1 On 1 With Amanda Diva

Special contributor: Todd 1

After speaking with Amanda Diva for 5 minutes, one could possibly jump to the (wrong) conclusion that she is indeed a real DIVA! It is in that 6th minute that you finally start to get it though… she isn’t a “Diva”, she is just strong willed and focused. Another observation is that she is extremely intelligent (she drops alot of quotable gems throughout our convo). Before we go into the interview, let’s learn a little bit about Amanda Diva:

On the professional side, I feel like I am a jack of all trades… I came into the music business through poetry, I started out on Def Poetry Jam and I ended up on Sirius Satellite Radio with my own radio show “Breakfast at Diva’s” every morning on Hip Hop Nation for 5 years. I used to be a VJ at MTV 2 and currently I am on VH1 (Best Week Ever, Best Songs of the 90’s, etc…). In addition to that, I used to write for AllHipHop.com and I currently write for XXL.

I’m West Indian so I am used to having like 10 jobs!

On the personal side, I like to say that I am Amanda all day and a “Diva” when necessary! People always try to use the “Diva” against me and say that I am real pushy and what not but I am just a woman who works really hard and I expect to be given what I deserve. I expect people to follow through on their word and I hold you to that. If that makes me a Diva then I am like “Cool… that’s what it is then!”.

I am really a down to earth person who loves music, loves my momma, and want’s to see everyone happy!

Five Questions with Amanda Diva

1. How long have you been rapping?

It’s funny… I was a poet since college but I always loved Hip Hop! Anyone who knows me will tell you that Amanda is a Hip Hop head to the fullest! I always wanted to be on the rapping side of things because I loved music… But I couldn’t rhyme on beat! (laughter)

When you do poetry… you make up your own rhythm, but when you are rhyming you have bars! You have beats and bars… and if you can’t make it work in that bar then it ain’t gonna work! So it took alot of growth and perseverance, but if something is natural it will come to you, you just have to stick with it. Last year I went and did a poetry show and they had a house band. I hadn’t performed in a real long time but all of a sudden I was doing my poem and it was flowing like rhymes.. and I was like “By Joseph, I’ve got it!” And from that moment it clicked, 4 days later I ran into the drummer and he was like we want to be in your band. So we went into the studio and started recording, and it kind of morphed from an experiment, to an idea, to a goal to a plan. And that is where we are now… In 1 year, I feel like I have covered alot of ground. So to answer this question, technically I have been a “rapper” for a year, but ask my roommate in college.. I’ve been rapping for a long time!

2. How did you get the job at MTV?

I was doing poetry at the NuYorican Poets Cafe and Quddus (former MTV VJ) was there, and I told him “listen you are on MTV, and I need to be on MTV.. so we need to stay in touch!” and we stayed in touch for the next 2 years. Then I ran into him at a Kanye concert and he was like “oh shit, MTV 2 is hiring… I’m gonna get you an interview”. He had tried before to set up an interview, but it fell through. I guess this was the one that was meant to be because I went to the interview and within 2 weeks I had the job. When it is for you, it is for you… you know?

3.How do you feel about the state of female rap right now?

There is no state of female rap! There isn’t… and it’s not because there aren’t any female mc’s that are trying to rhyme, it’s just like folks really.. it’s just sad how small minded folks have become! And because they haven’t really seen any female MC’s crack that top spot in the recent times, they feel like it’s just not possible anymore. That’s wack because there are folks like me, Shawnna, Mystic, Nina B Jean Grae… there are a plethora of female MC’s who are just dope! But they are limited because the bigger industry doesn’t know where to put them simply because they are women.

(Bonus) Who were some of your influences coming up?

Lauren (Hill) is the reason why I started rhyming in the first place! Hands down. My first rhyme book is filled with verses like I was the 4th member of the Fugees. So I would have to say Lauren, Black Thought, Q Tip, and Nas definitely. On some music shit I would have to say The Roots & Tribe… oh and Pete Rock on the music side. I’m also a poet.. Ntozake Shange, Nikki Giovanni, and Gil Scott Heron all filter in there. Then of course there is MC Lyte and Queen Latifah.

4. What label are you signed to?

I’m not! I’m doing it myself. That is another thing because people feel like “if a label hasn’t signed you then you must not mean anything”, but i mean.. look at who the labels ARE signing. (Silence)…. and that’s my point!

(Bonus) Since you are doing this yourself, what are some of the trials and tribulations that you have endured?

After doing this… I feel like my next job could be President! Because of the amount of diplomacy that you have to learn when you are doing a project yourself is unbelievable. It’s like you are trying to organize a peace treaty with Israel and Palestine every time you get on the phone. Everybody is a personality, and we are dealing with an industry that is very male driven… so we are dealing with egos… people feel like you need to be on your knees thanking them EVEN WHEN YOU ARE PAYING THEM! It is absolutely Hillarical to me. So funny that I had to make up a word for it!

It’s difficult, but you have to keep your eyes on the prize… stay smiling and just make sure that no one tries to get you. Be honest with yourself. Some of the trials of course are the money… that’s always an issue. I guess you walk a fine line of proving yourself and explaining yourself. There is a difference. You would want to just do your shit, and people either fuck with you or they don’t. But once you get into the realm of having to explain what you are doing to people it becomes a slippery slope because you start giving people credit and credibility that really don’t deserve it. People are either going to like your stuff or not like your stuff, but once you as an artist start trying to force people to like what you do… you are setting yourself up man.

5. How would you describe your style?

A little bit of Lauren… A little bit of Kim… with a B-Girl twist.

(Bonus) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

At least 5 Grammy’s deep! I see myself as a respected artist not as a respected “Female MC”. I know that is the path that you have to take but I am more than just a rapper… I sing, I arrange my music and I have musical instincts that are far beyond just knowing what to put in a bar. I want to be respected for that and I see myself as someone who is looked to in the community as a role model… someone who says what they are going to do and does it! and it affects masses of people as opposed to just myself.

Final Words:

It only takes skin and bones to be a person, but it takes heart and soul to be an individual. Be on the look out for my trilogy of EP’s called “The Experience Trilogy”. The first one is called “Life Experience”, the 2nd is called “Love Experience”, and the final one is called “Live Experience” and that is going to be all live recordings.

My real work is just about to start. This is a marathon and not a sprint. When you are independent and you drop your album, that is when everything starts because now you have something in the market place and you have to get people to go out and buy that. 1st week sales do not matter when you are independent. When you are on a label, it is like build up, build up, build up.. then you drop… but that is when everything kind of stops. No one is really asking any questions after the first week.

I just came off of a tour with Floetry (Amanda replaced Natalie this summer), we did 21 cities with the House Of Blues and tore it down. We went from Atlanta… San Francisco… Cleveland and while we were on the road I found out that people really liked my shit, and they want (to hear) someone like me. Someone who is just a “regular chick”. I’m not from the hood, but i’m also not super conscious wearing red, black, and green every day of my life… i’m just a regular broad with a brain and they wanted my music.

Anybody out there who is an underdog and anybody out there who respects ambition… please support my project because that’s where it is coming from. It’s just coming from the idea that I believe in what I am doing, and I believe that it can change folks.. so that’s why I have to get it to them. I want people to know that there are artists that can give you music that is not just to listen to.. but also music to LIVE to. That is what you are going to get that when you listen to my “Life Experience” Ep.

Be on the look out for the Life Experience EP coming to Itunes on December 18th. Check out Amanda Diva – “Supa Woman” :