Along with other regional stars, the fast-emerging Grand Rapids hip hop artist on Saturday plays both the Blue Bridge Music Fest and Ladyfest at the Lakeshore as she eyes release of her sophomore album.
Giving Fans ‘Something Worth Loving’: Lady Ace Boogie released a single from her upcoming album. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
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Lady Ace Boogie is ready to step it up in more than one way — and more than once (in two different cities) this weekend.
Not only is the Grand Rapids hip hop artist preparing to release her sophomore solo album later this year, but she’s incorporating more singing into her fluid upbeat rapping, rapidly growing her diverse fan base and eyeing ways to “break out of the regional market” in coming months.
Huge Indie-Rock Scene Fan: Lady Ace Boogie performing earlier this year at The Pyramid Scheme. (Photo/Katy Batdorff)
So, it’s no surprise that her upcoming new album is titled, “Don’t Box Me In.”
“When I look out into the crowds of my shows, I see artists from all different genres supporting my music,” said Linda Tellis, aka Lady Ace Boogie, who performs twice on Saturday – first at Ladyfest at the Lakeshore at 6 p.m. at Pigeon Hill Brewing in Muskegon and then at 8:45 p.m. in Grand Rapids with fellow rapper JRob as part of ArtPrize’s Blue Bridge Music Festival. (The duo performs under the name The Great Ones, which released a studio album in 2016. Lady Ace Boogie will also perform at noon Thursday at H.O.M.E. in The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids for WYCE’s “GR Live.”)
“I’m a huge fan of our indie-rock scene and most of those people are fans of hip hop, too. To me, that shows how greatly connected we all are through art.”
Lady Ace Boogie didn’t take long to make an impact on West Michigan’s hip hop scene. Tellis moved to Grand Rapids from Dayton about seven years ago, extracting herself from what she describes as the gang culture and street life of that Ohio city.
She found a supportive and collaborative hip hop scene in Grand Rapids, which eventually led her to record and release her appropriately titled 2015 debut album, “Feel Good Music.” The recording oozes positivity and love, and won two 2016 Jammie Awards from Grand Rapids radio station WYCE-FM.
MORE SINGING AND SHARING ‘PERSONAL JOURNEYS’
In addition to featuring more of her singing, Tellis said the new album – for which a release date hasn’t officially been set – touches “on several personal journeys that I haven’t brought up ever in music.” That includes the “need to be loved,” a theme tackled on the first single, “Love Me For Me,” which also features DAYZ as a musical guest. Check out the video for “Love Me for Me” below.
The Great Ones: Lady Ace Boogie with JRob and Dean Martian at River City Studios. (Photo/Anna Sink)
“It’s such an amazing and powerful feeling when you get to the point in your life where you know what it takes for you to feel whole when sharing your life with another person. I am experiencing this right now, and get to marry the person that gives me love that I never knew existed,” she said. “In addition to that, when I first heard the production by BCoe, I knew something special had to happen. Adding Dayz to the song was the icing on the cake.”
The album was mixed and mastered by Darnell Colbert, and produced by B-Coe Productions, with Grand Rapids hip hop artist Nixon also pitching in. In addition to DAYZ, the album features contributions from singers Callab and Angela Teeple of Grand Rapids electronic rock band AOK.
“I want to give you all something worth loving,” Tellis said of taking extra time with her new album. “‘Feel Good Music’ is no easy project to follow.”
Fellow Grand Rapids hip hop artist Rick Chyme said Lady Ace Boogie has made a splash with fans and fellow rappers partly because “she is very vulnerable in her music. Linda’s ability to be lyrically driven during verses and then comfortably deliver melodies is another tremendous asset.”
‘NOT BEING AFRAID TO PUSH MYSELF OUT OF THE BOX’
Chyme, who’s frequently shared stages with Lady Ace Boogie, also has a lot on his plate, noting that he plans to release more new material over the next year than “any 12-month span” in his career, including something called the “Daily Pieces” project that posts new music every day for 365 days.
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With a new album on the way, Tellis hopes to eventually do some touring beyond Michigan and keep pushing her art in new directions by “exploring different sounds and not being afraid to push myself out the box. … I am really hoping by this time next year I break out of the regional market and spread my love across the nation.”
She added: “There’s still work to do, but our city is growing and more and more people are popping up that want to help move the music. That’s the major key right now for all of us. We could use more people investing in helping to financially and logistically progress our scene though.”
For the second year in a row during ArtPrize, the free Blue Bridge Music Festival takes place Friday and Saturday on the blue pedestrian bridge spanning the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. Friday’s performances begin at 5 p.m. with Kalamazoo’s Yolonda Lavender, followed by the outlaw country of The Bootstrap Boys and the anthemic pop-hued rock of Michigander.
On Saturday, the music begins at 2 p.m. with modern jazz via Brad Fritcher’s MOODS, followed by Asamu Johnson & The Associates of the Blues, the rockabilly/blues of Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, the folk-rock of Watching for Foxes and, finally, hip hop’s The Great Ones. It’s sponsored by WYCE (88.1 FM) and HopCat.
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(The ninth edition of the ArtPrize international art competition – with 1,348 entries exhibited at 179 venues – continues in the central part of Grand Rapids through Oct. 8.)
The second annual Ladyfest at the Lakeshore, meanwhile, moves to Muskegon this year, unfurling at three different venues with performances by more than a dozen West Michigan acts, including the aforementioned Lady Ace Boogie.
The day gets rolling at 2 p.m. at Jackson House; then moves to Pigeon Hill, 500 W. Western Ave., for 5-8:45 p.m.; and rolls into Unruly Brewing, 360 W. Western, at 9 p.m. for the duration of the evening. Check here for details, and for the Jackson House location. Other performers include Maggie May (Olivia Tatreau), Brianne Ross, Molly Schaub, Sand, Maddie Jackson, Ana Elle, Jessica in The Rainbow, Libby DeCamp, Leah Kristene, reggie, Van Lente and Bermudas.
The second annual Ladyfest At The Lakeshore aims to raise both money and awareness, promoting the “ideas of diversity and non-binary perspectives from all genders, races and sexual orientations.”
VIDEO: Lady Ace Boogie, “Love Me For Me”
Love Me For Me from Danielle Dillon on Vimeo.
Copyright 2017, Spins on Music LLC
