Masia One throws a punky hip-hop reggae party — in Asia
Born in Singapore, rapper Masia One was raised in Canada and shot into the spotlight with her album Mississauga. Recently though, Masia's turned her attention to Asia and its growing exposure to hip hop and reggae.
Canada-raised MC returns to her native Southeast Asia to spread the dub gospel
Reggae has been close to ubiquitous in North America and the U.K. since the 1970s, but in Asia, these Caribbean sounds are still relatively new. When the genre started taking off in Asia over the last several years, it spawned festivals, clubs, and artists working and innovating in the style.
That's where rapper Masia One comes in. Born in Singapore, she was raised in Canada and shot into the spotlight with her album Mississauga (not to mention being the first ever female rapper to be nominated for a MuchMusic Video Award for "Best Rap Video").
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Recently though, Masia's turned her attention to Asia and its growing exposure to hip hop and reggae. So she's picked up and landed back in the East, where she's been travelling to festivals, meeting musicians, and collaborating with a culture of artists that's relatively new to her.
In this video, Masia has a ton to say about why she decided to make the voyage, and what she plans to do with the success she's already earned. And you'll also get a bit of an introduction to reggae's growing role in Asian music.
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