Why make a playlist of Boston’s women rappers when you could just attend the conclusion of ArrowFest? Actually — why not live a little and do both?
The 11-day festival, which ushers Arrow Street Arts into its new home in the former Oberon space, ends its stream of music, dance, and theater events with a showcase of Boston’s leading ladies in hip-hop. Tonight (September 15) the renovated theater at 2 Arrow St. will welcome Brandie Blaze, Cakeswagg, Dutch ReBelle, kei, and Jazzmyn RED (pictured above) as the festival’s final salute to the local arts community. And anyone who’s been reading about these exceptional emcees on Vanyaland‘s digital pages knows that there’ll be quite a few new tunes on tap.
The past few months in particular have boomed with hip-hop releases, starting with the chilled-out Dutch ReBelle single “Namaste,” which followed the rapper’s feature in the Los Angeles GRAMMY Museum earlier this year. Brandie Blaze lent her bars to the play Hoops at the Strand Theatre in July and August, and folded her original compositions for the performance into last month’s mixtape SUSAN LUCCI. Cakeswagg served up a delectable 15-track meal with her recent album Michelin Star, and kei just topped off the damn string of releases with “double jimmeis,” the followup single to her June banger “hello!”
Jazzmyn RED’s most recent release is 2023’s “The Feminist,” although ArrowFest attendees will already be well-acquainted with the rapper, who led the festival’s hip-hop workshop and panel discussion this past Wednesday.
Consider all these links step-by-step instructions to put together your next great playlist; snap up tickets to tonight’s showcase below once you’ve finishing stacking the new tracks.
WOMEN OF BOSTON HIP-HOP SHOWCASE :: Sunday, September 15 at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St. in Cambridge, MA :: 6 p.m., all ages, $20 :: advance tickets
