EP.1 October 16, 2024.
Grace Chia curates featuring Vel Nine, Wynne, and Sa-Roc
Inaugural episode of the series!
On this episode we team up with Hobart's one and only Edge Radio, and talk to Tasmanian rapper Grace Chia about the local hip hop scene and some artists she is enjoying from the USA.
Grace Chia
Making waves across Tasmania, Grace Chia is a multidisciplinary artist with a force to be reckoned with. Grace uses her roots in spoken word poetry to influence her hard hitting bars with a twist of soulful RnB melodies backed with old school boom-bap beats. She uses the stage as a platform to speak on political and social issues not normally discussed in mainstream hip-hop and media. Driven with her passion to inspire change Grace empowers those who feel alone and voiceless. You can expect deep-thought lyricism, soulful melodies and raw performances with her heart worn proudly on her sleeve.
Grace performs regularly at local hip-hop, queer allied and female-led gigs around Hobart's live music venues including The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Grace has supported a range of national and international hip-hop and electronic music acts including Drapht, Allday, Manaz Ill, K+Lab and Grouch in Dub and poets Alok Vaid-Menon (US), Luka Lesson and Harry Baker (UK). As well as performing, Grace organises and promotes local hip-hop gigs, open mic nights and works with interstate artists to facilitate the Tassie legs of their tours. She has recently been awarded the Young Achiever’s People’s Choice Award and was nominated for Best Live Act for the National Live Music Awards 2023.
Vel Nine
Hailing from Baldwin Hills, California, Vel Nine is a graffiti writer turned rapper who has underground hip-hop coursing through her veins based in LA. She has since released a number of albums, most recently 2020's Trophy Wife and 2022's Freakjet. Vel's down-to-earth demeanor about her life as a rapper these days owes, in part, to how unlikely the path seemed, even with growing up in a musical family where classic '90s hip-hop proved to be a ubiquitous soundtrack.
Wynne
Sina Holwerda, professionally known by her middle name, Wynne, is an emerging rapper from Portland, Oregon. Growing up in a suburb outside of Portland, she was an outcast in her community. Known for her viral freestyles, Wynne remains an independent artists, with plans to stay in Portland and shine light on the city that supports her so passionately.
Sa-Roc
Sa-Roc is arguably one of the most vibrant MCs in the world today. Her crisp articulation, fiery delivery, and her elevated and insightful lyricism has often placed her within the same conversation of some of Hip Hop’s most notable artists. In addition to her music career, Sa-Roc is a health and wellness advocate and public speaker, having led Hip Hop workshops and lectures both nationally and internationally. At a time where people all around the globe are calling for social change, Sa-Roc is an MC whose energy and conscious lyrics are here to shake up the rap game and remind us all that Hip Hop was always about giving a voice to the people.