British rapper Monie Love was one of the first BritHop artists to gain international fame. Her collaborations with artists Queen Latifah, Adeva and De La Soul caught the ear of American hip-hop heads, and she has built on that fame to foster an equally successful career in radio. Making the move to Indianapolis only two weeks ago, Love is currently the midday host on local radio station 106.7 WTLC. We spoke with Love to learn more about her move to the Hoosier state.
Recorder: Since coming to the U.S., you have lived all over, including New York, Philadelphia and Miami. How does Indianapolis stack up?
Love: I have been here for two weeks, so I don’t know yet, I just got here. I’m from a completely different country to begin with, so it’s always an adventure for me to go different places.
You consider yourself an ‘artivist.’ Can you tell me more about your relationship with art and social justice and how those two passions connect?
A couple of years ago, a few of us were summoned to a gathering. We were called to be there by Harry Belafonte. I was there, Danny Glover was there, David Banner was there. There were so many people and it was a star-studded meeting. We came up with this phrase ‘artivist’ because we are in the arts and we are interested in having open dialog on how we can bring awareness and fight for social justice.
On twitter you were discussing a funny situation you had with your kids regarding an Internet pop-up, and I saw that you sometimes bring them to work with you. How’s family life, and do they seem interested in the radio business?
They have fun occasionally when they do come to work with me, whether they will fall into broadcasting or not, I don’t know. If anything, maybe my youngest would? She is nine. Yeah, there is a lot of scamming on people (online) and we had to (reset) her new laptop she got for Christmas. (My kids) are intuitive and interested in what I do in performance or radio, and on the music side they will come to my shows, be backstage and see the happenings.
So how did this radio show come about?
It’s my first midday show, and I’m on my own. That’s a new thing. It’s free flowing and fun, and I get an opportunity to lean heavily into the music. It really reflects my age group because what we play is what we were listening to while I was a teen. It’s Usher, Destiny’s Child and Keith Sweat. It’s a little of what my parents listen to, a heavy dose of my age group and a splash of newer contemporary music.
What should readers who tune in expect?
This show allows me to discuss a few things in between the music. It’s whatever the music tells me to talk about. It’s easy for me to have a memory that goes with the song. It feels awesome and gives me an opportunity to reminisce.
