Since stepping out with her explosive debut, Kollage, in 1996, Philly native Bahamadia has established herself among the upper echelon of Hip Hop artists. From her work with the celebrated Lyricist Lounge series to collaborations with The Roots, the late Guru and Erykah Badu, she’s been a bright spot for female MCs.
Serving as the sequel to 2013’s Dialed Up, the B-Girl Records founder is back with Dialed Up 2, which — just like the first volume — was crafted entirely on her cell phone. For this round, Camp Lo’s Geechi Suede, Zion I, Kev Brown, Prozack Turner, Fat Nice, Groove Da Moast, Rasco and Dave Ghetto all make appearances. It came together as organically as possible.
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“Various artist buddies and supporters were just down,” Bahamadia tells HipHopDX. “They liked my beat post on my social media, so I reached out and everyone featured [on Dialed Up 2] came through pronto.”
“I believe in making music with those who see the vision and connect with it,” she adds. “Creating is spiritual to me, so [making] it happen was unforced, like all things that are meant to be.”
It’s hard to believe the 12-minute mix was created so easily on a phone, but her innovative approach was entirely her idea, a testament to her unwavering artistic vision.
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“[I was] just being creative and became inspired to take a practical approach via utilizing new media tools for music making mainly because I have found an ideal space to get ideas for my work to randomly,” she says.
As she continues helming her B-Girl Records imprint, she’s also putting the finishing touches on her long-awaited fourth studio album, HERE, which is expected to arrive sometime in 2018. It would serve as her first official album since 2006’s Good Rap Music.
Bahamadia’s mission is still focused on delivering that pure boom-bap Hip Hop that she started churning out over two decades ago. At the same time, she’s intent on making more female voices heard.
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“We need to bring back balance between women and men, and authentic Hip Hop artists and entrepreneurs,” she says. “The thing is … we here!”
