* Who is Gemi-Fly & what state / borough do you represent ?
*GiGGleS*...Well... GeMi-FlY iS i...& i iS FlY. No..but seriously.. I, GeMi-FlY aslo known as Indra Tahirah Odom, am a fun loving, outspoken, spontaneous, strong-willed, soft-hearted, free spirited, badd ass bitch from the south. If i had to rep a place...i'd have to choose 2. BROWARD COUNTY, FLA. & HINESVILLE, GA.
..The 2 places that raised & molded my morals & a majority of my personality.
* Your a spoken word poet, where did you get this talented gift from & at what age did you discover this gift?
*SMileS*....to be honest...i dont really consider myself a "spoken word poet"...but since thats the only title the world was familiar with & was closest to what i do...it sticks. The funny thing about it is..ive been writing since a very young age, but ive always kept my words to myself. I always felt like the things i had to say were to much for a lot of folks to take in. It wasnt until i was in community college taking a creative writing course & was blessed to have a wonderful white lady by the name of Ms. Joyce as a professor. She was different from any teacher i had ever encountered. She embraced the words i wrote & told me it was ok for me to use curse words to express my anger. Long story short...at the end of the class she put a challenge on the table. Told me since i was late everyday my grade was real low & the only way she could pass me is if could do a hell've extra credit project. I told her i aint know what the hell i could do that would be that "extra" in such a short amount of time. But she did tho'..*lOl*..she said on the last day of class there was some type of student open mic event going on & she had signed me up. I did it..folks loved me...& ive barely shut up since gurl!! *GiGGleS*
* What does "spoken word poet" mean to you? I heard that you don't like to be called that.
*SMiRkS*....GuRl...yu trynna get sum beef shit started between me & these poets!! *lMAo*...naw..im just joking. But yeah...i do say that i dont like to be titled as a "Spoken Word Poet"...i would just much rather be called my name. To me..a "Spoken Word Poet"..is sumbody who lives..breathes this poetry shit. See Me...im just living & breathing. Writing is just something i do to express myself... Its just what i do, not who i am. Im not on a mission to "change the world" or anything..touch a few minds..maybe change a few hearts.. & improve sum self-persona's, but thats about it. I feel like "Spoken Word Artist"..not all, but many..have lost the meaning of sharing words. Its turned into a contest of who can spit the longest shit..with the deepest metaphors..& the biggest words. Rarely do i go to open mic spots & hear a person just get up & spit some simple, non-self absorbed, honest shit that i can just sit back, understand, & enjoy. I dont want to be boxed into that circle of foolish fuckery...no boundaries...thats me.
* Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from inside Me. When i look back on all the years ive wasted being stressed, depressed, unhappy about life, & my life situations..it inspires me to Speak UP. It motivates me to want to help others get thru their issues, insecurities, & the turmoil they harber inside that holds them down.
*You were born in Texas- as a military baby. Do you feel the constant change in atmosphere has contributed to your inventiveness as a poet?
Honestly...ive never considered that. But i guess i would have to say yes..some what. Because me being born into the military caused me to move around alot....less stability than most..as far as location. & i would have to say if i wasnt moving from here to there all the time...less of my struggles would have been encountered....maybe...but only GoD knows for sure tho. *GiGGleS*
* This is your 5th mix tape " WORDS ARE FREE BITCH" , what gave you the idea to do mix tapes with your poetry? Where did the title come from?
...hahahaha...dis question is like 4 questions in 1.....yu sneak yu...*GiGGleS* well 1st off. I came up w/ the concept of the mixtape from a slick ass comment my girlfriend made after a visit to a local open mic spot. We were approached & asked to buy a cd of poetry from a poet that hadnt even touched the mic. We thought to ourselves.." why da fuck would we pay ova $10 for sum shit we couldnt hear a sample of for free"....*GiGGleS*. Wrong....i know... *GeMi ShRuGs* but its my opinion. ..i had been writing poetry from young as ive said before..so we came up w/ the idea of me recording some poems as spoken word on cd & insteade selling it, give it away for free. We have freedom of speech...they say words are free right?....sooooo "WoRds aRe FRee BitCh"....came about. It wasnt Volume 1 at 1st, because i had no intent on making a 2,3,4,or even 5th Volume. But the universe works in mysterious ways. My 1st mixtape had 1 poem that was writin & revised since middle school, but the rest were written for the mixtape. Vol.2-5 were all written at the time of each individual mixtape making. I try to keep my shit fresh yu kno..*GiGGleS* Most muthafuckers dont know this..but i made all my mixtapes myself. On my laptop, no nigga studio, no nigga hosting my shit, no nigga cutting the tracks i chose to sample..all me. *SMileS*
Now what was the rest of this question?...lemme see..
what topics / subjects do you touch on in this mix tape? "FUCK A WISH" is a deep track that many fatherless children can relate to... how were you able to dig inside yourself write such a profound poem like this one?
..oh..mixtape topics. Well..i never have a topic for my mixtapes...i just write whats in my heart & soul at that time. I know they may flow like i choose topics..but iswear..thats all GoD's doing...*GiGGleS* for "FuCk A WiSh" it wasnt hard at all for me to write..because thats how i feel. Those are my truths..my secrets..my demons. They in my closet (metophorically speaking), so they aint far to reach when im in my room. I never knew my father growing up..i only knew his name & had a pic of him. I searched for decades..found him when i was 25..im 26. He's a drug addict & an alcoholic. It is what it is so my shit aint hard to write. *MoMeNt*
...ok..im back.
*What is the one thing you want your fans/supporters to take away after listening to this mix tape?
What i want my friends & supports to take from my 5th & all my other 4 mixtapes is....YeS...life is hard....but it aint never too hard to try & live life. Dont ever let the thangs folk done to ya Stop yu. Never allow a muthafucker to mind control ur destiny w/ their bullshit. Always love the people who love yu. But most importantly...always, always, always...love urself...Xspecially in the face of adversity. #thatsit.com!!!
NewShoes ADVICE from Gemi-Fly: keep grinding, keep hustlin, keep believin, & keep duin Yu!! *MuAh* *XoX*
GeMi-FlY
For bookings & features with Gemi-Fly: BookMzGemifly@gmail.com
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CHECK OUT GEMI-FLY >>> https://sites.google.com/site/mzgemifly/
http://www.youtube.com/MzGeMiFlY#p/u/50/tpTO7hrM-60
DOWNLOAD & GET FAMILIAR HER MIX TAPES: http://tweetmymixtape.com/members/GeMi_FlY/Songs.htm
http://www.datpiff.com/profile/Gemi_fly
