New Diva on the Hip Hop Scene

When it comes to telling it like it is and representing true Hip Hop to the fullest, you can't get more real than Sistah Conscious. With racial unrest, the stock market crashing, gas prices skyrocketing, and all of the troubles in America and the world, time is ripe for her new single Better Day. The song encompasses so much of who she is as a musician, poet, activist, and young person. It talks about the condition of society, the love and acquisition of money, and how it is capable of controlling one's life. It encourages young people to follow their dreams and to use integrity in everything they do. The single is being released on airways across the southeastern region and soon across the nation. From the capital city of underground rap-Raleigh, North Carolina, is where the reality Hip Hop artist Sistah Conscious got her start. With a sound closely related to the Durham, NC native group Little Brother, her songs are complex, soulful, futuristic, original, and unique. Sistah Conscious says that her name suggests the very fabric of who and what she is...a "conscious sistah"; but she cannot simply be boiled down to two words...
As an English major, she naturally appeals to her peer group in an intellectual yet accessible way. Her music has been accepted and enjoyed by a wide range of age groups. "Even my five year old daughter requests Sistah Conscious every time we get into the car," (Audrey Muhammad, 43, Owner of Virtue Magazine). Her energy filled live shows contain an intimacy and comeliness that transcends all ages, and lifestyles.
The Voice was able to sit down with the young, budding artist to speak about her unique style, rare talent, and views on general topics.


The Voice: Where are you from?
Sistah Conscious: Raleigh, North Carolina

TV: Do you participate in any organizations at FSU?
SC: Yes, I'm in Bronco Women, NCNW, Phi Eta Sigma, and Residence Life.

TV: What is your major?
SC: English Language and Literature, Secondary Education

TV: Name some of your prospective goals/career aspirations?
SC: I aspire to be a Hip-Hop artist. I'm aware that I have the ability and the capacity to do other higher praised professions, such as, a lawyer, politician, or a professor; but music is my love and my passion. What I do is not just the compilation of beats and verses.It is the science of language and the use of rhetoric to argue a point, which is essentially lawyering. It is the expression of ones views on war, the economy, and society to rally the hearts of men and women, which is largely the work of a politician. It is making knowledge accessible and appealing, which is the duty of a good professor. Some of my career goals are to, be internationally acclaimed, collaborate with musicians and professionals I admire and respect, and to continue making good music.

TV: What are your hobbies/interests:
SC: Producing beats, playing guitar, reading and writing, painting, listening to Min. Farrakhan, watching CNN and Comedy Central, and arguing [laugh].

TV: I know you've been asked this question a million times over, but is Hip-Hop really dead?
SC: Yes, I believe that Hip-Hop is dead. A lot of people don't understand that Rap and Hip-Hop are two different entities and genres. Hip-Hop which is popularized by social awareness, conscious flow, and lyrical technique and prose, is dead today. What we see and hear in the media is Rap-notoriously known for the degradation of women, the glorification of premarital sex, drugs, wealth, and violence. Rap is the product of miseductaion, in relation to what Black culture is supposed to be, and how we are supposed to behave and conduct ourselves. Hip-Hop as a culture has been tainted from it's origins but I have a feeling it's going to come back home pretty soon [smile].

TV: We called you the respirator of Hip-Hop.how are you helping Hip-Hop to survive?
SC: Continuing to make music of substance and by supporting other artists who do the same. Also supporting any part of Hip-Hop culture that portrays a positive image.

TV: Who are some of your musical role models? Who do you think is contributing positively to "the game"?
SC: To answer both of your questions-Lauryn Hill, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and Talib Kweli to name a few.

TV: What would you like to leave to future generations, who may possibly never be able to experience true Hip-Hop?
SC: True Hip-Hop will always be present at the base of all Black folk music whether it's blues, jazz, gospel, or R&B. If we accept our own and be ourselves, true Hip-Hop will always live on; it's only natural because music is in the very fabric of our being. We cannot live except by the rhythmic pace of our heart beat.that's what Hip-Hop is-the natural confession of the mind in rhythmic sequences.

TV: What are you currently working on now, and where can we hear your music?
SC: I currently am selling my single CD, "Better Day"; I'm recording songs for my album, and performing. My music is accessible through my webpage: MYSPACE.COM/SISTAHCONSCIOUS and the CD can be purchased at: CONSCIOUSBEATZ.COM .