Tiye Phoenix Speaks Out
By: Lyle Hickman
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Entertainment
"I wasn't going to go, but I'm glad I did," said Rogena Navarin, a 22-year-old psychology major from Asbury Park, New Jersey. "I loved her; she's really multi-talented, from singing to rapping and singing again," Navarin said referring to Phoenix.
"When people are inspired by the spoken word, it is almost orgasmic," Phoenix said about the event.
Phoenix, an emcee and graduate of the University of Maryland College Park, prefers performing at intuitive collegiate atmospheres as opposed to standing-room-only club venues.
"In universities, crowds are so attentive. In concerts there's Blackberries going off and smoke in the air…You can have their attention but there are other distractions," Phoenix said, "In college environments, everyone knows how to give you 100 percent of their attention."
As the feature, Phoenix performed three songs off of her upcoming album Half Woman Half Amazing slated to be released on Babygrande Records this spring. She began with the didactic "Master Plan," which urges submission to the flow of the universe and that which is uncontrollable. "The piece touched me because I'm going through that, learning how to not try to control every aspect of my life and just let things go," said Melissa Gutzmore, a 22-year-old business management major from Neptune, New Jersey.
The second song "The Award" critiques the removal of the best female hip hop artist category from most major music awards. "She brought it back to the true essence of hip hop and she's a breath of fresh air for hip hop. She represented for the women in hip hop as an ill intellectual," said Justin Raney, a 21-year-old senior criminal justice major from Roselle, New Jersey.
At the end of the night, Phoenix stopped the CD of her instrumentals with hopes of departing, but an ecstatic NJCU crowd cried for an encore. After considering the roaring requests from the rambunctious audience, Phoenix nodded in agreement.
Phoenix grabbed the mic, urged students to seize their destiny, tap their infinite potential and "Go Even Harder."
"When people are inspired by the spoken word, it is almost orgasmic," Phoenix said about the event.
Phoenix, an emcee and graduate of the University of Maryland College Park, prefers performing at intuitive collegiate atmospheres as opposed to standing-room-only club venues.
"In universities, crowds are so attentive. In concerts there's Blackberries going off and smoke in the air…You can have their attention but there are other distractions," Phoenix said, "In college environments, everyone knows how to give you 100 percent of their attention."
As the feature, Phoenix performed three songs off of her upcoming album Half Woman Half Amazing slated to be released on Babygrande Records this spring. She began with the didactic "Master Plan," which urges submission to the flow of the universe and that which is uncontrollable. "The piece touched me because I'm going through that, learning how to not try to control every aspect of my life and just let things go," said Melissa Gutzmore, a 22-year-old business management major from Neptune, New Jersey.
The second song "The Award" critiques the removal of the best female hip hop artist category from most major music awards. "She brought it back to the true essence of hip hop and she's a breath of fresh air for hip hop. She represented for the women in hip hop as an ill intellectual," said Justin Raney, a 21-year-old senior criminal justice major from Roselle, New Jersey.
At the end of the night, Phoenix stopped the CD of her instrumentals with hopes of departing, but an ecstatic NJCU crowd cried for an encore. After considering the roaring requests from the rambunctious audience, Phoenix nodded in agreement.
Phoenix grabbed the mic, urged students to seize their destiny, tap their infinite potential and "Go Even Harder."
Be the first to comment on this story