Serious Voice NY

NY-NY- New York female Christian Rapper Serious is gearing up to release her first official music video from her highly anticipated album SHOFAR on the nationally recognized Cable Television Show VIDEO MUSIC BOX, Friday June 26.

VIDEO MUSIC BOX, hosted by legendary VJ Ralph McDaniels, has been a staple in the hip hop music world for over 30 years. McDaniels has been lauded for breaking countless hip hop and R&B records and giving a platform to hot new talent.

Serious’ Anthem music video will air during the 2:30am broadcast on NYC-TV CHANNEL 25,22,14,18 on all cable outlets.

“I’m excited about this opportunity to show the world what they’ve been missing,” said Serious. “I had an in person meeting with Ralph McDaniels and he echoed the same sentiments, they need more of this in hip hop.”

The Anthem song will be EXCLUSIVELY available for download via SoSerious.Net on June 22nd and all other major download stations on June 26th.

Serious is an award nominated artist who has been featured in ESSENCE MAGAZINE and countless other national publications. She is also founder of the SAAB TOUR, Stilettos and a Book, and co-owner of an Internet Radio Station, Yes Hour Radio.

For radio or video servicing contact Jamesmedia4more@yahoo.com. - Yes Hour Radio

Like many kids growing up in Brooklyn, Brigitte James was going to be a rapper. It wasn’t until a spiritual calling became a spiritual journey that the Guyana-born James took the name “Serious” and is today a sought after Holy Hip Hop artist.
This summer, she is preparing to release her next mix tape, record “Shofar” her first album and perform at Higher Calling 2K12 in Brooklyn’s Herbert Von King Park, Saturday, July 28.
“My music,” she says, “speaks to those who are not necessarily found in church on Sunday morning, youths dealing with life’s tougher problems, being homeless or prostituting to survive.”
On “Set Up,” lyrics come from personal experiences, describing how her anger led to finding herself. Serious starts with the question “Have you ever been set up?” before the beat kicks in, rapping “I cried hard, so hard, sometimes I ‘member, the fuel in my fire was the struggles with the paper” putting in words the frustrations felt as a young teen, followed by the chorus “He’s setting me up for a take up.”
Her “take up” occurred at 17 years of age. On a Sunday morning, “I got up, dressed for church, sat there and began a conversation with God, simple as that” she said. Its a conversation that continues and grown stronger. Since that day, she has gone on to become a news and sports reporter, married mother of a four-year-old boy and a radio host before realizing her childhood dream, and not in the way she imagined.
Although one of her most popular songs “Light it Up” is a reggae Gospel song, Holy Hip Hop or Christian Rap has not taken hold in the Caribbean community or in New York City as it has in other regions, James finds herself performing out of town more often than not, but hopes to have an impact on local audiences.
Her set at Higher Calling 2K12 is a step in that direction. The concert showcases Urban Gospel, Christian Hip Hop, and Spoken Word artists, 25 in all, including Gauge, Prodigal Son, Leavin Stephen, Blood Coalition, 3D Remedy, The Rich Boys and more, Saturday, July 28 at 4:00 p.m. in Brooklyn’s Herbert Von King Park.
Kingdom Time Entertainment has made this an annual event, attracting 500 to 600 hundred fans from the tri-state area. This year expectations are high as Kingdom Time CEO Marcus Hall feels the time has come for Urban Gospel calling it a “growing subculture starting to break through to the main stream.”
“Shofar”, on Holywood records will be Serious’ trumpet call to reach out to new ears. She goes into the studio in Florida in August. “Sound the alarm! Let the enemy know we are at war!” is the hook, it will feature a grittier harder sound she says. As for the title, in the Old Testament, the Jews blew a shofar to send troops into battle, she explains. It originated from a dream over two years ago and is taking shape still, but the new lyrics will exhort listeners “to not let others dictate whether you pursue your dreams” but to “Blow your own horn...what ever gift God gave you.”
Serious’ first mixtape “Brooklyn Edition” (Are You Serious?) can be found on iTunes, ReverbNation, or downloaded free at:www.datpiff.com/mixtapes. - Life Newspapers, NY

Brigitte “Serious Voice” James was born in Guyana and raised in New York.

As we spoke I immediately noted her New York accent was sprinkled in a Caribbean one. Though I was asking her questions, her warmth and positive energy made me feel like I was having a conversation with a new friend rather than conducting an interview of a Christian rapper, producer, minister, public speaker and radio personality.

Before our phone conversation I listened to quite a few of her songs. Her skills and ability is a varied as her endeavors. Her single “Thirsty” is a slow tempo declaration of needing and seeking God. “How2BABaller” and “Set Up” are mid tempos tracks about recognizing the enemy’s lies, and being encouraged by the knowledge that God knows the plans he has for us. Then there’s “Stiletto Rap” which has a fast tempo and showcases her ability to rap fast, while clearly articulating every syllable.

“I wear red bottoms, but my bottom is scriptural.”

This line stood out to me because it showcases the inability to label or categorize her. She is a child of God who overcame much in her past. She personally told me that she’d experienced abuse as a child and the need to deal with her home problems was to rap. New York is the home of Hip Hop, so it’s no surprise that Serious Voice used rap as a means to express herself and cope with her family circumstances.

She divulged that artists like MC Lyte, Queen Latifah and many other popular artists of the 90s influenced her. Serious Voice told me she wasn’t even a Christian when she began rapping. I asked her how she came to know Jesus and she replied, “When I was seventeen I met God in my bedroom, not in church, in my bedroom. I felt the urge of God, at that time I didn’t know it was the Holy Spirit, but I just woke up one Sunday morning and begin speaking to God. I just said ‘God, I want to know you.’ Shortly after, I penned a song ‘I Want to Know You.’”

Her parents were shocked at her being awake, dressed and ready to go to church that morning, but I’m sure that commute to services was a joyous one. She said that she felt like she was hearing the pastor’s words for the first time.

“Now that I’m more mature in Christ.” she told me. “I realized that God had opened my ears. My heart was receptive to him; my heart wasn’t a stone anymore. I was ready to absorb the Word of God.”

Her journey of ministry began with Sunday School, and she quickly began going on mission trips. By the time she was nineteen, with God’s Word in her heart and his desires on her mind, she’d given up on rapping professionally. It was on a church mission to Johannesburg, South Africa Serious Voice decided to pursue rapping as a ministry. A minister persuaded her to perform, and the reaction from the crowd during her performance touched her heart.

Creating isn’t as easy as some would think. Though artists are passionate about what they do, it’s a lot of hard work that many don’t see. When I asked Serious Voice what her favorite aspect of creating music was, she answered, “Recording. I enjoy writing, but I enjoy recording what I’ve written even more.”

She received a degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and currently conducts her own Christian radio show. In 2008, she and her husband launched the Yes Hour show and in March 2013 in collaboration with Marketing One out of Chicago it has grown into a full fledged Christian radio station.

She told me that she played the drums in her late teenage years and early twenties, and that she’s currently trying to brush up on her keyboard skills as well. Her Caribbean culture plays into her production style and annunciation of certain words. That was evident during our conversation.

“My culture plays a large part in the music I produce. Sometimes I do produce reggae rhythmic type music. Of course it all glories Christ.”

Her advocacy for victims of abuse is another way she glories Christ. Women and Children’s ministry, specifically those who have experience abuse, are very close to her heart because of her past experiences. She speaks a couple times a year at different events on top of her music performances. She’s most excited by seeing young people growing in God. At the age of twenty she became an ordained minister.

Like many women, Serious Voice has many things she’s involved in so I had no choice but to ask how she balances it all and she answered having a supportive husband. “He’s always round, we work together on everything. But also prayer and talking to God.” She and her husband have a five-year-old son and I had the pleasure of hearing him chime into the conversation.

I asked how she relaxes because everyone needs a way to unwind and her answer had us both laughing. “I like to watch TV. I like to watch reality shows like Love and Hip Hop. I watch a lot of those. I get a kick out of it sometimes, but if they get raunchy, I turn it off.”

She really wants BLOG readers and the entire community to know about her 3rd consecutive S.A.A.B. (Stilettos And A Book) Tour, which is stopping in cities all over the country and world. This tour is rare in its focus: it targets women and seeks to uplift them. So make sure to visit her social media pages for more information;

Music: http://www.reverbnation.com/seriousvoiceofnewyork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Serious_voiceny
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThatBrooklynChick4jc
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/yeshourtv

Look for much more from Serious Voice in 2014! - Blog Magazine

NY female rapper Serious Voice has been on her musical grind for several years. During her travels to SXSW recently, she crossed paths with International Hip Hop personality and historian Sway Calloway and was invited to take part in his Live taping of a "Sway In The Morning" Cypher.

In the video, Serious Voice, decked out in her usual garb, black tie, white shirt, and bright colored jacket, is clearly the stand-out. Watch the Full Video here: https://youtu.be/kqPly73jBXE (Serious Voice At 7:09)

Serious Voice also released her debut album Shofar recently to great reviews.

Shofar is not short of great producers. Award Winning Producer Geeda lends to the Anthem track, Brooklyn based producer MooreBeats aka Lenny Moore contributes S.O.S, THIRSTY RMX, CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP, while So Fo Real takes the baton and runs with Mind Games, Product of the Street, Woah, Dance and Take It To The Altar, and up and coming producer Adam Hill gives the title track Shofar it's grittiness and just the right attitude to educate the listener on fighting the battle of life.

SHOFAR STREAM: https://play.spotify.com/album/0OTmVg8X7ff9TSMFliotus - ThisIs50.com

NY female rapper Serious Voice has been on her musical grind for several years. During her travels to SXSW recently, she crossed paths with International Hip Hop personality and historian Sway Calloway and was invited to take part in his Live taping of a "Sway In The Morning" Cypher.

In the video, Serious Voice, decked out in her usual garb, black tie, white shirt, and bright colored jacket, is clearly the stand-out.

Serious Voice also released her debut album Shofar recently to great reviews.

Shofar is not short of great producers. Award Winning Producer Geeda lends to the Anthem track, Brooklyn based producer MooreBeats aka Lenny Moore contributes S.O.S, THIRSTY RMX, CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP, while So Fo Real takes the baton and runs with Mind Games, Product of the Street, Woah, Dance and Take It To The Altar, and up and coming producer Adam Hill gives the title track Shofar it's grittiness and just the right attitude to educate the listener on fighting the battle of life.

SHOFAR STREAM: https://play.spotify.com/album/0OTmVg8X7ff9TSMFliotus - hiphopondeck.com

Serious Voice calls in to talk with Wade-O about how her whirlwind experience on Sway in the Morning.

Wade-O and Serious discuss:

How she met Sway
Her experience at SXSW
Her approach to music
and more - Wadeoradio.com