To all the girls do what you gotta do but it ain't what you do it's how you do

Smart self-reflective women aren't novelties anymore in hip hop. 
Philly native Antonia Reed( 1970) started out as a DJ in the 80's. 
The Arabic words Badia( original creation) and Hamd'allah( thankful to god) were combined in her artist name Bahamadia. This conversational lyricist was musically inspired by Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobbi Humphrey, Stevie Wonder and Minnie Ripperton.

Her smooth flow and intellectual style( Funk Vibe) caught Gang Starr Guru's attention in the 90's, who helped her get a record deal with Chrysalis. Guru's protégée also appeared on the second volume of his Jazzmatazz album.
The jazzy raps of her first singles Total Wreck( 1994) and Uknowhowwedu (1995) once again proved her skill on the microphone. 


Her critically acclaimed full-length debut album Kollage, with productions by Guru, The Roots and DJ Premier appeared in 1996. Her laid back voice and raps were lent to various projects during the 90's, including acid jazz artists The Brand New Heavies and drum 'n' bass artist Roni Size( New Forms). 

From 1997 to 1999 the poet hosted a hip hop radio show in Philadelphia. Goodvibe released her seven track EP BB Queen in 2000, including the track Beautiful Things with Dwele. 


Her inner truth and unique activist spirit were preached with Towa Tei, the Herbaliser, The Roots( Push up ya lighter), Morcheeba( Good Girl Down), Slum Village(One-4-Teen), Talib Kweli( Reflection Eternal), Sade(Sweetback), Erykah Badu( Love of my Life with Angie Stone and Queen Latifah) and Dwele(High).


More recent albums Good Rap Music(2006) and Here(2010) prove that Bahamadia remains true to herself. She embraces all of who she is, the good and the bad, never compromising her integrity or her moral ethics for the monetary gain of the competitive business. 

This strong lady is all about self-knowledge and growth. Her challenge is to become the best person she can be and to inspire others to become the best they. This true honey bun can still look at herself in the mirror at the end of the day.

There's hope for critical artistic expressions beyond dispute: Frank Shepard Fairey

LA based street artist Shepard Fairey (1970) graduated from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. Frequenting the skateboarding scene as a youngster, he used his professional stenciling skills on clothing and skateboards designs.


The contemporary artist relates to the authentic aspects of hip hop culture and freedom of speech. 


This man's clearly driven by street art imagery in all its forms( posters, stencil art, collage, screen printing, wheat pasting, ...), using his talent to criticize socio political situations such as war, materialism or propaganda in a witty, emotive and slightly commercial way. 


His Andre the Giant (Has a Posse) stencils and stickers started out as an inside joke.  The wrestler's unique and goofy face was transformed to a simple black and white image which was distributed  in cities all over the US. Later on he added the word OBEY to the popular image with the purpose of making people question authority.  "Andre the Giant has a Posse" is also the title of a documentary made by Helen Stickler .


Guerrilla artists Fairey, Robbie Conal and Mear One collaborated on the Be the Revolution(2004, anti-Bush) street art campaign. In the same year Roger Gastman and Fairey founded pop culture and lifestyle Swindle magazine. 


Furthermore the illustrator founded Studio number one, a creative agency which designs album covers, clothing and movie posters, a reliable income for Fairey's family.


The graphic designer gained fame when he created the iconic style Obama Hope poster (2008) and stickers during the US presidential campaign. The red and blue Andy Warhol 's style resembling piece was based on a photograph by Mannie Garcia(Associated Press), leading to copyright infringement claims. Recurring subjects under discussion concerning  art in public spaces are illegitimacy, fair use and derivatives. 


Thanks to this massive exposure and the caused commotion, Fairey's work has already been shown in solo gallery exhibitions and at the LACMA, MOMA NY, ICA Boston, MCA San Diego, National Portrait Gallery Washington DC and at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.


Remaining loyal to urban culture, Fairey performs on stage as DJ Diabetic and MC Insulin. He even collaborated with DJ Shadow. Banksy's film Exit Through the Gift shop, an inside story of street art,  contains footage of Fairey, Ron English, Space Invader, Swoon among others.


Despite long- winded art critic disputes about the originality and value of his versatile creations, this reporter of peace has become a  street art symbol as well as an asset in contemporary art. Two of a trade never agree. 

Article written by Ann Timmermans