Greetings,
I finally found the name of this unknown Oakland wonder and she has already dropped her album out recently and it's titled "Closer". Sista is bangin' and her released singles "Closer" & "Childhood Drama" are so damn ill... I highly recommend all you Rugged R & B/Jazz/Hip Hop lovers to cop her album @ the limited local record stores she has listed on her WEBSITE: http://www.goapele.com/salvation.html It's really worth while the listen and deserves all the recognition that she gets from anyone and anywhere.
So go out and rep this sista from the Yay!
Here are some articles about her:
LINK: http://www.urbanview.com/01.02.02/goapele-0201.html
Broad Soul
Oakland's own Goapele has taken one step Closer to future classic
By Gabriel Serpa
Bay Area soulist Goapele is true unsigned hype as she recently released the self-produced, Closer. From the striking cover to the music itself, the album's production is first-rate. Its electric yellow cover radiates the tranquility Goapele conveys with her music. Her beats are the catalyst for vibing with Goapele, but when her vocals come into play, she takes over. Closer resides in a smooth soulfulness amidst the raw presence of her distinct vocals. Describing herself as a "broad soul," Goapele provides room for her music to be raw, jazzy, urban, truthful, and positive.
There is a variety of local talent involved in this project. Credit goes to Zion I's Amp Live on the opening track and album's namesake, "Closer," Digital Underground's DJ Fuze comes through spinning on "It Takes More," and (((Local 1200))) affiliate Theo "the duedaddy" Rodrigues represents with lyrics on "You." With ten tracks on the album, it maintains form and strength with no need to skip a song.
As an Oakland native, Goapele began her career as a teen when she participated in the Oakland Youth Chorus. Her talent then brought her to the East Coast where she studied at the Berklee College of Music. As a student of the arts, Goapele began a journey to truly develop her musical education. While in school she found herself writing songs, songs that would later appear on her first album -- an album that she says never would have been heard without family coming together to help get it out on the streets. A 24-year-old South African Jewish American, Goapele credits a great deal of her education to the diverse musical influences she grew up listening to, from Sweet Honey in the Rock to South African jazz to early '90s hip hop like Tribe Called Quest.
Having recently returned from a five-month international tour with Spearhead, Goapele is still basking in the overwhelming praise her performances received. Her vocals shatter souls, leaving audiences begging for more. Tracks like "Catch 22" are just waiting to be a classic. This stunning lady can vocally capture the heart of anyone (and if you see her in person be careful because you might just hurt yourself!).
Currently Goapele is working on the second album to be produced on her own Sky Blaze Records label. And once again she'll show some local love as Pep Love of the Hieroglyphics is slated to guest appear on the new album. You can cop Closer at most Bay Area record stores and check her website out at www.goapele.com
LINK: http://www.cntv.csuhayward.edu/bsp/artist/
ARTIST OF THE MONTH:
GOAPELE
With the release of her debut CD, "Closer", Bay Area vocalist and songwriter Goapele takes the bold first step in a solo career of unbounded promise. Goapele believes in both the power of self-determination and the invaluable benefits of collective effort. She has created a sparkling, mature work that unites a variety of inspirations in a soulfully personal context. In realizing her ambitious artistic vision, the 24-year-old singer draws generously from her multicultural background, musical education, and a community of like-minded musicians.
Born in Oakland, California, on the favorable day of July 11th of 1977 , Goapele Mohlabane grew up in a family attuned to the significance of cultural heritage, issues of social justice, and the value of individual creative expression. Goapele¹s New York born Jewish mother, Noa, was studying in Nairobi,Kenya, where she met and married exiled South African political activist Douglas Mohlabane. The couple raised their family in Berkeley, CA. Art and activism were linked in the Mohlabane household, where the struggle against apartheid was inseparable from the deep traditions of music, theater, and dance.
Along with her brother, Namane (of the production team Local1200), Goapele attended the Berkeley Arts Magnet School. At the age of ten, she formed the first preteen peer-led support group of the Bay Area Black Women¹s Health Project. At 15, she served alongside her mother on the national board of directors of Be Present, Inc. She also took part in peer education around issues of racism, sexism, and classism in the community group E.Y.E.S. (Empowered Youth Educating Society). In addition to contributing to a strong sense of self, Goapele¹s organizational involvement provided her with safe and nurturing forums for developing her singing and performing at community events.
Throughout high school, Goapele sang in the Oakland Youth Chorus, moving through the ranks to membership in their semiprofessional performance group, Vocal Motion. Goapele continued her musical training by attending the highly acclaimed Berklee School of Music in Boston. Deepening her knowledge of music theory and developing the range and power of her unique voice, Goapele began to tap her creative resources as an original songwriter, as well.
Closer, written and recorded on both the East and West coasts, is the fruit of Goapele¹s labor and inspiration. Featuring co-productions by Jeff Bhasker a Berklee alumni and Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno, among other up and coming producers, Closer is a stunning collection of conscious lyrics and sumptuously harmonized vocals riding on an eclectic mix of soul, R&B, hiphop and jazz influences. Shortly after the album¹s completion in the summer of 2001, Michael Franti invited Goapele to sing with his band Spearhead on its world tour, which included an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. After four months on tour Goapele returned home to work on her second CD production. Back in the Bay Area, the confidently poised and supremely gifted Goapele can now be heard on center stage in her own right.
I finally found the name of this unknown Oakland wonder and she has already dropped her album out recently and it's titled "Closer". Sista is bangin' and her released singles "Closer" & "Childhood Drama" are so damn ill... I highly recommend all you Rugged R & B/Jazz/Hip Hop lovers to cop her album @ the limited local record stores she has listed on her WEBSITE: http://www.goapele.com/salvation.html It's really worth while the listen and deserves all the recognition that she gets from anyone and anywhere.
So go out and rep this sista from the Yay!
Here are some articles about her:
LINK: http://www.urbanview.com/01.02.02/goapele-0201.html
Broad Soul
Oakland's own Goapele has taken one step Closer to future classic
By Gabriel Serpa
Bay Area soulist Goapele is true unsigned hype as she recently released the self-produced, Closer. From the striking cover to the music itself, the album's production is first-rate. Its electric yellow cover radiates the tranquility Goapele conveys with her music. Her beats are the catalyst for vibing with Goapele, but when her vocals come into play, she takes over. Closer resides in a smooth soulfulness amidst the raw presence of her distinct vocals. Describing herself as a "broad soul," Goapele provides room for her music to be raw, jazzy, urban, truthful, and positive.
There is a variety of local talent involved in this project. Credit goes to Zion I's Amp Live on the opening track and album's namesake, "Closer," Digital Underground's DJ Fuze comes through spinning on "It Takes More," and (((Local 1200))) affiliate Theo "the duedaddy" Rodrigues represents with lyrics on "You." With ten tracks on the album, it maintains form and strength with no need to skip a song.
As an Oakland native, Goapele began her career as a teen when she participated in the Oakland Youth Chorus. Her talent then brought her to the East Coast where she studied at the Berklee College of Music. As a student of the arts, Goapele began a journey to truly develop her musical education. While in school she found herself writing songs, songs that would later appear on her first album -- an album that she says never would have been heard without family coming together to help get it out on the streets. A 24-year-old South African Jewish American, Goapele credits a great deal of her education to the diverse musical influences she grew up listening to, from Sweet Honey in the Rock to South African jazz to early '90s hip hop like Tribe Called Quest.
Having recently returned from a five-month international tour with Spearhead, Goapele is still basking in the overwhelming praise her performances received. Her vocals shatter souls, leaving audiences begging for more. Tracks like "Catch 22" are just waiting to be a classic. This stunning lady can vocally capture the heart of anyone (and if you see her in person be careful because you might just hurt yourself!).
Currently Goapele is working on the second album to be produced on her own Sky Blaze Records label. And once again she'll show some local love as Pep Love of the Hieroglyphics is slated to guest appear on the new album. You can cop Closer at most Bay Area record stores and check her website out at www.goapele.com
LINK: http://www.cntv.csuhayward.edu/bsp/artist/
ARTIST OF THE MONTH:
GOAPELE
With the release of her debut CD, "Closer", Bay Area vocalist and songwriter Goapele takes the bold first step in a solo career of unbounded promise. Goapele believes in both the power of self-determination and the invaluable benefits of collective effort. She has created a sparkling, mature work that unites a variety of inspirations in a soulfully personal context. In realizing her ambitious artistic vision, the 24-year-old singer draws generously from her multicultural background, musical education, and a community of like-minded musicians.
Born in Oakland, California, on the favorable day of July 11th of 1977 , Goapele Mohlabane grew up in a family attuned to the significance of cultural heritage, issues of social justice, and the value of individual creative expression. Goapele¹s New York born Jewish mother, Noa, was studying in Nairobi,Kenya, where she met and married exiled South African political activist Douglas Mohlabane. The couple raised their family in Berkeley, CA. Art and activism were linked in the Mohlabane household, where the struggle against apartheid was inseparable from the deep traditions of music, theater, and dance.
Along with her brother, Namane (of the production team Local1200), Goapele attended the Berkeley Arts Magnet School. At the age of ten, she formed the first preteen peer-led support group of the Bay Area Black Women¹s Health Project. At 15, she served alongside her mother on the national board of directors of Be Present, Inc. She also took part in peer education around issues of racism, sexism, and classism in the community group E.Y.E.S. (Empowered Youth Educating Society). In addition to contributing to a strong sense of self, Goapele¹s organizational involvement provided her with safe and nurturing forums for developing her singing and performing at community events.
Throughout high school, Goapele sang in the Oakland Youth Chorus, moving through the ranks to membership in their semiprofessional performance group, Vocal Motion. Goapele continued her musical training by attending the highly acclaimed Berklee School of Music in Boston. Deepening her knowledge of music theory and developing the range and power of her unique voice, Goapele began to tap her creative resources as an original songwriter, as well.
Closer, written and recorded on both the East and West coasts, is the fruit of Goapele¹s labor and inspiration. Featuring co-productions by Jeff Bhasker a Berklee alumni and Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno, among other up and coming producers, Closer is a stunning collection of conscious lyrics and sumptuously harmonized vocals riding on an eclectic mix of soul, R&B, hiphop and jazz influences. Shortly after the album¹s completion in the summer of 2001, Michael Franti invited Goapele to sing with his band Spearhead on its world tour, which included an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. After four months on tour Goapele returned home to work on her second CD production. Back in the Bay Area, the confidently poised and supremely gifted Goapele can now be heard on center stage in her own right.