Hanifah Walidah
Also known asShä-Key, Mizz Walidah
BornNew York
GenresHip-hop, spoken word
Occupation(s)Rapper, singer, poet, actress
Instrument(s)Voice

Hanifah Walidah is an American poet, rapper, singer, actress, playwright, educator and LGBT activist.[1][2] Throughout her career, she has collaborated with artists like The Vibe Khameleons, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Alexkid, Mike Ladd, St.Lo, and Antipop Consortium.

Biography

Walidah was born in New York City and raised in Yonkers. At the start of her career, she joined the group Brooklyn Funk Essentials during the 1990s under the stage name Shä-Key.[3] In 1994, Shä-Key released her debut album, A Head Nädda’s Journey To Adidi Skizm (produced by Earl Blaize), mixing experimental hip-hop, soul and beatbox (featuring Rahzel who became a member of The Roots).[4]

In 2004, her one-woman play, Black Folks' Guide to Queer Folks: Your Neighborhood Inside Out, about homophobia in the black community, opened Boston's Out on the Edge, an LGBT theatre festival.[5][6] A review in the Boston Globe described it as a "virtual master class in just how witty and moving theater can be".[6]

In 2005, the song "Pick It Up" (performed by Alexkid and composed by Stefane Goldman, Alexis Mauri and Hanifah Walidah) was included in the compilation 24 Hours in Paris.[7] In 2007, she joined the French electro group St-Lô.[8]

In 2009, she co-directed an incidental documentary titled U People during the filming of the music video for the song "Make a Move".[1] The 'rockumentary' explores ethnicity, race, and gender in black queer women's communities.[9] It won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Paris International Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival in 2009 and was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary in 2010. It became the first LGBT film to be screened at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis in 2009, "a real highlight" for Walidah.[10]

In 2012, her group St-Lô performed at the TransMusicales Festival. Stéphane Davet of the newspaper Le Monde wrote, "The beautiful story of a trio from Lorient crossing paths with the poet and singer from New York, Hanifah Walidah (...) Between the roughness of blues, the spirit of politicized rap, and the depth of soul, Miss Walidah's singing shines all the more as her energy as a performer radiates the stage".[11] At the end of 2012, the group released its first album, Room 415, which was well-received by critics.

Walidah has called herself an "androgynous female",[12] asking to be called "Mizz" Walidah, depending on her mood.[1] She is featured in the documentary film Black/Womyn: Conversations with Lesbians of African Descent (2008), directed by Tiona McClodden.[13]

Discography

  • A Head Nädda's Journey to Adidi Skizm
  • Adidi - The Unrocked Story (with Earl Blaize)
  • Once Upon It Is
  • Room 415 (with St.Lo)

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Hanifah Walidah passe par St-Lô". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2015-10-07. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  2. ↑ "Hanifah Walidah". LPR. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  3. ↑ "Brooklyn Funk Essentials | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  4. ↑ Noze, Dirt. "Shä-key - A Head Nädda's Journey To Adidi Skizm". www.foxylounge.com (in French). Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  5. ↑ Reed, James (2004-09-23). "On the down low, and every which way". The Boston Globe. p. 160. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  6. 1 2 Garvey, Thomas (2004-10-02). "Hip-hop artist's 'Guide' stands out". The Boston Globe. p. 34. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  7. ↑ 24 Hours in Paris - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-06-12
  8. ↑ KissKissBankBank. "St.Lô". KissKissBankBank (in French). Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  9. ↑ "U People Film Screening and Talkback with Director Hanifah Walidah". Africana Studies. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  10. ↑ Snorton, C. Riley (2013-08-14). "LGBTQ Film Feature: "U People" Fifth Anniversary Interview with Hanifah Walidah – The Feminist Wire". Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  11. ↑ "Des groupes français décomplexés transfigurent les Transmusicales". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  12. ↑ "Hanifah Walidah: «Il faut plus de visibilité pour les personnes LGBT de couleur»". KOMITID (in French). 2015-08-13. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  13. ↑ Anderson, Tre'vell (2019-02-28). "11 Documentaries To Celebrate Black LGBTQ+ History Beyond February". Out. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
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