Monika Evans aka Hellwana is a rapper and a singer. She was born in Prague, but she spent her childhood with her family in England and her roots can be traced to the Caribbean. She started playing piano at the age of six and by the age of nine she composed her first song. Today she represents a distinct part of the local rap scene, most often being labeled grime, even though she can flow through different styles with ease and self-confidence. She released her debut EP Sunbeam in 2017 and a year after that she won Czeching, the music export project of Radio Wave, where she got the opportunity to record her album Phases. Hellwana was the supporting act for American rappers Akua Naru and Sa-Roc on their Prague shows. Currently she is collaborating with the Bigg Boss label and she is working on a new album. What is the process of recording like? How is her creative process developing? How is she able to incorporate personal and sometimes painful topics into her music? Where does her interest in design, the subject of her studies, meet with her music career? What is expected of young women artists and what is the role of social networks in the life of women in music?

Just like Hellwana, rapper, singer and producer Jemah lives in Prague. So far she has released solo singles as well as a couple of music videos. Before the pandemic of Covid-19 you could see her live with rapper Dollar Prync or performing at the last Prague Pride event. Most often Jemah is collaborating with Slovak rapper Kubowelly, recently they released an encouraging single “Ake by to bolo” / “What it would be like”. She is also frequently rapping in English. In her music you can hear elements of G-funk, grime, trap, as well as the legacy of R&B legends, the singer Aaliyah, or the socially conscious rap of Tupac Shakur. She has been singing and rapping since her childhood. What topics are important for her? How does she approach improving her rap skills? Does she find any parallels between the experiences expressed in the lyrics of Afro-American rappers and the experiences of Roma minority facing structural racism in the Czech Republic? And was she ever interested in the Roma music traditions? Does she find inspiration in her roots?

LIST OF REFERENCES

Hellwana – Sunbeam
Hellwana – Bff
Hellwana – Halle Berry feat. Flesh
Hellwana – Charged Gun
Hellwana – Bump N’ Grime
Hellwana – They Advise and Kill Soul

Jemah x Kubowelly – Start Up
Jemah – Night Vibes
Jemah x Kubowelly – Ake by to bolo
Jemah x Kubowelly – Fuck Y’all
Jemah – Double Life

Concept & narration: Mary C
Title music: Mary C
Translation: Anna Oravcová
Dabing: Hellwana, Jemah
Visuals: Vladyslav Afanasiev & Jan Brož

MY EMANCIPATION DON’T FIT IN YOUR EQUATION

Podcast series that maps the revolutionary and emancipatory thoughts in current music presented by Mary C and Institute of Anxiety.

Let’s explore revolutionary thoughts and strong emotions in contemporary music, that have the power to move our society. They have always been here but are very often neglected. However, there still are places where they thrive, where new provocative and strong realities emerge and where new pop music arises, along with new revolutions.

Let’s explore the process of evolution and emancipation of electronic dance music and rap.
How do artists, especially those from african diaspora, create? Is it even possible to create when the art should be an absence of fear? What can artists help us learn and unlearn and how can we become connected and free ourselves through listening? Meet the artists who produce music as well as important knowledge, bring communities together and organize a variety of initiatives. How does their emancipation diverge from the current normative equation? The title of the podcast is inspired by Lauryn Hill’s lyrics 'My emancipation don't fit your equation.' appears in her song Lost Ones.

Marie Čtveráčková aka Mary C is a curator, musician, music journalist, producer, and cofounder of ZVUK and Synth Library Prague. From 2011 to 2020 she worked at public Czech Radio Wave as the creator and host of Scéna s Mary C (The Scene with Mary C), which focused primarily on rap, its context, and its contemporary forms. As a curator and lecturer at Synth Library Prague she is currently focusing on informal music education and music technology. In 2018 she founded the collective Trigger, which aims to connect women and trans* people in electronic music. She is interested in the potential of community organizing and inspired by feminist theory as well as the knowledge of Hip Hop culture.