Life & Work with Madam

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madam.

Hi Madam, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Writing saved my life. I use to write rap and poems as therapy but subconsciously I was teaching myself different principles I needed to know to survive. I wrote my first rap at 11 after my friends and I (Can’t Handle This) won the 5th-grade talent show. Everyone said we should have lost and as a response I wrote “Don’t Hate, Congratulate.” When I got to high school, I began to focus on my poetry. Under the leadership of my first poetry mentor Blu Bailey, I’ve competed and ranked in international poetry slams such as ACT – SO 2015 and Brave New Voices. I suppressed my voice for a while but became reactive in my latter years of college, relearning to use my words to heal myself. Now, I perform and host events regularly in the city and dropped my first EP – Ethereal Icon in February.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The most challenging struggles have been believing in myself and staying true to my values. It’s easy to be sidetracked by insecurities and comparisons. I had to accept no one else will like my music if I don’t believe in it. I’ve wanted to appeal to the masses but in doing that, I always belittled my creative intelligence. And for what really? Likes? A record deal? Attention?

Everything will flow naturally if I’m true to me. My gift is making room for me to be globally impactful not just a trending influencer.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
God put me in the classroom first so I can learn to follow principles. Which is to say, my chosen career is education. My scholars teach me to be a stronger leader; and I teach them the power of dreaming and 7th-grade Language Arts in the West End.

I graduated from Spelman College in 2022 and joined the Teach for America Fellowship Program. Working with my students is bittersweet. I love and believe in my kids but I’ve also wanted to quit. Kids are tough and the amount of pressure the Education System puts on teachers (without providing schools of color with culturally relevant content) is exhausting. There is a teacher shortage but my work community does a phenomenal job of ensuring my students have the resources they need. We just don’t have the freedom to teach our students their experiences and history as Black scholars.

I’m finding balance in doing what is best for my students and I, and meeting the school system’s standards. I refuse to teach my kids to be computers for the sake of data and rankings or kill myself because the education system can be vainly demanding.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I don’t see a lot of growth in the music industry. Popular culture demands low-frequency music and the industry is a business. Sex, drugs, and superficial behavior sells.

I love seeing more indie artists using their gifts to speak life back into the people. Listening to artists like Tobe Nwigwe, La Russel, or myself reminds me that Hip Hop is not dead. The independent route is definitely the way to go.

Pricing:

• Hosting/Emcee Fee – $250+
• Ethereal Icon EP on iTunes – $12

Contact Info:

• Other: https://linktr.ee/wellhellomadam

Image Credits
1st picture – Unknown 3rd picture – Adrian Williams 4th picture – Unknown