Villa Rosa
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Villa Rosa

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Band Hip Hop Latin

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"Enter Villa Rosa with Maria Isa & Muja Messiah"

Somewhere between her movie shoot in Los Angeles over the summer and working on her own new music, Maria Isa managed to finish off her collaborative album with longtime running buddy Muja Messiah. They haven't had a lot of time to hype the project, though, so they're hitting it hard this week leading up to their album release party Saturday at First Avenue. They were on the Current's "Local Show" last night and then dropped a video online today for the song "Watch Out," which you can view below. Yes, nothing says Minnesota hip-hop like Venice Beach.
Their duo's name is Villa Rosa, and their album is called "Blue Diamond Island." Its 14 tracks run a pretty wide gamut from Muja's gritty street jams to Maria's reggae-spiked and Latinized tunes, with several surprisingly sexy and mellow duets and a couple lively party starters. The disc includes guest appearances by I Self Devine and Dodi Phy and production by the likes of Benzilla, DJ Turtleneck, Mike the Martyr and Rodney "Rush" Williams. - Star Tribune


"Enter Villa Rosa with Maria Isa & Muja Messiah"

Somewhere between her movie shoot in Los Angeles over the summer and working on her own new music, Maria Isa managed to finish off her collaborative album with longtime running buddy Muja Messiah. They haven't had a lot of time to hype the project, though, so they're hitting it hard this week leading up to their album release party Saturday at First Avenue. They were on the Current's "Local Show" last night and then dropped a video online today for the song "Watch Out," which you can view below. Yes, nothing says Minnesota hip-hop like Venice Beach.
Their duo's name is Villa Rosa, and their album is called "Blue Diamond Island." Its 14 tracks run a pretty wide gamut from Muja's gritty street jams to Maria's reggae-spiked and Latinized tunes, with several surprisingly sexy and mellow duets and a couple lively party starters. The disc includes guest appearances by I Self Devine and Dodi Phy and production by the likes of Benzilla, DJ Turtleneck, Mike the Martyr and Rodney "Rush" Williams. - Star Tribune


"Villa Rosa: It Takes Two"

BySarah Harper April 19, 2012
What: Villa Rosa opening for Ghostface Killah with Anchromen, Homegrown Crew and DJ D Mil

When: 9 p.m., Friday

Where: The Cabooze, 917 S. Cedar Ave.

Cost: $20-23

They joke around and laugh. They riff on each other. They talk each other up and bring each other back down. They jump in on each others’ sentences. In other words, Maria Isa and Muja Messiah have chemistry.

It’s not just when they’re talking to each other. You can feel it in their music. Together, Isa and Messiah are Villa Rosa. They’ve been collaborating together since 2008, when they discovered how easy it was to be together. They both rap, and they both write. Isa sings.

In September 2011, they released their first album, “Blue Diamond Island.” Isa described it as a journey around the world, and it is. The local power players rap and sing in English and Spanish about actual issues. Fast food, relationships, poverty — nothing is sacred, and everything matters.

Most characteristic of their overall style and spirit is the song “Blindfolded,” in which they sample Nina Simone’s “Baltimore” and channel Marvin Gaye.

“We don’t rap about going to work, we don’t rap about coffee shops, we don’t rap about how we feel. We don’t give a [expletive] about how we feel, although that plays a major part in the writing process. It’s about what’s going on,” Messiah said.

All of their songs have messages, they say, even if they aren’t always speaking to a certain movement or audience. That’s not to say that they don’t have a sense of humor or fun. They play around musically and lyrically, adjusting their style radically to match the subject matter. For example, their song “Uma Thurman,” about high school, has a schoolyard chant feel to it.

And their voices fit together like pieces of a puzzle. On the track, “Leader of the Pack,” Isa’s honey voice drizzles over Messiah’s assertive verse. It’s a jaunty heart-warmer, with lines like, “With friends like these, who needs an entourage?”

During the day, Isa is a youth-worker at nonprofits, teaching classes like songwriting and Bomba and drumming. She recently emceed the PeaceJam conference in south Minneapolis, which brought together a Nobel Peace Prize laureate with young people of the Twin Cities. Community and speaking out for oppressed people is integral to her work, her music and her collaborations.

“I guess activism is a big part of us meeting. I like [Messiah] being outgoing as a rapper and talking about not just the conditions of our environment, but the political issues that are happening in this country and outside of it,” Isa said.

Both fixtures of the Minneapolis music scene, Isa and Messiah have known each other for longer than they’ve been collaborating. But they’ve existed in different worlds — Messiah’s being the world of the rappers, emcees and deejays. Isa, with her large array of sonic interests ranging from reggae to pop, throws live music into the mix.

“Trying to bridge the demographics of both circles is what Villa Rosa is,” she said.

They’re both still working on projects individually, but they say that working together as Villa Rosa has upped their solo games.

“And when we come together, it’s like a dominant force. I’m not scared to say that either. I would have been too humble to say that, maybe. But now I’m just kind of like, we’re hungry to share what we have, and what we feel is a voice for other people who may not have that opportunity,” Isa said. - MN Daily


Discography

Exotic Paraphernalia (2012)
Blue Diamond Island (2011)

www.villarosamusic.com

Photos

Bio

Since 2008, Maria Isa and Muja Messiah have released several tracks together including “Royalty” from Muja Messiah’s 2008 release Adventures of BBoy DBoy, “Cruel and Unusual Punishment” off Muja Messiah’s 2010 mixtape M-16's, and “Never Let Go” off Maria Isa’s 2009 record Street Politics. There’s a unique chemistry between the Latin firebrand MC, singer, actor, and activist Maria Isa and Muja Messiah, a veteran of the Minneapolis indie scene who brings a heavy dose of politically incorrect satire laced with humor and narratives of daily life. With Villa Rosa, these two artists unite influenced by Spanish lyricism and Latino and Urban politics with hardcore street smarts to a full circle. Villa Rosa’s 14-track debut Blue Diamond Island was released in fall 2011 on Black Corners with production from Martin “Doc” McKinney (The Weeknd, Esthero), Benzilla (Brother Ali), Mike The Martyr (AG), Plena and DJ Turtleneck. Blue Diamond Island finds the two MC’s crafting a sprawling record influenced by Latin rhythms, reggae and left-field pop based in hip-hop sensibility.
Villa Rosa has performed throughout the country and in Puerto Rico. Since 2011 they have opened up for Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface, Dead Prez, Freddie Gibbs, and were a top highlight for the 2012 Soundset Festival. They currently have been promoting their latest EP “Exotic Paraphernalia,” featuring their single “Rocketship” which was highlighted by 2dopeboyz.comand Reviler Magazine. Be sure to catch Villa Rosa live and check out their Youtube videos capturing and empowering revolution to health and food awareness.