Music is medicine, communication, a toolkit, and sometimes the mat one lays on at a picnic, says local rapper and femcee Missy D. A French English bilingual artist, Missy will bring her eclectic tastes – including those of reggae, rock, and classical music – to the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Chan Centre on Jan. 18 in a collaborative concert with fellow Vancouver-based musician Tonye Aganaba.

“When rap and soul is live, you might hear elements of reggae, elements of rock, elements of classical music,” Missy says of her upcoming performance. “People might call it hip-hop, but it is hip-hop with some soul and some rap, in French and in English, for all ages.”

Never-ending homework

Missy’s interest in rapping arose from a homework assignment on hip-hop’s history. Asked to write and perform a rap, she soon realized how the genre bridges two of her lifelong passions – music and poetry – through rhythm. The assignment also included learning about French rapper MC Solaar, who remains one of her musical influences, alongside Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill and, more recently, J. Cole.

“[MC Solaar] is not just a rapper, he’s a poet when he writes,” she says. “And I’ve always thought about how do I become more of a poet even in my rapping.”

Missy’s music is also shaped by her connections to Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe. When songwriting, her understanding of family, place, and people is inspired by childhood memories in her birthplace of Rwanda and her schooling in Côte d’Ivoire.

Missy D. | Photo by David Markwei Productions

While the English-speaking Zimbabwe has largely influenced her anglophone music, it is Côte d’Ivoire, where she first learned French, that grounds her Francophonie storytelling. For Missy, the two languages naturally lend themselves into different forms of expression.

“Do I want to rap fast? Maybe switch to English,” she explains, noting how it is easier to cut words in English. “Do I want to paint a long picture, make it more poetic, perhaps talk to my childhood self? Maybe do it in French.”

Keenly aware of her anglophone audience, Missy deliberately chose to include French lyrics that were accessible. As Western Canadian Music Awards’ 2024 Francophone Artist of the Year, Missy is committed to creating space for French-speaking artists in Vancouver. She also encourages seeing music as a language beyond words – recalling her own experiences connecting with anglophone songs despite not fully understanding the lyrics at the time.

“Because of that curiosity of the feeling you catch, you might even be keen to go look up the lyrics and translate it for yourself,” she says.

Finding an authentic voice

Missy’s understanding of inclusive spaces is also rooted in her experience as a female emcee (‘femcee’). Often the only femcee at events, she recognizes how minority identities – including race, gender, and even choice of expression – intersect with one another. She advises aspiring musicians and femcees to have patience, be resourceful, define success for themselves, and most importantly, take the mic.

“You have to learn how to take up space,” she says. “My voice is as important as the person next to you; my story is as important as the person next to you.”

A UBC alumna who walked the graduation stage at Chan Centre around ten years ago, Missy sees her return to the venue as coming full circle: celebrating her artistic identity by sharing new music. Her new project, which includes a song – “Une Chance” –
that will be released on Jan. 14, is inspired by a dreamer’s desire to become an artist and touches on themes of self-discovery and preserverance.

“You might be surprised by an upcoming track I have that will come out around the time of the show where I’m just singing, not rapping,” she adds.

For her upcoming performance, she will be joined by a live band, including Sejal Lal on violin and vocals, Nebyu Yohannes on trombone, Dave Taylor on bass, Feven Kidane on trumpet, and others. While Missy hopes that her performance will bring joy and relief to the audience, she emphasizes that all emotions are welcomed, particularly as she explores her own musical identity.

“I hope that people are still like, that still sounds like Missy D,” she says. “I think the artist’s dream is that you sound like yourself.”

For more on the concert, see www.chancentre.com/events/missy-d-and-tonye-aganaba

For more on Missy D, see www.missydmusic.com