Being a child performer made me fearless." I'm able to step outside of myself and speak up in spaces where other people might be afraid to do so. So I've kind of parlayed that performing aspect into my work, and I've trained thousands of people at my job. I've always longed to continue to be able to perform, but my husband got killed when my kids were pretty young and I went to work in tech. Marshall: "Growing up as a performer in hip-hop, speaking in front of groups, having that stage presence, it gave me a level of confidence that most people just don't have. So that was something I'll forever be proud of." We were one of the first rap acts to perform on Sixth Street and once that door was open, it was open for everybody after that. It was good, it was fun, it was innocent, and it opened so many doors of opportunity: exploring the city, being exposed to business meetings with our manager John Patterson. Sodie: "We ended up crossing over from the east side of I-35 to the west side and we were accepted. So I feel like we were able to be ourselves because it was a welcoming environment." It was really about positivity and not as sexual as hip-hop today … I was young in an adult environment, but we always had a manager who looked out for us and the guys in the rap groups were like our big brothers – they kept a safe space for us. Juana Esperanza Marshall: "We had music geared toward what was happening in society at that time, like we had a safe sex campaign and songs about lifting the community up and, right before I joined the group, they performed at Governor Ann Richards' inauguration. That was my thing: I loved proving myself." And I would love to see the look on their faces. They'd be in the circle at Juneteenth down at the Doris Miller, and everybody would just pass me up until someone would yell, 'Give her the mic,' and they had no idea the voice, the words, the boldness, the confidence I had. Erika "MC Battlelette" Rogers, now Erika Sodie, currently makes music as MzDank. – Kevin CurtinĪ Cooly Girls poster at the Austin History Center (Photo by John Anderson)Įrika Sodie: "The scene was all guys, and I loved my shock value. The ensemble's community-minded rap and R&B, cassettes of which are mostly lost to time, shared stages with the likes of Kool Moe Dee, Geto Boys, D-Nice, Hi-Five, and Uncle Luke. Throughout their long run, the "Cooly Nation" collective expanded to include up to 25 singers, rappers, dancers, and DJs, including key Coolys Juana Marshall Esperanza, Rikeisha Ellison, and Angela Louie. Taken under the wing of grown rappers in their East Austin community, and with the approval of their churchgoing mothers, Cooly Girls became a fixture of local schools, talent shows, and community events while also crossing over to play Liberty Lunch, Austin Opera House, and Aqua Fest. While siblings Tracy and Erika were in middle school, they formed the teen group Cooly Girls in 1987 along with friend Nakia Stewart. The late Tracy Rogers knew the world needed to hear her little sister's confident lyricism. (l-r) Cooly Girls’ Erika "MC Battlelette" Rogers, Juana Marshall Esperanza, Rikeisha "Shakey K" Ellison, and Angela "Redd" Louie (Courtesy of Juana Marshall Esperanza) As online RSVPs to the awards show have sold out and decades of culture-crafting pack a behemoth script, the Chronicle Music team interviewed the honorees, too.Īs artists, entrepreneurs, mentors, collaborators, Texans, and transplants, their stories make a nice introductory mixtape. – Music Editor Rachel RascoeĬlick here to jump between the honorees’ stories: Behind the scenes, Blake and division manager Danielle' McGhee logged over 20 hours of oral histories, alongside posters, merch, and other retro media, to kick-start the History Center's growing hip-hop archives. Looping in the next wave: Anastasia Hera hosts, Kydd Jones doles out awards, Pat G & the Justice League perform, and TJ the DJ spins. 17 at the Central Library, the Austin Hip Hop Honors Awards will salute the rappers and industry innovators who planted the world-conquering genre's local roots.Īt the ceremony, Austin Film Society-produced short interviews with each of the nine VIPs will screen, alongside a posthumous tribute to MC Overlord and a nod to KAZI 88.7FM's ongoing impact. His curiosity aligned with the center's plans to keep this year's globally feted 50th anniversary of hip-hop rolling. Alongside taking over Manners' longtime Hip Hop Hooray broadcast this year, Blake works as an archivist at the Austin History Center. Miss Manners once passed along an MP3 file to fellow KOOP 91.7FM host Ryan Blake, offering a rare recording of undigitized Eighties/Nineties Austin girl group Cooly Girls. Original member Nakia “Kiki” Stewart is not pictured, as she was in trouble that day. (l-r) Cooly Girls’ Tracy "MC Cool" Rogers, Erika "MC Battlelette" Rogers, and Rikeisha "Shakey K" Ellison.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |