In the words of rapper Riley Writtens, “artists are claustrophobic”. Initially, I didn’t understand what the Brooklyn native meant by that but in reflecting on the career of multimedia artist and fellow Brooklynite LATASHÁ the meaning immediately became clear.
Since making her artistic debut in the underground Hip-Hop cipher scene during the early 2010s as a hard-hitting emcee, LATASHÁ has consistently been classified as just that. Despite her work as a poet, singer, graphic designer, painter, executive producer, and creative director, the media and newer fans continued to limit the Afro-Latina to just a rapper. However, after The Shed’s new production, POWERPLAY the public will have no choice but to free LATASHÁ of one dimensional labeling.
The production created by LATASHÁ in collaboration with an intergenerational roster of artists, including Nona Hendryx and Ashley August, and New York City high school students in The Shed’s DIS OBEY program, is an exploration of healing, personal power, and universal change.
The stories in POWERPLAY explore individual power and collective action through Hip-Hop, spoken word, music, dance, and moving images. Performed by the artists, each story tells how our power can be taken away, how we decide we deserve the power, and how we create it for ourselves.
When asked about what the production means to her as the lead artist, LATASHÁ replied, “Powerplay to me is really a performance that is going to integrate radical joy and radical healing and really discover what that is on stage,” adding, “I think the big purpose of this work for me is for the students to really find a personal revolution that could be a bigger impact to the world.”
A production of this magnitude requires an exceptional team and the creative team behind POWERPLAY is just that. The all-star team includes Ashley August (advisor and co-writer), Bembona (DJ), Lela Harper (co-writer), Nona Hendryx (advisor and co-writer), The Illuminator (projection design), Monique Letamendi (advisor and co-writer), Rosangelica Lopez (advisor and co-writer), Joshua Negron (co-writer), Imani Nia (choreographer) and Nathaniel Swanson (co-writer).
Approaching the one year anniversary of the change in her stage name, LATASHÁ’s metamorphosis is near complete. As the multimedia artist prepares to leave the gritty streets of New York behind for the sunny skies of California, POWERPLAY is the perfect parting gift.
POWERPLAY will show at The Shed located on both Saturday, May 18 (starts at 8 pm) and on Sunday, May 19 (starts 7 pm). To purchase tickets please visit The Shed’s official website here or click the image below.
