Rose Bent

This was a radio interview. - KBOO Community Radio

[HIP-HOP] Live hip-hop, at its worst, can feel like awful karaoke. But Rose Bent—the Portland hip-hop trio composed of MCs J-Kronic, Rose City MissChief and Lady Trinity—shatters that stereotype, along with a few others, when it hits the stage. The all-female group’s live shows involve near-constant bouncing, dancing and the occasional synchronized karate kick. When the MCs aren’t rapping or singing, they’re glowing with excitement.
“I honestly feel like we haven’t even gotten started yet,” Lady Trinity says of Rose Bent’s live show. “I don’t even want to tell you some of the things that we’re gonna be doing.” It’s a perplexing thought, considering what the group has already done: added a DJ—Zita, whom they found via the Internet and through her residency at local electronic-music hub Groove Suite—and a live band, and recorded a vibrant debut album that defies stylistic pigeonholing.
As the trio’s name would suggest, there’s a strong dose of femininity in the music on Rose Bent’s self-titled debut full-length (“Let Me Entertain” is an Auto-Tuned sex jam; “Hey Daddy” is a bit more romantic); but there are thorns here as well (“Check”—the song that warrants kung-fu moves in a live show—is a lyrically twisting and funny rap-rock battle track), and even something for the kids (closer “A New Tomorrow” ends things on a positive note).
Rose Bent’s sound is still developing, and some songs work better than others—as you’d expect from a group that’s less than a year old—but as a self-run business, the band is already quite mature, especially considering that its members, between them, juggle two kids, two college degrees and two full-time careers (in teaching and youth mentoring) while trying to navigate a male-dominated music industry. “Half the time, ‘Hey baby, I’m a producer, let’s work together’ doesn’t mean ‘I’m a producer, let’s work together,’” Jacque “J-Kronic” Dixon says of the business. “It means ‘I want to get in your pants.’”
Despite those business frustrations, Rose Bent is surfacing as one of Portland’s most promising hip-hop outfits. It’s a group versatile, talented and exciting enough to share bills with just about any group in the city and unique enough to be plucked and groomed by a national label or hot-shit producer. Only, Rose Bent is from Portland—and hip-hop outfits from this city have historically struggled. Because of this, the group half-jokes about “pulling a Bosko” (the in-demand session musician and hip-hop producer who began in the Rose City but flourished in L.A.) and skipping town. “I love my city,” Kheoshi “Lady Trinity” Taylor-Mayes says, eliciting knowing smiles from the other MCs. “But it’s tough. If you can get a head nod in Portland, you’re great. You can go anywhere and blow people away.”
But in a town with so few female voices populating the hip-hop scene, Rose Bent is a welcome presence. “That’s part of why we do what we do,” ShaRhonda “Rose City MissChief” McCauley says. “We’d like to see a lot more females out of Portland, really doing it.” And, between the group’s bombastic live shows and distinct sound, Rose Bent is bound to inspire not just other female artists, but entire audiences.
SEE IT: Rose Bent plays Backspace on Friday, Dec. 3, with King Wolverine, Rich James, Portland George, Yung Mil and Karma. 9 pm. $5. All ages. - Williamette Weekly

The first night of the 12th annual Portland Oregon Hip Hop Festival at the Someday Lounge belonged to newcomers Rose Bent.

Most of Wednesday night's dozen local acts struggled to unite the crowd, which at its peak, made the club seem full. That "How y'all doin' tonight? ...I saaaid, how ya'll doin' tonight!" trick? It wasn't working. Neither was workout tape-level energy from Lyriseez or a gorgeous and thoughtful set by Dice, who held the stage alone with a DJ, stationary mic and her powerful voice and lyrics. Liquid Anthrax refused to give up after telling the crowd they needed another drink and got hooked off stage as their time expired.

But with a live band and three female MCs with moves, Rose Bent collected most of the crowd near the stage and then proceeded to bring it. Trading and finishing each others' lines in half-yelled raps, Rose Bent startled the room into attention with more aggression than the standup bass and organ on stage suggested before the opening bars of "What Cha Doin In Here," the first track from their one-month-old self-titled debut.

The group built energy with semi-choreographed dancing and pantomimed argument on lines like "Don't be up in my face like you my father," before slowing it down on "Let Me Entertain," a full on pop song about sex delivered with humor and without hesitation. Though probably no one knew it, this was the peak of the night and it was exactly what a festival like this can be -- stolen by upstarts in a moment to be reminisced about at future editions of POH-Hop.

The crowd fractured and thinned out again during tight sets by Dubble OO and Destro with L-Pro. Just a few dozen remained for Animal Farm, who like complete pros, spared no energy and had a lot of fun trying out new material and letting the very talented DJ Wels show off a bit. By the time headliner Speaker Minds with Diezel P brought their reggae-rap stylings to the stage, it was past 1 a.m. But P was wide-eyed, intense and sweating by the second song, and with less than 17 hours until the start of the second day of the fest, many of the last standing at the first day moved with him.

POH-Hop continues tonight at Backspace with headliner Krizz Kaliko and lasts through Saturday.

-- Jason Simms - OregonLive.com

Three Portland locals, Jacque, a.k.a. J-Kronic (from left); Rose City Miss Chief; and Kheoshi, a.k.a. Lady Trinity, are on their way to making a impact in Portland’s urban music scene with their hip hop group Rose Bent.
Female trio Rose Bent will keep you movin’
Blooming in our own City of Roses backyard is the lady hip-hop trio Rose Bent, featuring musical artists Kheoshi, a.k.a. Lady Trinity; Jacque; a.k.a. J-Kronic; and Rose City Miss Chief.
Refusing to let bent-necked pasts hinder their dreams, these strong-minded and educated ladies have made it their mission to represent the silenced voices of women in hip-hop.
The three Portland locals united last February after discovering each other’s talents during various solo performances in venues around town.
With shared musical influences like Tu-pac, Kanye West, Foxy Brown, Nas, and Mary J. Blige, Rose Bent offers an alternative to the male-dominated industry, with a woman’s self respect being a significant theme for their songs.
With their energizing beats, catchy lyrics, and a party-thumping stage presence, the female rappers are celebrating their debut self-titled album, “Rose Bent.” An official release party will take place on Friday, Dec. 3 at the Backspace. Lucky listeners just scoped out the group’s new jams at the pre-listening party earlier this month at Ash Street Saloon.
“The album is very diverse…it has something for everyone,” said Jacque, “It’s fun and full of energy, it’ll get you moving and even hardcore underground hip-hop fans will enjoy dissecting some of the metaphors and lyrical word play.”
Growing up, the members of Rose Bent weathered their own troubles; losing loved ones to gang violence, teen pregnancy, friends or family going to prison, and the list goes on. Yet, like the bent rose, each woman made room to flourish, and that is also on top of devoting countless hours every week to musical collaboration, rehearsals and performances.
Rose Bent now juggles a full-time work schedule, with community advocacy, single motherhood, and personal pursuits of higher education.
Over the summer of 2010, the trio triumphed on the Northwest hip-hop scene, liberating audiences with their infectious energy and likable lyrics at numerous community events, including the Peace & Unity Fest, the Northwest Hip Hop Fest, Silence Won’t Stop the Violence jam, 2010 Oregon Summer Jam, No Soy El Army Bilingual Peace Tour, Last Thursday Alberta Street Festival, and much more.
Three ladies bring a woman’s self respect to the local hip hop scene with their group Rose Bent. Pictured are Rose City Miss Chief (from left); Jacque, a.k.a. J-Kronic; and Kheoshi, a.k.a. Lady Trinity.
Rose Bent’s hard work paid off when “Let Me Entertain,” the first sizzling single off debut album Rose Bent, scored radio time on Wild 107.5 FM with host Cool Nutz. Fans can look forward to hearing more from these beat-bouncing ladies, as Rose Bent erupts far from mundane music on stages of Portland.
“We would like to share our music with the world. We want to help bring attention to the Northwest hip-hop scene and rep’ the City of Roses,” says Jacque. And as far as the rest goes, the ladies agree: “We will have plenty of time to sleep when we die.”
You can join the Rose Bent movement by following the trio on Twitter, Facebook and Myspace. If you’re interested in having Rose Bent perform or just want to say hello, contact Rose Bent at ladiesofrosebent@gmail.com. - Portland Observer

Rose Bent, “Check”
Best played: During pre-game warm-ups
Possible objections: A little cursing, a little sex—nothing a little blurring couldn’t sort out.
Why it works: The up-and-coming Portland hip-hop trio knows how to psych up a room—I’ve seen it in a very tough room—and “Check,” a free-association battle track with a chorus of “Check/ Checkmate/ Check late/ Check, face bones break/ Jaw plate/ Hospital bed/ Bedpan/ I.V./ Ninja, just try me” is a balance of goofy and aggressive that Portland fans could get behind. - Williamette Weekly

IN A TOWN teeming with musicians and artists imported from all over the country, it is increasingly rare to come across a group completely made up of homegrown talent. Rose Bent, the female hiphop trio of Jacque (AKA J-Kronic), Lady Trinity, and Rose City Miss Chief, are proud to be the exception to that rule. All three graduated from Portland-area high schools and while they all initially started out as solo acts, the idea to unite came about after Miss Chief sought out Lady Trinity's production abilities. Trinity then approached longtime friend Jacque with the idea that working together as a team might relieve the pressures and stresses of being struggling solo artists.
In addition to collaborating with each other, the trio reached out to connect and create with other local producers including InfiniTrakz, King Wolveryne, and the Diffrence. Rose Bent's resulting self-titled debut album contains a seemingly effortless balance between radio-ready pop hits and bars of wildly inventive lyricism for the hardcore heads. Performed live, their exuberance is amplified to the next level, creating a dance party-inducing riot that is reminiscent of Lady Luck, Rah Digga, and Foxy Brown as choreographed by TLC.
All of this despite the fact that the female emcee seems to be a dying breed in the current music industry. "We don't want to be compared to other females, but to other emcees," Jacque explains. "I researched race, gender, and sex in media this last year while I was working on my master's in communication. It's really discouraging and outraging when you begin to peel back the layers of the industry and gain a deeper understanding of marketing and advertising. How women, especially in hiphop, have been systematically silenced.... It's all about the Benjamins, baby! It's affecting young people's expectations of women in everyday life and relationships as well; it's a cultural shift. We've got to bring women's voices back to hiphop! This is an important piece of Rose Bent's mission."
Mission accomplished. - The Portland Mercury