We all love a great opportunity, and what better than one that could help fund your next great idea or dream project. Well, the Mississippi Arts Commission, located in Jackson, MS, has several grants available, for individuals. Head on over to their website and check out the grants they have to offer.
The following opportunities are available for individual artists:
ARTIST FELLOWSHIP
ARTIST MINI GRANTS
FOLK ARTS APPRENTICESHIP
MISSISSIPPI ARTIST ROSTER
TEACHING ARTIST ROSTER
MISSISSIPPI ARTS COMMISSION
501 North West Street Suite 1101A Woolfolk Building Jackson, Mississippi 39201 Phone: (601) 359-6030 Fax: (601) 359-6008
Meridian rapper/producer, B.I.G Krit is back with his recent release "Confetti." It has been a while since Krit has released a new song and we are excited he finally did. Check out the self-produced record below and let us know what you think.
I saw this the other day on my Instagram feed and thought I should share it with all the great Mississippi artist out there. This is my first time hearing about the tour, so I am not sure if it'll work for all of you but I know that an opportunity to perform your music in front of new potential fans, is always a good thing.
Hattiesburg, Mississippi's own Quavius Black is gearing up for the release of a new project, but not before giving us this hot one-off beforehand. On "5weeks" we get to see Kway question things like life, love and the issues that we face going through both. The moody record was formed in part with producers 5ive Weeks with additional contributions from Bizzy.
The artwork is done courtesy of @qin_mob. "5weeks" is released in conjunction with "The Sound MS", an organization created by Marc Hughes Music and 1stDayFresh.com.
Dolla Black has been busy in 2017, releasing his "Black Friday" EP earlier in the year. The good product continues with this new single "Wait For It". On this single, the deep-voiced MC shines with a confident lyricism that aims at all of his competitors in the arena that is the rap game. Wait For It was produced by AVEVO, and the frequent collaborator gives a beat that is as equally menacing as Dolla is on the track. Listen now and look out for the video which will be debuting this Sunday, April 30th.
Vitamin Cea is back with her The Walls Group-sampling single "JoyFull Perfection". The Mississippi-born femcee continues to show her versatility by taking this opportunity to release a song that could very easily fall into the gospel genre. She lays strong verses centered around her flaws and relationship with God, with a melodic chorus adding to the song's aura. Joining her on the record with background vocals is Mastad0n, NeoSoooul and Elias. Listen now and if you like what you hear check out her website www.TheVitaminCea.com for more music and information on Vitamin Cea ahead of her debut project "JoyFull Noise" Bio
Birthed in the deep south, Vitamin Cea is one of Mississippi’s newest acts but one that possesses the talent to stick to your soul. Taking inspiration from artists like Chance The Rapper, Noname, Anderson .Paak, Rapsody and others Cea hangs her hat on a sound rooted in honesty, soul and overall good vibes. She saturates her melodic bars in stories of lessons and memories just as often as she rhymes about her confusion, adoration, and disdain for the world around her. Her artistry is apparent as she is a rapper who takes pride in the art of writing in its purest form and it shows in her elaborate usage of literary devices in every song. Rappers come and go but Vitamin Cea is here to prove that she, just as many emerging artists from Mississippi, is here to cultivate the culture and make her name known.
This is the first year of Biloxi's Spring Break Explosion Music Festival and what better way to kick it off than to have a slew of in-state talent, blaze the stage. The headliner for the festival of Platinum recording artist, Lil Uzi Vert, who reached the Billboard 100, as a featured artist on the Migos' "Bad and Boujee" record. The talent that will be on display, will have artists from North Mississippi, South Mississippi, and all in between. The festival is taking place on the first day of Black Spring Break/Biloxi Black Beach weekend, which is expected to see over 40,000 tourists to the coast. If you are interested in going, you can find out more information at www.springbreakexplosion.com.
Check out your fellow Mississippi artists representing at this year's Spring Break Explosion Music Festival:
Gulfport native, Lotto Band$, has just wrapped up his in-depth interview with DJ Smallz, where he speaks on growing up in Orange Grove, how Hurricane Katrina affected him and the whole area, and the origin of his name. We do not want to reveal too much, so watch the entire interview below and leave a comment. It is always great to see people not afraid to talk about the coast on a national platform.
Texas-based, deathwave spearhead, Proz Taylor, is back with a brand new dark-themed record, where he recollects on recent bouts with everyone from girlfriends to family members. Proz seeks solace in the "Valley" and keeps running over this intense and eery track that features extreme high and lows until he gets there. "Valley" is featured on Proz's upcoming full-lengthed release, Deadman Wonderland, due to drop this spring.
Biloxi native now Portland-based artist, Q.Z. Tha Leader, has just released his video for his controversial record, "Blame Me." Blame Me is the lead single off Q.Z.'s 2016 project, Moments Of Genius Opus: II. This EP is a follow up to his 2014 release, Moments Of Genius Opus: I, which was produced by CoDa on The Track. Blame Me is a vocally powered anthem set against menacing horns with hostile 808 drums. This perilous environment sets the tone for Q.Z.'s gritty wordplay, bolstering double and triple entendres.
Q.Z. Tha Leader is an American Hip-Hop recording artist, songwriter and producer from Biloxi, Mississippi now residing in Portland, Oregon. A true renaissance artist of his generation whom takes pride in writing, producing, and arranging all of his own music. Q.Z. has opened for some of the greatest in hip-hop like Juvenile, Mystikal, and Choppa. He is best known for his 2013 viral internet hit Black Russian. The song and the accompanying video racked up over 37k views in little over a week. Having been signed to indie major labels in the past, Q.Z. prefers the freedom that the independent route provides.
Releasing music to the people that support him is what Q.Z. values the most. In 2014, the southern producer and wordsmith released a collaborative EP titled Moments Of Genius Opus: Part 1 independently. The opus was Q.Z.'s 3rd solo effort. The EP was featured on over 90 blogs and spawned the viral hits Monte' Carlo and Blood Stained Chanel. Q.Z. is set to drop the follow up, Moments Of Genius Opus Part: 2 this summer.
The project will be executive produced by Q.Z. himself with the help of other Portland area musicians. He says he's going for a "live instrumentation" feel for the new project. The 7 track EP is streaming now on Spotify and Apple Music.
Check out the visuals for "Blame Me' below and leave your feedback on Q.Z. Tha Leader.
