Psalm One
When pondering which women I’d interview for this piece, one of the first MCs that came to mind was Psalm One. In my Senior year at UIC she was gracious enough to assist my music ethnography project on women MCs in Chicago, and her insight helped me compose a project that I went on to present to several collegiate panels.
A wonderfully witty, well-respected, lovely and lyrical woman, Psalm is also one of the most aware and intelligent rappers I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Even with her legendary career as a Chicago MC, though, some people still see her as a woman rapper before they see her as just a rapper. I caught up with Psalm, and interviewed her about herself as an artist as well as herself as a woman in a male-dominated industry.
FSD: Thank you so much for taking the time to interview for Windy City Women on Fake Shore Drive. Tell me a little about yourself, how you got into music, how long you’ve been doing it, and how you remain a functioning musician.
Psalm One: My name is Psalm One aka Hologram Kizzie and I never really GOT into music. I just so happened to get into the music BUSINESS. I’ve been rapping professionally since 2006 but been rapping period since high school. My father was a writer and a musician. My mom’s a journalist. Music has always been a part of my life.
FSD: Where did Hologram Kizzie come from?
Psalm One: I used to rap under the name “Kizzie Tangents” back in the day and I called myself that because of “Kizzie” from the movie ‘Roots’. The “Tangents” I added because I always used to jump around alot of topics when I wrote. Just hungrily talking about a ton of topics. Lately, I’ve been getting back to that hunger, but I’ve been keeping to one or two topics. The “Hologram” reminds me to look toward the future, and to be very deliberate about it. So it’s an ode to the past and an ode to the future. She’s so fun to me. It’s a fun moniker to rap under.
FSD: Is rap your full-time job?
Psalm One: I remain a functioning musician through my hustle. Any good artist is a hustler. Music is my full-time job.
FSD: What “side” of Chicago do you rep?
Psalm One: South Side!
FSD: How has Chicago molded your experience as a musician?
Psalm One: Chicago is a great place to hone your skills because the competition is so nasty. If you can gain fans and respect here it’s safe to say you’ll be ok in the long run if you continue to work hard.
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One of the best articles I’ve read on FSD! Keep them coming! And Psalm One is an Amazing emcee!
Thank you, Prof. Pickle. So glad you enjoyed! Critical journalism is something I love deeply. Keep reading, ‘cuz they’ll keep coming. 🙂
Great read. I usually get bored with most music articles, but this one definitely kept my attention. Now I have some new rappers to check out! Peace
Word. Thanks for the reply, Righteous, and for reading the article! People don’t read, like REALLY read, anymore. We can all learn something new and change the way things are currently. Much love.
Great article. Great topic. Great questions and amazing person to be your first interview. Positive views and romodels are so neccesary. Especially in Chicago… Girls listen to Nicky Minaj and wanna fall in love and shake that ass ass ass ass ass. Instead of continuing education and expecting respect. Its like its easier for some to get treated as hoes bc their favorite rapper clearly calls them hoes herself. I enjoy listening to all kind of music. As long as it has great lyrics and meaning i can dig it, sadly the rappers i hear on the radio who are woman dont catch my attention much bc they sound like dudes as far as Putting woman down… Thats just dumb to me. But anywho sorry for the on and on-ness? Lol… Your article (s) catch my attention but not always able to comment! Love what you stand for and what you believe!!!!!!!