The notion female rapper, has been something that is been haunting Hip Hop Artists who happen to be female in South Africa and the rest of the world, but they still make moves, including Tasha Hendrixx.
1. To those who do not know who Tasha is, Who is she?
Tasha HendrixX is a Multi Gifted Creative, giving Glory to God for all her talents. She's a Rapper, Singer, Qualified Sound Engineer, Producer and Video Editor. She believes in story telling as man's greatest tool to reach and touch each other's minds, hearts and spirits. This can be a gift or a curse depending how it's being used. To her it's a God given gift and she believes none of her talents belong to her. She's merely here to do her work on earth in order to fulfill God's purpose for her life.
2. When did she begin her musical journey?
Tasha started rapping at the age of 13.
Her love and passion for rap started when she heard her father DJing in the garage at her childhood home back in 2009. She went and sat on the floor just listening to him play different songs. Then Tupac - Do for Love came on. This is where the rapper and producer was birthed. The moment she heard that iconic baseline, that passionate voice... She knew it's something she wanted to do. Then she heard Notorious B.I.G and the rest is history. You know something is your calling when it's in you and you didn't have to work to earn it. She fell in love with Hip Hop after that day. Not long after, she recorded her first song with her dad's work laptop and a pair of wired earphones on a software called Mixcraft. The song sounded horrible in terms of audio quality, so she began to experiment on how to make audio sound good. Right then and there, the Sound Engineer was born. She began experimenting with Audio from age 13, from rapping to singing to engineering. It was just all unfolding at such a young age. Could never be stopped from there.
3. If she could describe her sound, how is it?
Tasha LOOOOOVES boombap. As in, LOVES IT. Her favourite Hip Hop style is the New York sound. For her it's the craft in sampling and how the rhythm of the drums and samples mash together. She studies the sound daily but not to imitate, rather to take her favourite elements and make it hers. She made her own sound by taking boombap influenced drums and basslines and combining it with R&B type keys and instrumentation. She loves using Rhodes keys, lofi type pianos, guitar samples and anything soulful mixing it with that boombap / New York influenced drums and bass. So if I could sum it up, Tasha's sound is rap elements mixed with soul elements. Which turns into music that becomes raps for the soul.
4. Which of her songs did she enjoy making and why?
I really enjoyed Modern Day Slave. I was in a very angry space about the government and the system at the time during lockdown. I remember playing those keys and immediately came up with the hook on spot, it felt so real to me. I didn't care who would think what. I just knew I wanted to say something that will last. "Lemme tell you bout the difference between a leader and a president".... The rest goes without saying. There's alot of hidden gems in that track. I felt like I found my voice there, and after that song I never lost it. I lost my vision at some point but never my voice.
Another song I enjoyed was Black or White. I genuinely felt myself letting go of every expectation people had of me. After a certain point in my career I became so focused on what the people wanna hear that I even forgot what I was called to do. So Black or White was me letting go all over again... That's why I said "This my revelation..." felt like God came to remind me why He Gifted me. And that it's not for me nor is it about me. I lost the plot at some point and when I wrote that song through the Holy Spirit, I felt myself regaining Tasha HendrixX.
5. What challenges has she been through to get to where she is?
Man... Challenges... I love challenges. They shape you. The grow you. They make you strong and wiser. I look at every challenge as an opportunity to better and be better. A challenge I've faced is not being willing to sell out my body in this industry. I'm not willing be naked and stuff like that's not how I wanna be remembered. Love to everybody doing it their own way, that's just never been mine. So with that comes knowing that you gotta work extra hard at proving yourself. People don't notice wisdom like they do sex appeal. So it's been hard for me to crack that barrier but I'm on it. They gon know Tasha HendrixX and quote her for a lifetime. I believe that.
Another challenge that comes with being a conscious artist is that not alot of people wanna hear that 'deep stuff' right now lol. I'm not for everybody. And I've accepted that tho. I've gained power in that by understanding my market and knowing that even if majority people ain't with me, the hearts and spirits I'm impacting still makes me feel alive, like I'm doing God's work and fulfilling my purpose. And once I started focusing on that, I became hungrier to please those who do love what I do than those who don't.
6. What advice can she give, to aspiring musicians that is not usually given?
God created you with a purpose. And He Gifted you according to your abilities that He instilled in you. He destined you with your own path. Do not compare yourself to ANYBODY else. Do not compare your progress to anybody else's. The moment you do that, you walk away from your God given purpose and that's not success. The world has made us think success is in riches, accomplishment, status and fame. But real success is being who God made you to be and thereby fulfilling His purpose. Please Him not People and you'll see how you just begin to be who you really were made to be. That's when your gifts will shine and your voice will be heard.
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