25 quotes found
"There's so much in Liberia that we’ve been through."
"From the war to domestic violence, to rape, to sex. I just can't name it all. It can even traumatise you when you just start to think about it."
"My music brings life to people. I want to celebrate people and bring them together. I also know that music can motivate people, that’s why sometimes I just dive into this humanitarian job as a musician."
"We have many problems, but I'm trying to take people’s minds off it, like forget about the problems for once and just identify the beauty you know."
"Growing up with my stepfather wasn't the perfect childhood. He was violent, especially after he had a drink. My mom and I as females didn’t have a voice in the house. It was almost like he was our boss. And you don't say anything when your boss is wrong, even when what you think is right. It was scary and at a certain point, I hated men."
"“A man will never put me in a position where I’m silent anymore. I know my worth, I know who I am and I know what I'm capable of, and besides that, we're not in a century anymore where women remain silent. In Africa, women are supposed to submit to their men once they’re married, but you need to remember that you have a voice. Women need to know their rights."
"Growing up was tough. I am a survivor of sexual violence and have struggled with my mental health, but music was my escape. The love I have for music is one of the best ways I can express my feelings and inspire others. I want to see more Liberian young women with the confidence to use music, art, and creative activism to express themselves and advocate for their rights. The scariest thing for me is that some people are doubting that we even have Covid-19."
"I want every young girl in Liberia to normalise working hard and being her own boss. Let us work towards making Liberia a better place, because I believe it is us, the women, who can do it."
"when I came in the game they were asking who’s this? But I was picking up the crown for my kingship."
"Just expect vibes. I am a person that deals with vibes. Even though I rap, I can feel like singing my soul out. It was just vibes. So people should expect vibes."
"It was in 2018 when I did a freestyle on the political climate at the time. It was 5 months into the president’s political term. I noticed that our people put a lot of attention on politics, and I wanted to do something that would grab people’s attention. The freestyle blew up."
"I didn’t choose Hipco, I chose rap. Once you rap in Liberia, they call you a Hipco rapper because we mesh Hiphop with our culture. Trapco is relatively new on the scene, and it’s nowadays that people try to differentiate between Hipco, Hip hop and Trapco, but in the end it is the same Hip hop. When my album drops, I want people to understand that I am not just a Hiphop or Hipco person because they would see a part of my versatility. I can choose to sing as well; it all depends on my vibe at the moment."
"No disrespect to anyone, but a lot of the female artistes that were at the top were rapping and singing. When I came into the game, the spot was basically for the taking and I was welcomed. I worked hard for the spot though, It was opportunity meeting preparation. I also had the energy, the consistency and most importantly, the grace."
"It was almost like the Holy Spirit was chastising me for the choice that I was taking. That manifested through sleepless nights...I can't explain the feeling. It was like my spirit was rejecting something. I knew but I was running away from it."
"I can't explain how I was feeling but I was at my lowest. And right there and then, I heard this song [by Shirley Caesar titled 'He'll Do It Again] in my mind. I have sung that song so many times but this time the words were louder."
"It went from a few sticks to a pack [of cigarette] then to two packs and it just became my addiction....I was very depressed. The feeling of not fitting into that [secular] space got me depressed."
"I broke down crying...I just realized I had had an encounter with God. I got up and I felt better."
"Throughout my career, Throughout my life, I had always known that I had a calling on my life even when I was doing secular. From a young age, I grew up in church. And both of my parents are pastors and ministers of the gospel. So I was always in the church, but it is not necessarily because I was in church that I had a calling. But then I knew it, and I can’t explain. But during that course when I made a decision to go secular, it was because I didn’t think I could handle the responsibility of being gospel. This is because I was young, and I felt I won’t be able to do it because it was too boring. And I was trying to fit especially being an only child. I felt like if I went gospel, I would be on my own with no friends."
"But during the course of my music career, there was A lot of back and forth, there was a lot of inconsistencies because I was really battling with myself and the calling. It took a lot of grace to finally come to the period of surrender. Even before I surrendered, I went through a lot of depression, addictions and periods of secluding myself. During those periods, I prayed A lot to God. I cried out a lot to God. It went from just leave me alone, God, to do what you want to do. Because I felt that every attack I was having in my music career was because I wasn’t walking in my calling"
"The Kendeja building was meant to be a symbol of Liberia’s commitment to promoting our arts and cultures. So, it is a shame to see that we no longer have such a historical site and the past government did nothing for its rebirth."
"I am saying this because we need a space where artists can come together to showcase their work and where cultural events can be held. I hope President Boakai can prioritize the reconstruction of the Kendeja building to ensure that Liberia’s arts and cultures continue to thrive."
"We cannot put a price on the value of our arts and cultures because the Kendeja building is more than just a physical structure; it is a symbol of our identity as Liberians and by rebuilding it, we are investing in the future of our country and ensuring that our cultural heritage continues to be celebrated and preserved for generations to come."
"These are very troubling things. I don’t like to sing this song, but we do because we have to take a message to the people."
"At the time, I didn’t know the word therapy. But I knew that singing to the people make them feel better."
"So when I wrote that song, everywhere I went to perform in any refugee camp people, would cry and always sit and talk. Because as you live, you cannot keep your problems to yourself."