my temecula boys, deon mario hairston and milton, with my silverlake boys, guitarist goffrey moore and bassist steve aka thundercat
Influences
GOD, my mom and amazing family, anything bill withers ever breathed on! if he blew his nose in a napkin, i'd find some beauty in it... nina simone, marlena shaw, wowzers!!!! omar, nona hendrix, minnie ripperton, EW & F, karen carpenter, the carpenters, sweet honey in the rock, quincy jones, gill scott herring, aretha (early stuff, sorry rere), debbie allen, n'dea davenport, jackson 5, gypsies, roy ayers, alvin ailey, the eagles (not the football team, sorry philly), garth fagan, judith jamieson, will.i. am, stevie wonder, npr radio, broadway(de du du du de du du, "i won't stop till i'm a star"), forgiveness, a tribe called quest, even Q-tips solo shit...prince, cameo, sade, grace jones, the scent of a man... fleetwood mack, diana ross, ike and tina, stevie, rufus and chaka, the doobie brothers, pain, the clark sisters, slum village, revolutionaries, jezebel, solomon, ecclesiastes, my brother on drums and cousin on bass pretending to be deep purple and jimi hendrix, mahalia jackson, proverbs, isaiah 54:17, rosetta tharpe, the color purple, a sale at barney's, switch, the pretenders, stevie nicks, pharoah sanders, switch, innerpol, skunk anansie or anything with skin and the brand new heavies.
Sounds Like
grace jones and bill withers had a kid...I am embracing "real R & B" again with broken beat collabs from some of the UK's finest like bugz in the attic, 4hero and spacek. state side partners Dj Dummy(common's dj) for them cats, sa-ra, and thayod (tha alcoholics and early exibit) round out the body of this defining work. I even get on the drum machine on "Nutshell" and engineered the majority of the record.
Who is Pharaoh's Daughter? in 2000, I was in Amsterdam with the Peas on one of our many tours. Once the show was over a young North African kid approached me and asked me what ethnicity I was. I knelt down and told him I was "a black girl from upstate NY", a very simple response from a very simple girl at the time. He insisted I, possesed this regal quality and was a modern day Pharaoh's Daughter. That my character would be challenged in a way that would define my path. The whole "many are called few are chosen" thing. This test would be humbling and borderline debilitating, but I would really get to the core of who I was. Without this lesson, I'd just be getting by. I know, I thought the same thing, tight game young man, but you’re putting a lil too much on it. I'd been given prophecies my whole life. Yes yes ya'll, the Black Pentacostal church and a month in India, folks will have something said. My response was that could apply to anyone, but he insisted it was mine and I would have to wait it out. He dropped that in my lap and walked away. I looked for him so he could elaborate plus quietly, i was moded, but he was no where to be found. I was like, this guy! The rest of that tour I couldn't get it out of my head. I got back to the states and I did t-shirts and press for a minute with that tag, Pharaohs Daughter. Billboard magazine did a piece on it and I was on Garth Trinidad's Chocolate City, it was all very cute. Then it faded, I quit the peas, started writing diss records and I just didn't want the responsibility of this "daughter" girl. I mean, she saved Moses and I’m cussing like Della Reese in Harlem Nights. In the next 5 years I was like a Tasmanian devil (well a fly one with Stella McCartney pumps and better hair) taking liberties with press and really defining me outside of the minstrel show I helped create. At the top of 2005, I really needed to make sense of some inevitable changes that really had me demanding some answers from GOD. I found an old t-shirt w/ Pharaoh's Daughter on it and went to the book of Exodus to see what this connection was. To see what this kid who I’ll probably never see again felt so impressed to share with me. After being blown away and floored at how at that very moment, my life was parallel to this story, I understood why I wasn't so simple after all. No, there were no babies floating down a river in South Central whose lives I spared, but symbolically, this was what I was living. I was certain this is what he was talking about more than 5 years ago. I felt like as a story teller, someone wrote this story for me. Several people can thank that young man and that woman for the wealth of that story. Basically, mofos really could have been dead and I could be on myspace from prison. What I know now is that your real purpose will be manifested, even when you are your own roadblock. This is the most honest work I’ve ever presented and by far the most important way I've used my voice. A voice that was faint at best for the past 2 years, which is what happens when you forget who the *&*! you are. Now that I have gotten back all the pieces of myself that were out on loan, I’m ready to jump and know the net will just, appear. On this record I tell on myself knowing the same bar I raise will be my hurdle next time around. "Pharaoh's Daughter" is other, period. My life is about the risks, pie on my face and all. It will hit Japan in feb. 07' and will follow stateside in late spring. Look for "Right Now", the video for the first single directed by the down for the cause, way before her time darling Nzingha Stewart round about spring 07'. Did I mention all of this will go down on my label, One bRave inDian records?
Kizzy Kizz, what it iz?! I was telling Ms. Blackwell we need to posse up. I say we fire up the grill. She suggested an inflatable pool. What you got on it?
Dear kim What's going on? Keep in touch. peace -- THDM-1001(CD/Album) OKADA TAXI / The Starting Point -Physical Edition- out on 14th Jun 2008 ¥2,200 (tax include)
Greetingz Queen Kim!! I ain't seent cha since Joy & Kieth's wedding...lol! Your muzik is STILL tha BOMB!! Guuuuuuuuuurl, I gotta get the CD when it comes out! Stay Beautiful and Fabulous like the Super-Model that u are! ~Sy.
WHAT UP MS HILL???? I WANT TO SAY, THAT I LOVE YOUR SOUND AND MUSICAL FLOWING PRESENCE... I HATE THAT THESE FOOLS DOWN HERE NOT UP ON YOUR SOULFUL GIFT, CAUSE I CAN'T COP ANY TRACKS ON U DOWN IN THE DIRTY, BUT I'LL NEVER STOP UNTIL I GET ALL YOUR WORKS OUTSIDE OF THOSE SNAP PEAS... LOVING YOUR SOUND ALWAYS... SPIN
Hi Kim!!! How are you!! Just want to say, I love your new song PLAIN JANE!! It's the perfect song for me to hear right now :) I got Presto's new CD and was so happy to see you did a track w/ him!!! Hope all is well and look forward to seeing you perform again!!I spin June 7th at E. 3rd in LA for a women's benefit, hope you can go!!
all love.. i thought i saw you last night but it was so packed and could not make my way to you and be all up on your jock :( anyways, much love and mass respect.. lite. ant. valadez
