With hip-hop celebrating 50th years, Honey Jam recently celebrated women in hip-hop with Ladies First! A Celebration of Women in Hip-Hop.
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and where would hip-hop be without the influence and contributions of women trailblazers in the scene over the years?
On Wednesday, June 14, Honey Jam hosted their ”Ladies First! A Celebration of Women in Hip Hop!” event at Artscape Daniels Launchpad to honor the legacy of women in the genre. When Honey Jam started in 1995 as a non-profit artist development program for young women, it was focused on hip-hop, providing a safe and welcoming space for women while working to combat misogyny in the culture. Since then, Honey Jam has participated in promoting and advancing the careers of many Canadian musical talents including LU KALA, TiKA the Creator and 2022 Juno Award winner Haviah Mighty.
To celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, Honey Jam welcomed a few of Canada’s hip-hop legends to the space for the panel “Let Me Take It From Here, Queen”, hosted by Keysha Freshh and moderated by DJ MelBoogie with Canada’s Queen of hip-hop Michie Mee, Samantha O’Connor and Juno Award winner Charmaine as panelists.
The panel was followed by a Hype Zone hosted by Phoenix Pagliacci featuring all four elements of hip-hop and a freestyle cypher with local female emcees and b-girls. Past Honey Jam alums and contributors to Toronto’s diverse music scene were in attendance to acknowledge and discuss the current and future state of women in hip-hop and what goes into making a successful career in music. Attendees left empowered with a revitalized perspective about the next 50 years ahead for women in hip-hop.
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