get their just due, she is
ready to do the same for herself. Family and community before herself?
Bahamadia wouldn't have it any other way!
From Wikipedia:Bahamadia (Antonia Reed) is a Philadelphia-born hip hop artist, a DJ who later became an MC. As a member of Gang Starr Foundation, she released her critically-acclaimed debut album entitled Kollage in 1996. The album featured production by Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr. Kollage was followed in 2001 by BB Queen, an EP release.
Bahamadia is a respected lyricist in hip hop and is known for her silky, subdued monotone delivery. She has expressed a positive attitude toward globalism as an emerging trend in hip hop. For example, in a 2003 collaboration with little-known group the Sisters of the Underground on a track entitled "Global", she performs lyrics in the chorus which acknowledge Japan, Canada, Sweden, Norway, and Thailand, among other countries, for fostering vibrant hip hop communities, and Japan in particular for the dedication of her Japanese fans. She has recorded a number of bootlegs exclusively released in Japan.
Her reputation in North America has been enhanced by a number of highly regarded guest appearances on tracks by artists including Talib Kweli, The Roots, Jedi Mind Tricks and Planet Asia, and through her association with the Philadelphia hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs.
Her latest album, Good Rap Music, was released in 2006.