New Zealand hip hop princess JessB is putting out a new EP exploring life as a woman of colour in New Zealand. Quickly making her mark on New Zealand hip-hop, JessB has already collaborated with award-winning legends SWIDT and opened for UK rapper Stormzy. She’s throwing a block party on April 6 to celebrate Bloom, and we’ve got tickets to give away –so to find out how to get on the list, RSVP here.
Raised by her adopted parents, JessB grew up in Auckland and naturally gravitated towards hip-hop from an early age. Being of Kenyan descent, she says hip-hop offered her an avenue to explore her identity in a way that felt natural – providing a cultural touchstone as a minority in New Zealand.
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Her new 7-track EP, ‘Bloom’ balances the serious with having a good time.
“I am very passionate about my role as a female artist and what I want to be saying in my songs. I think it is super important to have a balance between talking on serious issues that affect myself and other people of colour and women of colour, but I also think it is so important to remember that we also need to have fun with life and our friends who we cherish.”
The launch party will be a celebration of the local NZ hip hop scene, with an all-female lineup including a special guest performance from Ladi6, as well as Half Queen, Silva MC, Coven, The Katanagi Twins, Maka, Native B, Meet, ORIKoL and Selecta Rei.
