Genesis Be

A rapper draped herself in a Confederate battle flag and hung a noose around her neck during a performance to protest Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant's proclamation of April as Confederate Heritage Month.

Genesis Be grew up in Biloxi, Mississippi, and she said her April 26 performance was at a music venue called SOB's in New York.

The 27-year-old Be, who is African-American, said Thursday that Bryant's proclamation, which did not mention slavery, was a "slap in the face not only to my ancestors but everyone's ancestors who fought against the Confederacy." .... - Billboard

A Mississippi sunset is one of the most glorious sights one can witness in a lifetime. Only comparable to a Mississippi sunrise, only comparable to the metaphoric sight of God herself. Many evenings I’ve spent strolling the Biloxi beach, such an experience exceeds all words or expression. Allow me to try.

The vibrant colors sprawled across the sky seem to tell an Antebellum story followed by the sequel of systematic oppression of the Post Civil War Era. During the Summer Season the sunset cries crimson red tears, symbolizing the innocent blood that once covered Mississippi. Autumn & Winter follow, engulfing the sky in a hue of mahogany striped with hints of periwinkle. These contemporary shades coincide with an ongoing struggle that still plagues Mississippi and arguably, the entire United States.



This is a struggle that will continue far after every soldier has fallen, after every treaty has been signed…then ignored, after all levees break, after all descendants are killed, after fate decides who is coward & who is King. This struggle will continue as long as there are people who conceal truth, spew lies, manipulate the youth, oppress the weak, lead astray the blind, incarcerate in excess, or contort religious beliefs in order to gain personal wealth & status. As long as such vices remain in contrast to TRUTH, COMPASSION & FREEDOM, there will always be battle: A Spiritual Struggle.

Within the statement above the true meaning of a Mississippi sunset is revealed.

I think of my grandfather, Reverend Clyde Briggs, often. I wish I had met him in person. I think I’d understand why I am how I am…if I could just talk to him. He was a great man by all accounts. His work during the Civil Rights Movement was selfless and definitive of who he was as a man. The Jackson Free Press wrote, “Rev. Briggs had more in common with Rev. King than his push to empower African Americans, however. He was also an enemy of the white power structure that wanted to maintain the status quo.“ He died at an early age, in his early forties. It is thought that he was murdered, possibly poisoned, due to him vigorously challenging the status quo. He fought back in Klan Nation in many ways, including running a transport system that would help black citizens vote safely, reforming the education system in Franklin County, and using his Ministry to uplift and empower black youth in the community. He was even accused of helping to smuggle guns into Franklin County to help citizens arm themselves against the Klan and the Race War that was looming… later quelled by CIA efforts.

My father is much like my Grandfather in many ways, I assume. Ever the daddy’s girl, I learned most of what I know from him. He and my mother converted from Christianity to Islam before my brothers and I were born, so we grew up reading both the Quran and the Gospel. We are always taught that we could follow whatever religion we preferred, or be non-religious altogether if that was our choice. FREE WILL was the theme of my childhood. I was raised in a household where finding my own truth was highly encourage. I remember coming home from my first day of school and my dad asked me what I learned. After telling him, he replied, “How do you know that is true? Just because your teacher told you that? Did you check at least five sources?” Imagine being a 5 year old and someone asking you that… This should give you an idea of my mindset as a child. Another extremely inspirational figure in my life is my mother, Lisa. She is my biggest fan and has invested in me financially & emotionally since the very beginning. She’s a special lady and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her support & strength.



I found my voice at an early age. I had always written poems for as long as I can recall. I remember getting in trouble in class during Elementary school because my teachers were sure I was plagiarizing my work. They didn’t believe that I was capable of writing some of the creative stories or poems I’d turn in. When they found out I did not plagiarize anything, I was given an IQ test, taken out of regular classes and relocated to an entirely different school for creatively gifted students. I rode the short bus with mentally disabled kids, as they put the “creatively advanced” kids on the same bus as the “mentally feeble” children. It was an interesting experience that forever shaped how I’d view those who are “different” from myself or those who think and behave outside of the norm. Some of my most enlightening conversations were with those children.

I began turning the poems I had written during that period of my life into raps after hearing “2pacalypse Now”. I dropped my first mixtape when I was 16 years old and a popular radio dj at WJZD named Tabari started playing my tracks. I got known in my hometown very quickly after that. I played large crowds, opened for famous acts that would pass through (Ying Yang Twins, Trillville, 8Ball & MJG) and was selling units out of my hooptie I bought from working full time at Subway. Those were good times. And then Hurricane Katrina hit.



My account of Hurricane Katrina is a devastating yet resilient one. I honestly don’t want to get into it here, as it would take a 90 page memoir to express what we went through that night and the coming months… Still going through it actually. Just know that my family and I rode out the storm and stayed in the area to help rebuild.

It was a year or so after the storm when I applied to The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, with a push from my mentor and studio engineer Ken Leonard. I moved to New York in 2007 to attend the school and it has been a whirlwind experience. During my NYU years I won a highly coveted and highly competitive scholarship from The Catherine B. Reynolds Program for Social Entrepreneurs. Here I was introduced to a cohort of great minds and spirits that would challenge and help mold my approach to my music and my artistic brand all together.

Five albums later, I’m here to introduce my latest project “Poli Trap | The Escape Tape” to the World. This is the most significant piece of art by far, in my opinion. Poli Trap is a play off of words from the phrase Poli Sci. I was introduced to that term while studying at NYU. So in short, it is POLITICAL TRAP MUSIC.



I hope “Poli Trap” can inspire people to escape the “trap”, not just referring to the drug game but also those social restraints and institutions that keep us stagnant... that keep us uninspired, caught in a constant cycle of profit, prisons, pushing & Patriarchy. I want the fans of trap music, my intended audience, to take something away from my lyrics. I want them to hear what I am saying, and process this idea of elevating above these corrupt law makers, politicians, preachers and rappers who want to keep us trapped in this detrimental mentality and behavior just so THEY can profit off our ignorance. Growing up in Biloxi, Mississippi and witnessing the poverty there, surviving Katrina and eventually moving to Brownsville, East New York and seeing the same ills in that community that I witnessed back home... It helped me find a voice; a story that is of the People.

Overall, I want to make my people proud, my family proud and Mississippi proud.

That’s all I have to say.

Genesis Be - Papercut Magazine

The early days of hip-hop were filled with creative story tellers. The story tellers, affectionately called MCs, used lyrics, beats, inspiration, and creativity to allow images of social injustice to prevail through the sound of a dope beat. We danced and rapped along with the MC as they shared our stories in a way that seemed to speak directly to us. It was ours. It was fresh. It was genuine. It was real hip-hop.

Genesis BeA self-professed “country girl but trained in Brooklyn” Genesis Be is SoulTrain.com’s latest feature. The first song I heard from Genesis Be was a “Brownsville Tale,” which pays homage to the Lost Boys’ song “Renee.” As a former social worker turned writer, the undeniable storytelling held me captive. Through her music, Genesis Be wove a complex story of woman with great aspirations in a problem-filled society, and touched on subject matters that are taboo in the black community. A clear indication of the depth of her talent, that one song has the power to resonate with millions and generate some much needed discussion around self-love and the sometimes fatal outcomes of societal pressures. Somewhere in between enjoying the original beat and diligently listening to hear how the story would end, I became a fan. Genesis Be is something rare.

Providing a socially conscious message while creating enjoyable music is a challenge many vets in the industry have yet to master. However, Genesis Be creates music that slips in thought-provoking messages with just enough edge to make you double take and at times grab your fake pearls. Her music is unapologetic and unwavering. Genesis Be demonstrates this skill in her 7th full-length release Poli Trap: The Escape Tape.

Genesis Be is an artist with a feel that reminds me of the early days of hip-hop. She’s fresh. She’s genuine. She’s ours. She’s real hip-hop. She’s “who’s next.”

—Shanita Hubbard - Soultrain

See URL - The Grio

A Mississippi-raised musician says she received death threats after staging a bold onstage demonstration against the Magnolia State’s new “Confederate Heritage Month.”

Hip-hop artist Genesis Be, who now lives in Brooklyn, hung a rebel flag and noose around her neck at S.O.B.'s (Sounds of Brazil) in SoHo April 26 while performing her track “Young Brown Fly,” a protest of mass incarceration of people of color.

“After the performance, I pulled out a lighter and the crowd asked me to burn the flag,” Be told the Daily News on Thursday. “I just threw it into the crowd and told them to rip it up for me, which they did.” - NY DailyNews

me: what inspires you?
Genesis Be: The female rappers who are sexually exploited either by the industry or by themselves are my biggest inspiration. They drive me to be as successful as possible, so little girls and boys don’t feel like all women have to be over sexualized and over glamorized. I want to be living proof (Lauryn Hill is living proof) that female producers and lyricists can be commercially successful and lucrative without degrading themselves or their daughters and without misleading young men and boys into thinking they have to treat women like sex objects instead of queens to be considered a man. The female rappers who base their image and success around sex, cars, and money are pretty much what the record labels have been promoting the most. Little girls of all ages and races hear these songs all day on the radio without hearing other female rappers who are talking about the “real” instead of the “fake.” I just want to be an alternative because not all women are the same.
- We So Fresh

The young lyricist promoted the mix tape by sneaking into clubs and battling local male rappers. Her name began to be known around the Gulf Coast area and after getting radio spins for a song called “Why?” the young artist decided to record her first album with original music and titled it, 17 in America. The single, “Why?” was a powerful social commentary performed over the instrumental of 50-Cent’s “Many Men.” - Independent Media Magazine

"Genesis Be’s Mississippi roots are apparent in her music but her take on the club vibe definitely has some NYC mixed in now. Her rhymes are biting and so socially conscious. When this girl has something to say, people will be sure to listen" - Project 30 In 30

"She performs regularly at local clubs, has released three original albums over the last four years, and back home in Mississippi has opened for popular southern rap artists 8-Ball & MJG, Trillville, the Ying Yang Twins and Lil' Webbie." - Washington Square News

"Undoubtedly, Genesis has an entrepreneurial spirit, passion, and strength of character that few others can claim. She serves as proof that a student with few resources and a creative mind can turn their talents into not only a lucrative profession, but also one that serves their community." - Maximus Magazine

"I had come to see [fellow NYU rapper] Nyle, and I was really amazed by Genesis' performance when she took the stage," - Washington Square News

"Hailing from Mississippi, she has a unique story that spans from her family combating ruthless racism in the South to becoming one of the most popular artists at New York University’s Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music." - Zora And Alice Magazine