Follow Amelia
Find her art and hear her thoughts on hip-hop culture:
Instagram: @artbymillimagic
Twitter: @artbymillimagic
Website and blog: https://millimagic.com/
Finding a Voice:
Amelia’s lyrics draw on her own experiences and ideas. “I explore my frustrations with the set-up of the world,” she explains. “I write about friends who are recovering from addiction and have mental health issues. And about the male-female balance within all of us.”
She recently gained the courage to test her skills. “I decided to enter Swansea Poetry Slam in July, never having gone to a poetry slam before,” she reveals. “And I won. It’s given me the confidence to start doing more rap and writing lyrics.”
There’s more of Amelia’s words to come. “I’ve written some poetry in response to Ella Wilding’s exhibition Out of the Allotment at Cwtsh Gallery in Newport,” she says. “I’ll be sharing that with their writers group as spoken word on 10 November.”
Street Art:
Amelia has painted for a more political purpose. “I did a piece for International Women’s Day in 2017,” she recalls. “We put the names of 118 women who had been killed by men the year before on a wall. It’s in the short film Not an Isolated Incident with a spoken word piece by [Welsh poet and MC] Rufus Mufasa.”
We like to think of ourselves as an advanced, civilised society, especially in the West. Despite these ideas, numerous people are affected by domestic abuse on a daily basis, around the world.Awareness is the first step towards change.If you would like further information or help please contact the Free-phone 24 Hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on:-0808 2000 247or for more information please visit the website athttp://www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk/
Posted by Doc BlackdaWho on Sunday, 5 March 2017
Video Credit: DocBlackdaWho
Favourite Artists:
American hip-hop: “For me it was the funk influence, so I was into De La Soul, Jurassic 5 and all that.”
English hip-hop: “Task Force would be the one. Lyrically for me they took it deeper, into the poetry of hip hop. Braintax as well, the album Biro Funk.”
Welsh hip-hop: “Headcase Ladz and Fleapit. I remember hearing Headcase Ladz for the first time and thinking oh my God they’re rapping in Welsh accents, that’s amazing.”
The multi-talented graffiti artist, b-girl and spoken word poet partners with the RSPB to protect Welsh wildlife
It’s an icy October night and the village of Tongwynlais is dark and silent. But set back from the main road, the village hall lights are warm, and a lively funk beat echoes from inside.
Cardiff’s small community of breakdancers are here. Among nine men, Amelia Unity isn’t afraid to jump into the centre of the cypher to show off her skill. She’s taller than several of the guys, comfortable in her hoodie and trainers.
This is her place. Amelia has been hooked on hip-hop since hearing Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys at the age of 15. She’s since gone beyond the music, delving into all aspects of hip-hop culture.
Becoming an artist
The mural in the village hall is her own work; a gorgeous fairy-tale picture smudged in shades of pink and gold. “I used to get in trouble at school for drawing on the walls,” she admits, laughing. “I wrote Milli Munsta with a paw print in the middle. It was like a logo.”
Amelia would find scraps of wood in skips to practice her lettering style. But it wasn’t until moving to Cardiff that she discovered print shop Oner Signs and the city’s ‘graff’ community.
“I started buying paint and going to Hailey Park, the legal place to paint then,” she recalls. “I was in a crew called TLC, with three other women and two guys.”
Painting with intent
Amelia has found that different modes of painting fit a variety of purposes. “Graffiti is a social thing,” she says. “The art is painting in the public sphere and expressing that we all contribute to our environment.”
A recent commission was unveiled at the Senedd to support the RSPB’s We Need Nature campaign. Amelia painted five boards, each visually representing an element of the Welsh environment.
“After Brexit, farming policies will change,” she explains. “The RSPB, WWF and the National Trust are lobbying the government to ensure that what replaces the European policy works in favour of nature.”
Painting on canvas is her format for self-reflection. “I express ideas and thoughts on canvas more than on walls,” she muses. “My mother passed away five years ago and I painted a lot of butterflies, which symbolise transition and change.”
Being a b-girl
Amelia’s involvement in Cardiff’s hip-hop scene goes beyond graffiti. “I started teaching DJing at Cathays Community Centre,” she recalls. “There was a crossover between my class finishing and the b-boys’ training session starting.”
She began breakdancing, helping to establish the Cardiff City Kings jam in 2009. Almost a decade on, she’s organising training sessions, determined to keep the scene alive.
Amelia’s twin daughters, Sofie and Brooke, accompany her to the training session tonight. She hopes they’ll keep up breakdance alongside her.
She believes breakdance is the most accessible element of hip-hop culture for women. “I think it’s because it’s a physical thing,” she explains. “Breaking is more integrated and progressive.”
Whether painting on walls or breakdancing, Amelia has promised herself to always create for the love of her art rather than money. “That’s where it comes from.”
Follow Amelia
Find her art and hear her thoughts on hip-hop culture:
Instagram: @artbymillimagic
Twitter: @artbymillimagic
Website and blog: https://millimagic.com/
Finding a Voice:
Amelia’s lyrics draw on her own experiences and ideas. “I explore my frustrations with the set-up of the world,” she explains. “I write about friends who are recovering from addiction and have mental health issues. And about the male-female balance within all of us.”
She recently gained the courage to test her skills. “I decided to enter Swansea Poetry Slam in July, never having gone to a poetry slam before,” she reveals. “And I won. It’s given me the confidence to start doing more rap and writing lyrics.”
There’s more of Amelia’s words to come. “I’ve written some poetry in response to Ella Wilding’s exhibition Out of the Allotment at Cwtsh Gallery in Newport,” she says. “I’ll be sharing that with their writers group as spoken word on 10 November.”
Street Art:
Amelia has painted for a more political purpose. “I did a piece for International Women’s Day in 2017,” she recalls. “We put the names of 118 women who had been killed by men the year before on a wall. It’s in the short film Not an Isolated Incident with a spoken word piece by [Welsh poet and MC] Rufus Mufasa.”
We like to think of ourselves as an advanced, civilised society, especially in the West. Despite these ideas, numerous people are affected by domestic abuse on a daily basis, around the world.Awareness is the first step towards change.If you would like further information or help please contact the Free-phone 24 Hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on:-0808 2000 247or for more information please visit the website athttp://www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk/
Posted by Doc BlackdaWho on Sunday, 5 March 2017
Video Credit: DocBlackdaWho
Favourite Artists:
American hip-hop: “For me it was the funk influence, so I was into De La Soul, Jurassic 5 and all that.”
English hip-hop: “Task Force would be the one. Lyrically for me they took it deeper, into the poetry of hip hop. Braintax as well, the album Biro Funk.”
Welsh hip-hop: “Headcase Ladz and Fleapit. I remember hearing Headcase Ladz for the first time and thinking oh my God they’re rapping in Welsh accents, that’s amazing.”