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Lady Ile’s Fresh Style
Written by Frances Stockton
Thursday, 01 March 2007
Local rap artist debuts at Diva Express With closed eyes, her head follows the beat, and her hands grip the microphone as she finds the words. “Wait, wait, take it from the top” says 22-year-old rap artist, Ile Ora, aka Lady Ile, who stands on the stage in the Coastline Brewery.
It’s a Friday night and Lady Ile is here to participate in Diva Express, a weekly showcase for female performers to shine on stage. With a smile on her face and a sassy attitude, she performs two songs. Backing her up during the chorus is her accompanist, who goes by the name Slave. Sporting an oversize belt buckle complete with dozens of fake $100 bills, he looks the part.
Slave chimes in with, “She’s hella fly, she’s hella cute,” followed by Lady Ile with confirmation, “I’m hella fly, I’m hella cute, doin’ things you women can’t do.”
Actually, she’s wrong. These ladies can do what she’s doing. That’s why they’re at the Coastline Brewery tonight. While she may be the star rapper of the evening, this showcase is dedicated to allowing women only to be in the spotlight.
But back to Lady Ile. She’s hoping to independently release a new album by this summer, “Intuition,” which will focus on women’s issues. Rapping for almost four years now, she got her start by being thrown on stage with local hip-hop group Black Business where she proved herself and made her start. After some local and Bay Area shows, Black Business disbanded with its members going in different directions, leaving Lady Ile to focus on her writing.
Something she’s done since she can remember Lady Ile admits to, “looking back on stuff I wrote when I was like 10, stuff I wouldn’t let anybody see.” The integration of her writing with music came naturally and she describes music as, “always a part of her life,” which makes sense being the daughter of local reggae DJ, Rocky Allan Bailey. Breaking her dad’s genre barrier, she says that rap sort of found her. “The best part of making a song is finding that beat that inspires you to write, or that beat that reminds you of something you’ve already written and your words flow over it like magic,” she says.
The theme of her album fits nicely with the concept of this showcase: by women and for women. The project, which was the brainchild of local DJ Gina Nivens, took over a year to manifest itself. The impetus for Diva Express was to create a space for female talent to gain stage experience and serve as a venue for artistic expression. Already a success after its first show on Jan. 26, the event has featured performances from a variety of local talent including dancers, musicians, singer/songwriters, spoken word artists and DJs.
“I’ve been a woman in the music business for a long time and it’s hard to get a foot in the door and be taken seriously,” Nivens says, about what prompted her to start this showcase. By providing equipment and creating the venue, Nivens explains that she wants to, “Support the girls in whatever way necessary to be sure they have what they need to express themselves.”
During a typical Diva Express evening, the Coastline Brewery becomes thick with catalyzing energy that reinforces the many talented women who perform there. DJ Gina keeps the night flowing by spinning hip-hop and reggae between acts.
These acts naturally include Lady Ile. Nivens wooed her longtime friend into performing at Diva Express. After mostly performing in the Bay Area, Lady Ile was ready for the local stage and laughingly says, “you don’t want to have someone come down and check you, and be like What! No one even knows you in your own town?” Also encouraged by the all-female aspect, Lady Ile goes on to say, “Especially being a rapper, I’m usually the only woman on stage, sometimes out of like 50 performers.”
Diva Express brings these women together, while also attempting to ease the male hold that some believe is on the music industry. Although saying it’d be great to, “get snatched up and get a record contract,” Lady Ile just wants to be part of the music industry in whatever way she can. Coming from a town like Santa Cruz, where people like Nivens create spaces for this kind of exposure, Lady Ile could be well on her way.
thats some sexy music bro. hey geuse who im going to class with? ok im tired of waiting... im going to class with Ali from Mr. Rags. i need your e-mail adresss to give to her. holler at me!
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gee thanks man. Ive decided to be someplace tropical next year so i don't have to live through auckland's shyte weather. it doesnt make sense for anyone to be anywhere this bleak for six months of the year
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