The Music News Round Up! Tuesday, July 24, 2012

5. Interview Magazine interviews new Berlin artist, MC DENA. She's kind of like the Berlin Kreayshawn in that her songs don't really have any lyrical significance. She doesn't have an album out yet, but she received a lot of attention from being featured on two of The Whitest Boy Alive albums. [InterviewMagazine] [MC Dena via] Check out some highlights from the interview below! On her love of Destiny's Child. "I'm inspired by hip-hop, R&B, and music from the '90s. I'm totally into Destiny's Child! It's my favorite band. But I also listen to beat music, like J Dilla and Madlib. Destiny's Child is the music where singing and rapping is perfectly combined. I care for harmonies and chords. I don't have this "anti-pop" or "commercial music" thing. In Germany, there was this famous [quote:] "Good music, I dance. No good music, I not dance!" I'm not American or English. I don't have this filtering connection to the lyrics of all those groups. When I listen to Jay-Z, I probably get about ten percent of what he's saying! Growing up in Bulgaria, my only connection to music was MTV... and it was a bit delayed. So, maybe I'm a bit behind." On her being compared to M.I.A and Santigold. "I can't really say. I've only heard two of their tracks." On the concept of "excess" in Hip-Hop: "["Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools" is] a playful statement. It's not like a "fuck you" to all those status symbols. It's definitely playing with irony. I'm trying to stay in a neutral zone, pointing towards me just wanting to have a good time. I've experienced liking a track, but not identifying with certain lyrics. In hip-hop, it can happen that you like the production, but you can't listen to it because you feel affected or insulted."