This campaign is in hopes to raise enough funds to produce my debut album entitled  " When Music Hits You, You Feel No Pain" . I aspire to share with you all the sound and songs of Missy D with this album.  Learn about my discovery, my evolution, my dream and my goals for the upcoming years to come...

HOW DID YOU BECOME MISSY D?

My name is Diane Umutoni Mutabaruka.  I was born and raised in the Motherland, Africa. I am from the thousand of hills of Rwanda to the Drogba city of Cote d'Ivoire and the Victoria Falls of Zimbabwe. I represent a blend of African cultures and I try to do the same with my music. Over the years, I constantly moved around, switched schools and travelled. With every change, I was always trying to find myself, my  identity, my home , and my voice.  At the time, little Diane was just very shy and reserved.

 Until that one day I met Hip-Hop.

It was probably about 5pm, my brother switched on the TV screen like any usual day after school. There was this tall handsome man holding a baby in his hand and gesturing to a certain melody . His name was Tupac Shakur and the song was " Brenda's got a Baby". It had my little hands snapping along from beginning to end. I had no idea what he was saying, but it stuck with me. Even when I had to leave home and go to a foreign country.

Eight years later, it was the beginning of my teenage years, so my voice wanted to rebel but something was still holding me back. I remember that moment like yesterday. Words bottled in my mind, but an empty sound coming out of my mouth. Who knew that my second year at Jean de la Fontaine was going to be life changing. We were learning the recorder that year! It doesn’t sound exciting, and it wasn’t!

But I remember this one moment so clearly as  my classmate put up his hand and insisted that we learn something that applies to our generation. He said exactly what everyone was thinking. At the time, I only wished I had as much courage as him. A few weeks later, we dropped our recorders and learned the history of that same sound I loved so much, Hip Hop!

Fast-forward to 50 people looking at me with a microphone in my hand. My 11 year old voice resonating through the sound system and my friends waving their hands in the air.  I was at the right place at the right time. I was happy and I was found. I had gained courage and had a voice. I was ALIVE that summer day.

The question was then would I perform again?

THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING NEW:

Missy D was the voice that spoke up, stood up, and cheered for the people. Anything Diane couldn’t do,  Missy D could!  That day with the help of my good friend Dhoha, we rebelled , we sang, we rapped, we performed and voiced out our message!

“ Dans ton hip hop,le microphone c’est comme le telephone,

Tu parles, tu bouges, c’est comme les vacances!

Le hip hop c’est pas du pop! c’est de la bonne musique...”

Chorus:

Pour tu ce qui nous kiffe

ou qui ne kiffe kiffe pas

on s’en fiche on s’en fout

ca nous touche pas du tout

My first performance was catharsis. It liberated me. It let out this voice that was hidden for the past years! As soon as my voice got out, It didn’t want to hide anymore. I wrote constantly from sonnets, poems to raps in my little yellow music book. My voice grew, my performances multiplied and I became a regular performer just at 14.  Suddenly as I found comfort in French Hip Hop, my parents switched me to a different school, an english school.

Although I was comfortable with my French mic, I still didn’t speak much to the strangers, locals, taxi drivers, or any other english speakers. I remember going to church , praying in French while trying to translate what the priest was saying.  All I heard and understood was Hope. Like praying, my voice stayed internal for the next few months. With hope, I kept challenging myself by translating anything I heard. I fell in love with music once more. Sitting down in my dad’s office, I translated Usher and 50 Cent songs with a dictionary next to me. I didn’t attend any ESL classes outside of school. My teacher was Hip-Hop. I learned English through Hip Hop.

That summer, I grabbed my microphone again and rapped in English. I didn’t know a lot of expressions, similes,  idioms and metaphors  in English. With just hope and hip-hop, I introduced Missy D to this anglophone audience.

“ There u go, u talking to the rapper girl,

I can flow in french and english, I’m waiting to speaking spanish

Fast or slow, here we go, yo!

you are waiting for a rap, you better start to clap...”

Once again, Missy D spoke up for the new girl Diane. I continued to write raps  to inspire, to purge and also to have fun throughout high school. You would find me rapping about chemistry and economics. It was a way of studying , understanding these foreign theories while rhyming to a melody.  This was more than just a form of expression, it became my identity.  The same way that Hip Hop gave me life, I hope my music can do the same for any listener.

WHAT NOW?:

It's been 12 years, I now know more english vocab words and can formulate a full sentence. Who would have thought that I would even attend university in English. Now I just graduated from UBC.

Over the years,  I have had the chance to perform on various stages from the open mics, talent shows, university football games, downtown nightclubs and restaurants. You might have heard me perform with the wonderful Laydy Jams!

You can call it a dozen years of learning about myself, about expression, about french, about english, about friends, about home, about language, about love, about community, about music, about Hip-Hop, and about Diane. I am still a performer, a femcee/rapper, an artist, a slam poet, a singer, a songwriter and a master of ceremony.

If it were to end tomorrow, I want to leave the world with an album. A mark that I was here, I am surprisingly ready. I am volunteering to put my hand up and speak up! I want to speak up for the unheard, for the lost souls, and for the jammers.The dream has never been more real and vivid. And now, I see it and THIS IS IT!  

THE DREAM:

“When the Music Hits, You Feel No Pain” : A tribute to my love for MUSIC! Music that makes you feel something. This title highlights the therapy I get from writing but also the fun, the discovery. the learning, the memories that are encompassed within this album. I hope to showcase different sides of my personality, different stories, different adventures. I am learning  to sing more,  find my own rap sound and also start songwriting for others. This is the beginning, every track will have different story and a different meaning to this journey.

In this album you will find:

• Music that literally hits you : Groove, funk, fun, quick, the name, head nodding: MISSY D!

• Music the therapist : “feel no pain”, Music the diary, the lullaby, the feel good,  the feel something.

• Music the lover, music the dreamer, music the sound of generations, music the old soul,  music the smooth talker, music the melody, music the singer.

• Music the confidence, music the lyricism, music the rough, music the tough, music the talk that talk...

• Music the change, music the hope, music the activism, music the truth, music at it's Roots, Rock and Reggae!

• Music at its origin , music at its discovery, music at its memories : my beginning! = My First Album!

As shown in the album cover art made by the amazing Brianna Klassen, there is a certain vibrancy that resonates when music hits me.Whether I am performing, listening or creating music, I feel at peace and in no pain.

Words in mind : Multifaceted, Personal, Creative, Fresh, Feelings, Storytelling, Diary, Introspective, Therapy, Rap & Soul...

HOW CAN YOU HELP ?

We are fundraising for :

• recording of the songs
• mixing and mastering of the songs
• manufacturing of the album
• filming promotion and music videos
• distributing the album in 2016.

Please feel free to share the link, donate what you can, and promote a message of hope whether it’s through my music or each other.

Now you know my story, my aspirations, my goals, and now here's to HOPE! Hoping that as I leave my dreams into your hands, we all hope it becomes reality!

YOUR SUPPORT IS EVERYTHING!

I AM READY, HOPE YOU CAN HEAR ME ?

 All I need is one mic, and maybe a few dollars ;)!

Love,