NiceUp talks to dancehall queen – MC Silva – a woman bringing the hip-hop reggae vibes to Aotearoa.
You’ve been surrounded by music all of your life – can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to follow a musical path?
Well, my mother played piano when I was younger and my father was in a reggae band and part of the Rasta movement. I also have an older brother (Tuffy Culture) who was running round town doing lots of MC gigs. I’ve always loved to sing and rap and having my parents and brother in the music business helped me to develop my talent.
How would you describe your musical style?
Ummm…a melting pot of reggae, dancehall and hip-hop, with a sprinkle of soul.
Who have you been linking up and collaborating with in the last little while?
I’ve been doing a lot of work with producer Iron Will. And I just finished a colab with Nesian Mystic for their latest album.
You featured on the Ghetto Red Hot Vol. 4 mix by Art Official which came our recently and have also been doing some great gigs with Art around the place – how has this all been going?
Great! Art has a lot to offer and I’m real keen to continue working with him. He has got a good taste for dancehall/hip-hop. I hope Art and I will keep working together and rocking these shows solid!
What do you think the NZ reggae/hip-hop scene is like for women to get into? What advice do you have for any women out there who want to break into the scene?
I don’t think there is a New Zealand scene for us dancehall queens. That’s part of the reason why I wanna break out now. Because no female has really brought a good dancehall/hip-hop/reggae sound for us NZ’ers.
Advice? Now or never, if you think you can rock the dancehall, then what are you waiting for?
Who do you look to for inspiration here in Aotearoa and abroad?
Locally I’d have to say Ladi6. She’s the only female rapper who is really doing it for themselves and actually has talent! Lol! As for abroad, I love listening to any sort of reggae from J.A. Particularly MC’s like Capleton and singers like Chezidek. L.Boogie and The Fugees have been major influences for me. I also love MC’s like Kardinal Official, Talib Kweli and Pharoah Monch.
What have you got coming up for the rest of the year?
Well I’ll be supporting DJ Skitz from the UK in October on the Ghetto Red Hot NZ tour, I’ve got the DropZone coming up soon and I’ll be supporting the Blackseeds down in Welly in November with Art. Plus I’ll be the doing the New Zealand Music Awards with Ladi6…exciting stuff!
Any last words for the massive?
Big-ups to NiceUp, Newtown Sound, Elgin St posse and all dem dancehall lovers!
More info:
MC Silva Facebook
Venus Hi Fi
