MUSIC. ART. CULTURE. LIFE. With a Dose of Soul
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VOCALIST. LYRICIST. POET. THEATRE ARTIST.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I AM​
Rahnda rizing; radiating rhythmically
Around these here streets
Holding space for my joy
Nice wit it, nostalgic, but new wit it, nourishing the need to do noteworthy deeds everyday
Daring to defy limitations
Awakening to my destiny
Radiating Rhythmically (Acrostic #2)
Written by R. Rize, Copyright 2023
This voice
Created by The Creator
Nurtured by my mama and daddy
The Holman-Foreman clan sangin sistas, prayin women from way back when
that could pull you in,
make you rock, cry, get you back together again....real quick
move you to the core
Those voices are a part of me
They live in me
They are my first taste of the beauty of Blackness!
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Then I went deeper and discovered.....
I am the dance of Dunham, the Jazz of Sarah, the gospel of Mahalia, the pen of Sonia, the soul of Aretha, the funk of Chaka, and the R&B and Hip Hop Soul of Mary. Educated in the halls of Wonder, Gaye and Hathaway
I am rooted in this here throat
Rooted in this here tongue that has projected and carried the melodies of my mother’s wisdom
I am rooted in these here hands that have cultivated and carved out dreams, and destinies as far as the eye can see
I am rooted in these here feet that have carried me through many moons and lifetimes
Rooted in the Gospel of the Black church, The Blues, Jazz, Bebop, Motown, to Classic Hip Hop, Soul to the NeoSoul & back again
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But aint nothin new here....
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Rooted in this here culture that runs deeply through my veins; it be the heartbeat of my art-making. My art is intersectional bringing together the sacred and the secular, the mainstream and the underground, the popular and the unpopular, the classic and the new age. In the words of Frankie Beverly & Maze my art is a combination of “joy and pain”. In the words of the prolific artist Bilal, my art is a combination of “beauty and ugliness”, and in the words of the High Priestess of Soul, queen Nina Simone, my art aims to “reflect the times”. My work focuses on Black representation, Black unity, Black love, Black empowerment, and Black joy serving as a call to action for the healing, wellness, liberation and progress for my people, while offering moments for self-reflection. My mission is to address, confront and dismantle the historical traumas that Black women, and Black people as a whole have endured for generations in this so-called land of the free, countering those narratives by uplifting and affirming the beauty of who we are. This art is a love letter to my people; an exploration of what it means to be Black living in America, but more specifically what it means to be Black and woman living in America. My art practice is rooted in the Black experience giving voice to our stories, our swag, our aesthetic, our truths, our brilliance.
This art be
The joy within me
The love within me
The fire within me
The echoes of ancestral epic memory & community
Soulfulness
Reciprocity
Hope
Faith
Strength
Safety
Vulnerability
The power of feminine energy
Moving
A deep diving
drenched in the fullness of spirit
Like being near something holy
It be like water
It be like the wind
It be like takin you to chuch!
A thunderous roar like the power of Ogun
yet gentle and nourishing as in the power of Oshun
It be the power of the voice
A meditation
Healing through sound
Energy & Stillness
Like rising from the ashes
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​Rooted and ready
Rooted and reassured
​Rooted remembering why I started
Rooted taking my rightful place
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A Soul Siren shaping sound, defining rhythm w/a touch of blues. WordsMelodiesMovement in all hues.
I AM
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