GENESIS BRIGGS
Tisch School of the Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts, May 2011
Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music
Bio and Resume (.pdf)
Genesis Briggs is a hip-hop artist and student in the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music. She is currently writing and producing a series of educational hip-hop albums that will be performed by children. The albums for elementary school students will include topics such as grammar, arithmetic, health and hygiene, while the albums for junior high and high school students will cover teen pregnancy, teen drug use, and AIDS prevention among other topics. She will release the album under her production company Open Sky Artworks (O.S.A., www.openskyartworks.com). O.S.A focuses on promoting and developing young talent who show an interest in positive social change through art. Genesis' company does not just focus on music but is receptive to all artists including painters, poets, filmmakers, illustrators, authors and more.
At age 14, Genesis Briggs (AKA Genesis Be AKA Lo-Key) released her first mixtape, which introduced the young lyricist to the grimy underground rap scene brewing in The Gulf Coast Region (New Orleans, Biloxi, Mobile and East Florida). She became a regular at rap battles and was soon winning talent shows all across the coast. Her lyrics ranged from politically conscious to humorously parodic and it wasn't long before local DJs and radio stations began taking notice. By age 17, Genesis had opened for major acts such as Lil Webbie, The Ying-Yang Twins, Trillville and 8Ball & MJG. That same year, she released the first in a series of three albums, titled "17 In America." Unable to find a reliable manager, she put her budding entrepreneurial skills to work by seeking her own distribution, booking her own shows, printing her own promotional materials and carrying out an intense marketing campaign in Southern Mississippi and New Orleans. She began receiving recognition in the form of radio spins, newspaper/magazine articles and a demand for live performances at schools and community centers.
After Genesis's hometown of Biloxi, Mississippi was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, she took a break from her music to help rebuild her community. Seeing her neighbors come together to help each other inspired her to work harder to bring attention to the issues she saw harming her community. Along with her three brothers, she rebuilt homes and worked closely with youth in the community to bring back a sense of hope. Partnering with The Mississippi AIDS Task Force, she produced, recorded and shot a video for "HIV/AIDS", a song that educated local children about AIDS prevention. During this time, she released her second album "18 In America" and shot a video for the popular single "Did U Get Ya FEMA Check." The song was a comical satirical reference to her experience during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The song was played in heavy rotation in The Gulf Coast area and was deemed very controversial.
Genesis's community service includes participating in the cause "Justice For Jess Williams," creating a petition to re-title a community college named for Jeff Davis, protesting along with members of The Society of the Open Sky to remove the Confederate Flag from public places in Mississippi, and volunteering with The Gulf Coast Youth Symphony and Mississippi AIDS Task Force. Genesis continues her community service in New York at elementary schools in Harlem and the Lower East Side. Her third album, "19 In America", is set to be released in August 2009.