Akua Naru: Difference between revisions
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==Life== |
==Life== |
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Naru was brought up in [[Connecticut]] in a family that went to church and played gospel music. She was led astray by an uncle who was three years older than her. He broke the family's rules and brought in rap records that appealed to Naru. It was her grandmother who took her to church where she was exposed to a world that had a high percentage of inspiring women leaders. Her twelve year old uncle was producing her work when she was nine. She was brought up in a tough environment and she became interested in the revolutionary ideas of [[Angela Davis]], [[Malcolm X]] and [[Assata Shakur]].<ref name="jjj">{{Cite news|url=https://bandonthewall.org/artist/akua-naru/|title=Akua Naru - Band on the Wall|work=Band on the Wall|access-date=2018-11-27|language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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By the time she completed her formal education at [[Rutgers University]] and the [[University of Pennsylvania]] |
By the time she completed her formal education at [[Rutgers University]] and the [[University of Pennsylvania]], Naru had learnt her skills as a member of a repertory company where she was able to use recording equipment and perform outside her immediate community. She left the US and traveled to China. After two years she went on to Cologne where she created her first record "The Journey Aflame" which was produced by "The Drumkidz" in January 2011. Later that year she returned to the USA on a 22 date tour. Her work is inspired by the work of Toni Morrison and describes the history of black women. She has been invited to talk at universities in America, Germany and Sudan.<ref name=jjj/> |
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In 2018 she started a year as a research fellow for Harvard University. She became the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellow in the Hiphop Archive Research Institute.<ref name="fellow">{{Cite web|url=https://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/people/akua-naru|title=Akua Naru|website=hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-11-27}}</ref> |
In 2018 she started a year as a research fellow for Harvard University. She became the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellow in the Hiphop Archive Research Institute.<ref name="fellow">{{Cite web|url=https://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/people/akua-naru|title=Akua Naru|website=hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-11-27}}</ref> Naru aims to empower black women through her music and provide a perspective of what they experience.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cornellsun.com/2018/11/13/hip-hop-artist-describes-black-experience-through-jazz-and-soul/|title=Hip-hop Artist Describes Black Experience Through Jazz and Soul|date=2018-11-14|website=The Cornell Daily Sun|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> |
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==Discography== |
==Discography== |
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Revision as of 02:08, 4 May 2019
Akua Naru | |
|---|---|
 with The Digflo Band in Vienna in 2015 | |
| Nationality | United States of America |
| Other names | LaTanya |
| Occupation | rap singer |
| Website | http://www.akuanaru.com |
Akua Naru or LaTanya is an American rapper. Her family is from Ghana but Akua Naru was raised in Connecticut in the US. She found particular success in Germany in 2011. In 2018 she started a year of research for Harvard University. Her voice is accompanied by many different sounds: Ghanaian drums, soul and jazz sounds or regular hip hop beats.
Life
Naru was brought up in Connecticut in a family that went to church and played gospel music. She was led astray by an uncle who was three years older than her. He broke the family's rules and brought in rap records that appealed to Naru. It was her grandmother who took her to church where she was exposed to a world that had a high percentage of inspiring women leaders. Her twelve year old uncle was producing her work when she was nine. She was brought up in a tough environment and she became interested in the revolutionary ideas of Angela Davis, Malcolm X and Assata Shakur.[1]
By the time she completed her formal education at Rutgers University and the University of Pennsylvania, Naru had learnt her skills as a member of a repertory company where she was able to use recording equipment and perform outside her immediate community. She left the US and traveled to China. After two years she went on to Cologne where she created her first record "The Journey Aflame" which was produced by "The Drumkidz" in January 2011. Later that year she returned to the USA on a 22 date tour. Her work is inspired by the work of Toni Morrison and describes the history of black women. She has been invited to talk at universities in America, Germany and Sudan.[1]
In 2018 she started a year as a research fellow for Harvard University. She became the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellow in the Hiphop Archive Research Institute.[2] Naru aims to empower black women through her music and provide a perspective of what they experience.[3]
Discography
- EP
- 2011 : Poetry: How Does It Feel?
- Albums
- 2011 : The Journey Aflame
- 2012 : The Live & Aflame Sessions
- 2015 : The Miner's Canary
- 2018 : The Blackest Joy[4]
References
- ^ a b "Akua Naru - Band on the Wall". Band on the Wall. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
- ^ "Akua Naru". hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
- ^ "Hip-hop Artist Describes Black Experience Through Jazz and Soul". The Cornell Daily Sun. 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
- ^ "Mama, she made it!". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-11-27.
