Skim

A fiercely political, queer woman of color with a Tupac-tinged soul, Los Angeles-based hip-hopper Skim uses her beautiful voice to sing gritty lyrics about poverty, injustice, the prison system, police brutality and so on. Raised in Queens, N.Y., she draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, everything from Korean folk music to R&B to reggae.

If you've never heard the words "arirang" (a traditional Korean folk song) or "poongmool" (Korean percussion), you owe it to yourself to listen to her CD, For Every Tear. Produced by former Tupac manager Leila Steinberg and Femi Ojetunde, the songs show promise from this rapper who, according to her website, bridges the gap "between man and woman, native and immigrant, rich and poor, love and war." The songs weave between the personal and political, with the bluesy "Long Story" covering such diverse territory as rape and an 18-year-old's life sentence for murder. "How Do You Say" starts out like any love song, until you realize it's a plea for respect from a daughter to her father.

But Skim does more than just talk and talk, she also puts in time serving as an artist-educator in Steinberg's organization, Assemblies in Motion, which travels to schools, jails, juvenile justice facilities and group homes to educate and inspire at-risk youth. You can also find her just as easily onstage for HBO's Def Poetry Jam or at a conference for queer people of color. This self-assured rapper is breaking down stereotypes and gaining fans wherever she goes. - Amy Silverman - Curve Magazine - July/August 2007

No one can be all things to all people. SKIM, an emerging hip-hop artist, is the exception to that rule. She is either a rapper or introspective poet, a politico or spiritualist, your sister or your brother, a native or an immigrant, a fighter or a lover, a percussionist or a guitarist - and someone who, through her music, can make you laugh or cry.

Off stage, SKIM appears shy and reserved. Put be microphone in front of her and she transforms into an artist to be reckoned with. "I never really thought about being in the limelight but I found that if I had the mic, people were listening to me," she says.

Originally from New York, SKIM only knew three people in Los Angeles when she moved here. Her desire was to find "people down for what I am down for," she says. She found them in what became her extended families, The Tribes of Diasporas and Assemblies in Motion...

...Her ambiguous gender identity is obvious; however, she chooses not to be labeled. Once she begins to sing, her angelic voice gives her away as female, until she breaks into rap. SKIM's originality makes it difficult to categorize her, and that suits her just fine. She isn't someone who is going to put on lipstick and try to "pass" until her career reaches the heights that enables her to "come out." She is out. In a perfect world, this would not matter. Her talent should prevail.

SKIM works with groups such as AIM and Tribes to combat homophobia, racism and class discrimination, and the sadness she fels because of this oppression is what provides the impetus for her art. Extremely close to, and influenced by, her family of origin, she considers herself blessed by the relationships with her mother and aunts. Her coming out caused a rift in her family, an experience she recounts in her debut CD, For Every Tear.

SKIM grew up in a conservative Korean household with music all around her, including church choir on Sundays, R&B and folk - all of which influence her style of hip-hop. She is self-taught musically, except for being trained in Korean drumming. SKIM has developed into a hip-hop artist, percussionist, indigenous drummer, guitarist, performance and visual artist, writer, vocalist...and the list goes on.

[For the entire article, please contact SKIM] - Blade Magazine