Genesis Blu

Those who know the Houston hip-hop music scene know that it's long been dominated by men — like DJ Screw, Paul Wall and Trae Tha Truth.

But as Texas Monthly wrote in October, "For perhaps the first time, there is a growing contingent of women taking over Texas's hip-hop scene."

The "blue-haired matron" of Houston hip-hop is Genesis Blu.

"Women have been here. They'll make you think that we just got here," she says. "I have big sisters in the game all around here and they've been here."

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro met her at SugarHill Recording Studios, where Genesis Blu recorded the tracks for her EP, Bluming Season.


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Genesis Blu calls herself a "raptivist," mixing hip-hop with advocacy. She says she dedicates time to "facilitating change in her community." The dual passions for politics and music started at a young age.

"I would be like 12 years old, going to a nightclub, where people are smoking and drinking. I was always a different type of kid, so my songs would be about the struggle, the political climate — even that young. And they would be like, 'Where is this little girl coming from with this stuff?' "

But when she got older, she put the music career on hold and focused on school — a lot of school. She got a bachelor's, a master's and started her doctorate. Until she had an epiphany one day — she wanted to be back in the community, writing music. She was in the middle of her dissertation.

"I literally stopped that day, put down that pen and picked up another pen and a notepad and began to write music," she says. "And I've been doing that since."

Well, it's not quite all of what she's been doing since. She's also a full time psychotherapist.

Blu works with children and families and teens "who are removed from their home due to abuse of some sort or due to their emotional disturbances," she says.

"People ask me to choose [between music and therapy] and I cannot, I love them equally," she says. "Because you're able to change lives both ways."

Genesis Blu talked more with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro about growing up in the Houston neighborhood of Greenspoint and her grandmother's influence on her life.

Interview Highlights
On the diversity of Houston and how the city is changing

The diversity is beautiful. But yes, I don't want my people left behind. So, what's happening here right now is gentrification, in the worst way. They are pushing these people out. And there's not many other options [of places] to go, because we don't have a great public transportation system, in case you haven't noticed.

It's upsetting a lot of us who have been in this community and are working in this community. And so even though I'm very happy about the diversity, what it also is doing is allowing people to come in with a bunch of money, throw money at some things, tear some things down, buy it out — and then leave the people who have been here stranded.

On her grandmother's influence and calling herself a "raptivist"

My history is that my grandmother grew up in another neighborhood in Houston as well called Acres Home[s]. So living between Greenspoint and Acres Home[s], which were rivals at the time when I was a kid by the way. So I would have to go to my grandmother's house after school if my mother couldn't be home from work.

And that was interesting because I was bullied — a lot. Because I'm too proper for the black kids and I'm not white enough for the white children, so I'm in a very awkward place. But still loving the culture of where I come from.

But my grandmother was also an activist. She was very influential in the war on drugs here in Houston. So as a little kid — I don't even know, I was little, I don't even know how I remember it — she would have me marching with her. So I get that from her.

And she passed away. But I always said that I would continue that legacy for sure, because she inspired me. - NPR

Blu Period
After giving up a career as a psychotherapy Ph.D., rapper Genesis Blu uses music as a means of healing — and protest. By Steve Jansen, Photos by Todd Spoth

It might’ve been Dr. Blu to you. But Yvette Cornish, better known to some as Houston rapper Genesis Blu, set aside her doctoral dissertation in a psychotherapy program, steering away from a life in academia and instead pursuing a dual career in hands-on counseling and music.

“I wanted to research residential treatment centers and how they can actually have a negative effect on children instead of a positive effect,” says the Greenspoint native, who boasts a head full of spiraling royal-blue hair, of her decision to end her advanced studies. “They didn’t want me to do that.” She changed course and revisited the idea of a music career, which had started in middle school, when she performed at places like AstroWorld under the stage name Jus-E.

Shortly after returning to her musical roots, Blu (the name doubles as an acronym for “Best Lyricist Undiscovered”) blossomed. In 2016, the Houston Press named her best rapper, and earlier this year, Houston-based Roologic Records released her debut EP Bluming Season. Last month, she dropped the video for the title track, which packs a potent message inside of a jamming beat. “It’s about … knowing that troubling times are going to come but you really have to hold on and stay very focused on what you’re trying to do,” says Blu, who uses her passion for and knowledge of psychotherapy to inform her music.

A licensed psychotherapist who counsels parents and teens at the Harris Center for Mental Health, the poetic musician is also a clinical director at a Baytown residential treatment center, runs her own private psychotherapy practice, and performs contract work for Child Protective Services. “I figured out that I’m an artist, intellect and a philanthropist, and that I can be all of those things,” says Blu, who also just launched a self-help podcast called Bluming Season TV.

“I can use my skills in mental health to make music that’s healing, but also fun and not lame,” she says. “It’s good music, but it has a message behind it, like hip-hop used to be.”

An example of one of her deeper, supportive messages can be heard on the song “Keep On,” which features the hook, “When the road gets long/You know you gotta stay strong/And when you’re lost at sea/Know you’re not alone.”

In addition to a new mix tape and some touring in 2018, Genesis Blu, whose absolute favorite thing to do outside of work and music is go to the movies, will continue to stick with the richly blue hair, which she says represents royalty and strength as a woman. She’ll also continue to break down people’s fears, via her socially conscious hip-hop, tackling the once-taboo issue of mental illness.

“Music,” she says, “is our best form of protest, through telling the truth and being very direct and reaching a mass of people.” - Houston CityBook

Hip hop always gets called a boys' club, but if you follow the genre closely you should realize that there's plenty of female MC's that can rock a mike like no one else. That's how you should look at Houston's Genesis Blu, like no one else. She has such a strong and uplifting stage presence that her shows almost feel like a party thrown by a motivational speaker. While she dropped her latest release this year with Bluming Season, it was her stand alone single featuring Shonnie Murrell, "Local Love" that stood out the most. Full of this old school hip hop beat and her signature mic dropping rhymes, Blu quickly proved that she could rule our city's rap scene and beyond. You can purchase music from Blu directly at her web store and when she performs around town. - Houston Press

Midway through Genesis Blu's record-release-party set, we found ourselves waiting. Pictures of famous black women — entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker, star athlete Serena Williams, trailblazing congresswoman Shirley Chisholm — cascaded across the Rockefellers ceiling. Her all-black, all-female band sat waiting patiently. Anticipation crackled as the crowd kept their phones trained on the stage. But sometimes it takes a minute for a flower to reach full bloom.

That's the driving philosophy behind Bluming Season, the latest release from the self-proclaimed "Fem C" Genesis Blu. The album germinated from a moment when life came at Genesis fast: In the fall of 2016, she tore her Achilles tendon, leaving her mostly bedridden for two months. As she put it, "everything stopped"; the injury made it both physically and mentally difficult for her to move forward. That was a tough pill to swallow for Genesis, who at the time was holding down three jobs, including the challenging work of being a licensed therapist at Harris County Health Center.

Stripped of her normal means of inspiration — nature, her vibrant social networks, even the city of Houston itself — the artist had to look inward to find the creative spark for her album. Her recovery and her creative process wandered through the stages of grief, ultimately coming to a state of acceptance that permeates her current work. "I was in pain, but I didn't want to complain," Genesis explained in an interview before her set. "People have this thought that there's a timeline," she said. "I have to finish college by this time. I have to be a musician by this time. But there is no timeline. There are no boundaries. There are no limits. You say when."

Listening to the album, it's clear that Genesis Blu is "saying when" right now. Bluming Season overflows with a sense of urgency. From the image of her as a fussing June-born infant on "Gem.N.I" to the fully bloomed woman on "Melanin Monroe," Genesis Blu demands that her personal message of perseverance be heard. The album is compassionate but makes no apologies; "Even a blind man is born with insight," she raps, one of the many bootstrapping lyrics emblematic of her project.

That message-driven work, woven together with "Golden Era" hip-hop beats, 2Pac samples and the rapper's sly country twang, gives the music a distinctively '90s flavor while still maintaining a fresh flair. It also showcases the artist's binary, "Gemini" spirit: She's positive and poetic, yet crisp and caustic, with a maturing flow that refuses to be contained by contemporary rap tropes. Bluming Season, therefore, is not just a motivational speech chopped into eight bar bits; it's a personal statement that announces the artist's arrival.

For Genesis Blu, that arrival has been hard-fought, and hard-won. For all her H-Town love, which runs so deep it inspired her catchy single "Local Love," the rapper has at times found it hard to flourish here. She attributes this to a cultural inertia in the local rap scene, one that fails to provide a platform for new voices or foster nascent talent. She also laments the sexual pressures thrust on women MCs, driving them to leave Houston or rap music in general.

Genesis Blu: Defiant Southern Empress of the Houston Hip-Hop Scene
Photo by Violeta Alvarez

"I literally get told, 'You're going to have to do something sexy, or you're not going to make it,'" Genesis said. "At the end of the day, you respect Jay Z, you respect Nas, you respect Kendrick, you respect J. Cole...why does a woman have to be expected to show her body and be very sexual?"

Trying to cultivate a music career in such barren local soil gives Genesis bite. No song flaunts this like "The Sermon," which comes for lazy, sexist hip-hop with trenchant bars:

See I bleed for hip hop - not this new sensation;
I'm castratin' the penetration of any rapper that's blatantly
disrespectful, I'm leavin' 'em tagged toe,
I'm takin' over your coast K. Dot, I'm in control
And while you're ridin' Jay's pole, I'm plannin' to take over,
I'm outcha range like a rover.

For all of her positivity, and for all of her encouragement, the rapper gives would-be haters a stern warning: "You don't want to play chicken with the head fuckin' hen."

Genesis Blu: Defiant Southern Empress of the Houston Hip-Hop Scene
Photo by Violeta Alvarez
UPCOMING EVENTS

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But that acerbic twist of the lyrical knife is less about posturing and more about Genesis Blu's careful commitment to herself. The artist navigates a musical landscape that can prune away the nerve, the ambition and the hope of even the most dedicated talent. With limited resources and support, the temptation to defy one's principles beckons with every turn.


So that's why Genesis took her time returning to the Rockefellers stage: her temporary silence was an act of defiance, a way to quietly claim herself in a world where everyone wants to lasso her body and voice. Her reappearance marked a point of rebirth; dressed in all white, head draped with the silver jeweled headpiece of a goddess, Genesis Blu emerged with her mike like an empress of the South. Her season, her time, her moment to bloom — it was finally here. - Houston Press

There is so much emphasis in music today to be “bad and bougie” while using “molly and percocets”, that many music lovers are encouraged to be unfocused and barely motivated. But lyricist Genesis Blu is a refreshing alternative to the majority.

Genesis Blu’s album release party for her newest project “Bluming Season” was an actual party! The energy throughout the Rockefellers’ 2-story venue on Washington Ave. in Houston, TX felt like a family affair as fans, friends, and media laughed, drank, and networked with each other. The event was hosted by poet Richelle Gemini and comedian Marion Stafford aka Blame the Comic. Dj SupaStar had everyone dancing with music from Beyonce to Biggie, and Slick Rick to Mystical.

The show opened with local group Rosewood Thievz who performed conscious songs like “What Happened To Freedom” and other songs like “How You Gon’ Play a G?” to name a few. With synchronized choreography and cowboy boots, the three members were definitely entertaining.

Soon after, Genesis Blu appeared along side her all-girl band, donning her signature blue hair. The main floor filled up as she graced the stage, and her energy was addictive. It’s #BlumingSeason and her spirit was in full bloom as she spit lyrics from original songs like “Keep On” that talk about not giving up.

When I get the idea of givin’ up, something keeps liftin’ me up!” -Genesis Blu

Each track is an audible affirmation to a dope ass beat. In the album’s title track, “Bluming Season” ft. Chelsea Mariah, Blu says, “Never holding back for no reason, this is my bluming season!” The audience is vibing with Blu as she addresses each end of the audience telling us to concentrate on the mission. FullSizeRender.jpg-4She goes on to say, “Nobody’s gonna stop my plans I’m headed to the promise land.” If life isn’t going the way one envisioned it at the current moment, Blu’s lyrics are like gospel by giving people hope for better days to come.

The ceiling of the venue later displayed a slideshow with different influential women of color featured. As the audience gazed at the images, we saw images of Oprah, Serena Williams, and Maya Angelou among others. Blu then introduced her song “Melanin Monroe” saying, “A wonder woman, i suggest you take notes, watch this black girl rock the boat.” The lyrics are empowering and reflective as she talks about black women having to work 10 times harder to get the same blessings. “Queen is the new black” she proclaims and, Genesis Blu is definitely a reflection of that. - Life, Lyrics and Lipstick Blog

Houston’s hip hop scene has always been one full of kings, and until now you could say that this city was in need of a queen to sit atop the genre. We’ve had plenty of queens come and go, but one who will stick around is definitely something this city needs. However, on her new track “Local Love,” Houston’s Genesis Blu proves real quick that she is the much deserved queen that this city has been longing for. Featuring Shonnie Murrell, Blu drops love for those who came before her while rapping over a beat that’s as catchy as it hits hard, proving why she could easily reign Houston’s hip hop scene sooner than later. Found exclusively here, the song showcases how strong Blu is on a mic while keeping things close to the chest on a track you’ll want to hear again and again.


The song, found on Blu’s upcoming EP Blumming Season due out on May 5, is definitely a banger. Complete with a catchy beat and a hook you can’t deny, the song could easily become a summertime jam played for years to come. The old school vibe of the backing track while the bass drops like it’s meant to thump from the back of a Cutlass while Murrell and Blu add their catchy vocals in the first verse, only made stronger by the backing vocals of the chorus. Murrell’s signature voice only adds a depth in the chorus, while Blu spits like smooth silk as she’s known for. The hook reminds you of your favorite hip hop songs from past years, but never sounds dated or out of touch. The whole track clocks in at a bit over three minutes, but it’s so slick and the song is so smooth that you should find yourself listening to it on repeat.

You can grab the single or stream it on all platforms when it drops this Friday, March 31. Until then you jam this track and look forward to the EP out May 5, while you start thinking of how you’d like to have Genesis Blu serve as the next queen of Houston hip hop. Because with tracks like this, she could easily take over the whole city, and the rest of the country as well. - David Garrick

RAPPER
Winner: Genesis Blu
Genesis Blu’s winning the Best Rapper category is what 2016 needs. Not only has the year been an ongoing funeral of music’s biggest names and a political train wreck from the start, but society is mired in an unfriendly (to put it lightly) climate, from the streets to social media. But for the first time ever, a strong, intelligent female voice is the perfect fit for our creative, diverse city, and Genesis’s win couldn’t come at a more critical time. Perhaps now more than ever we need a voice like hers — a voice of reason and reassurance and a reminder we do not have to accept change we’re uncomfortable with. Houston, meet your new rap Kween. - Houston Press

As she sits across the table in a downtown Houston high-rise, overlooking the sprawling skyline, Genesis Blu’s small stature belies the tremendous presence she brings to the stage. Adorned in blue corkscrew curls and delicate blue-framed cat-eye glasses, she is an artfully smart package. “People look at me and immediately think I sing.” She smiles wide: “No. I do not sing. I rap.”

Meeting Genesis is akin to engaging a shaman or spiritual adviser in deep discussion. She has an expressive way with words and an authentic compassion for reaching those who have been hurt or lost. Genuinely concerned with others and how words affect them, she happens to be a therapist with a private practice to boot — no surprise there.

Even with her impressive professional accolades, Genesis believes her life’s work is to reach people with a positive message, whether it’s through counseling parents and teens as clinical director at the Harris County Health Center or recording an impactful hip-hop record that strives to uplift and make a difference.

Yet the drive to create hip-hop, not climb a corporate ladder, is at her core. Genesis completed the second chapter of her Ph.D. dissertation before realizing she was chasing approval and not her passion. After receiving feedback full of red ink and rejection, she says, “I realized I was not happy. This wasn’t making me happy. So, I just stopped.”

Switching her writing from research to rap lyrics, Genesis found her calling — at least when it comes to her art. Influenced by poetry, spiritualism and the belief that hip-hop is revolutionary in nature, Genesis writes lyrics that are impetuously positive and morally conscientious. And, as we all know in the rap game, that’s not what’s celebrated or popular.

“It’s so easy to write [destructive] music and lyrics.” Genesis explains. “But I’m here to prove you can be a lyrical beast — well-spoken, well-educated, not drink or smoke and still shine a light on hip-hop.”

Houston's rap scene is not exactly known for its wholesome image — but is any town's, for that matter? In a city known for chopped and screwed rap borne from a love of sippin’ on sizzurp, it’s hard to imagine that lyrical positivity would get an artist very far, especially for a female. Genesis, who recently signed with Houston-based record label Roologic Records, is definitely in a category all her own; her next goal is a proper tour to support this fall's upcoming EP release.

Genesis Blu performing at SXSW 2016EXPAND
Genesis Blu performing at SXSW 2016
Photo by Chelsea Mariah
Upon first hearing about Genesis's talents, a close friend advised, "Careful — that woman can rap her ass off.” Watching her open for Tayana Taylor at House of Blues last month proved my confidant correct and made me realize the untapped beauty beheld within the Bayou City’s rap scene is even greater than most people realize. We are so much more than just a loop of wards and rich oil companies.

“So many people borrow from Houston’s [rap talent] and don’t give credit.” Genesis explains. “I want to change that.” It’s true that Houston still doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, the way New York and Los Angeles do. Yet neither of those cities can claim Genesis and her vision.

Apparently, Matthew Knowles agrees too. After rapping at his Artists Showcase, she was invited back the next year to perform — and she won. Winning a singles deal from Knowles, Genesis made the kind of impact few artists can only dream of in such a competitive contest. She ended up passing on Knowles’s offer, yet maintains a positive relationship from the experience. Winning only validated her passion for music and taught her what she really already knew: She can make it as a rapper — or whatever she puts her mind to.

Don't let the mean mug fool you, she's all positivity. Genesis Blu performing at House of Blues May 2016EXPAND
Don't let the mean mug fool you, she's all positivity. Genesis Blu performing at House of Blues May 2016
Photo by Scot Overholser

The Greenspoint native isn’t intimidated by the Houston rap scene, nor is she a newcomer. During her earliest years, her mother noticed Genesis’s uncanny ability to create poetry and set it to rhythm. She sought to get her noticed in the fiercely competitive music industry, about which Genesis says, laughing, “It was a mean girls club, for sure.”

By age 14, she had secured a record deal that, according to her, went “sour.” From there, Genesis poured herself into study; though school proved rewarding, she never lost her love of hip-hop, nor fire for dope lyric-writing.

Though she cites her greatest influences as Scarface, Lauryn Hill, Nas, Kendrick Lamar and Erykah Badu, Genesis is more than a conglomerate of other voices. She recalls hip-hop's mission in its formative days: to act as a voice of change, either on the mike or through her radio show, Troy Hip Hop, Tuesdays on All Real Radio.

Genesis calls herself a new “Fem C,” charging herself to create revolutionary music. And while Houston's current rap scene may not be a mean-girls club anymore, she still finds pushback.

“I believe I intimidate a lot of males and I’ve been [denied] a lot of opportunities….I don’t do cutesy rap,” she says with audible frustration. “You know, people need you to be in a box; to define you. I just want to show you can be positive, fun, make club music and your words can have value.”

Genesis Blu's schedule is currently quiet, but it won't stay that way. Follow her on Facebook for updates. - HoustonPress.com/ Kristy Loye

Over at Nightingale Room, the hip hop styles of Genesis Blu will be on full display. Blu is on the verge of dropping something insane from what I hear, and her mic skills are always worth making it out for. Fresh from an injury that’s left her sidelined, her latest drop 3Peace is definitely on point. Z’maji Glamouratti will open the 21 & up show with doors at 7 pm for the 100% FREE event. - Free Press Houston

Over at Discovery Green, you can catch the Julydoscope event which will feature live dance, spoken word from Natasha Carrizosa, and a live set from Houston rapper Genesis Blu. Genesis might be one of the strongest performers in the Houston rap scene right now, she just dropped an EP called 3Peace, and she’s already working on a dope follow-up. A screening of the film “Sonita” will cap off the all ages evening that gets going at 7 pm and is 100% FREE. - David Garrick/Free Press Houston

Live Performance
I caught Genesis B.L.U. supporting Teyana Taylor at House of Blues a few weeks back. Her style was sharp, witty and fierce — the woman had no problem rapping solo onstage in front of hundreds of fans and even winning them over to her performance. She interacted with the fans and even dropped serious wisdom from a woman who knows how to deliver a message worth hearing. Duly impressed, I had the opportunity to meet her in the Foundation Room at the show, and was in awe that such fire came in a smart, tiny package who was not only warm and well-spoken but a delight as a person. Catch her next gig dropping more fire May 31 at the Nightingale Room (7 p.m.). KRISTY LOYE - Houston Press

He’s gonna’ have to go harder than usual when he goes on after the highly energetic set from Houston’s Genesis Blu. I feel like if you miss her set then you’ve done yourself a disservice. Genesis can rock a mic better than most male MC’s and her live show is on point. Her latest release, 3Peace, from this year shows that she’s ahead of most in the rap game. The all ages show gets going around 9:30 pm and it’s 100% FREE. Side note, be careful where you park, which is my way of saying that you should just pay to park to be safe. - David Garrick - Free Press Houston

Once we rolled out for the day, we made our way to Cherrywood Coffeehouse (love!) for our friend Kristen Ford's CatvsOwl showcase. We showed up right before Genesis Blu went on, I grabbed some food thinking I was just going to be a spectator. I almost accidentally left my BLT for the birds (oh, God, THE BIRDS) because she was absolutely killing it! - Amber Nichole Thiessen

Walter’s will be hosting what’s being called The Joint Show. The stage will be split by two performers creating split sets between the two in a completely different environment for a show. The evening is headlined by Moongun + Nikkhoo, the project between Josiah Gabriel & Perseph One. There will also be a one off set from black kite + Pitter Patter, Black Lodge + Kose, and Genesis Blu + Columbo. I’ve seen the bulk of these acts so I can attest the strength behind the Moongun & Nikkhoo set, the power behind the black kite & Pitter Patter set, and the crazy mic skills behind the Genesis Blu & Columbo set. I know Kose is high energy, but I’ve never seen Black Lodge before. The show will also feature a performance with the BetaMax crew + Ghost Dinosaur. There’s also a contest to give away prizes on the all ages show with doors at 8:00 and tickets between $8.00 & $12.00. - DAVID GARRICK - FREE PRESS HOUSTON

You ever get the feeling you're watching a re-run when you think something is brand new? That's how it has felt for the past eight months watching the unrest and uproar from Ferguson to Staten Island to Baltimore. Names change, hashtags change; the sentiment, however, doesn't.


Last summer, mass protests were sparked in Houston after a grand jury in Ferguson, Mo. refused to indict officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown. "Hands Up Houston" was the official rallying cry. Black, green and red, the colors of the Pan-African flag, were the secondary symbol. Loud, vociferous citizens young and old were the primary marchers.

Now Genesis Blu, a local female rapper who is starting to gain her own footing, has helped start a movement known as #StillDreamin. The initiative even prompted Mayor Annise Parker to respond by declaring April 24 as '"Still Dreamin" Day" in the City of Houston. It may have flown under the radar since it's about a social cause and not a celebrity, but the message was clear: the city's youth are not apathetic towards social change, especially if the society they dreamed about as kids has not yet become a reality.

Recently Blu teamed up with 11 other rappers for "Stop Killing Us," echoing the similar sentiments of J.Cole last August. Among the multiple images that float throughout the video are riots in Ferguson, an American flag upside down, jailed revolutionaries and each MC in a black hoodie, preaching the same message while discussing how little past differs from the present.

The video is dedicated to Jordan Baker, a Houston man who was killed last December by a HPD officer. Baker was unarmed and the officer was not indicted in his death.

"I'm just gonna leave this right here," Blu wrote in a post on her Google+ page. "SMH America. #FreddieGray #WalterScott and a million more."

You can see the "Stop Killing Us" video for yourself and follow along as Blu and her army of like-minded individuals protest in their own way -- through song. - BRANDON CALDWELL - HOUSTON PRESS

Sunday over at Notsuoh, they’ll have a show you shouldn’t miss with The Creative Set. The show, headlined by Houston hip hop duo Dirty & Nasty is definitely a must attend one. Dirty & Nasty bring a mix of old school, new school, and gangsta rap to their set. And their recently dropped album, “Sons Of The Queen” is one you shouldn’t skip over. Another hip hop artist who mixes the vibe of MC Lyte with her own swag, Genesis Blu will also be on the bill. Blu has been dropping singles all over her Soundcloud, and you can learn a lot from how to rock a mic from the tunes she makes. Mr. Hicks will also be there to add his blend of hip hop to the show. eDas The Soul Star will host the entire evening with doors at 8:00 and a TBA cover. - DAVID GARRICK

GENESIS BLU, WINNER OF THE 2014 MATTHEW KNOWLES AWARD, IS SHOWING THE HIP HOP COMMUNITY HOW IT'S DONE BY BRINGING HONESTY TO HER MUSIC! - TOPE ELETU-ODIBO