Goapele Mohlabane (; born July 11, 1977), is an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

and R&B singer-songwriter. Her name means ''to move forward'' in Setswana, a Southern African language.

Early life

Goapele's South African father Douglas Mohlabane was an exiled political activist who struggled against the

Apartheid System Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid ...

. Goapele's New York-born Israeli Jewish mother Noa had been attending protests since the age of 12. Noa attended Friends World College and was studying in

Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

, where she met and married Douglas. Goapele and her older brother DJ Namane Mohlabane were raised in a California South African exile community. Both of her parents inspired Goapele to become very involved in community affairs at a young age. She attended the Berkeley Arts Magnet School, where she led a pre-teen peer-support group. She also became involved in various groups and organizations that combated racism and sexism. Goapele and Theo Rodrigues have a daughter together, Bahia Osun (born May 2007).http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/13/2953088/back-after-having-daughter-goapele.html Now in her 30s and the mother of a 3-year-old daughter

Career

''Even Closer''

Goapele returned to Oakland after her time at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

, where she concentrated on writing and recording songs. In 2001, she self-released her debut album, '' Closer'', which sold 5,000 copies. At the same time, she was building a devoted audience through her popular live performances in the San Francisco Bay Area. "Closer" peaked at No. 63 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In 2002 she reworked ''Closer'', adding five new songs. With the help of her family, she formed her own independent label, Skyblaze Recordings, to oversee her musical career. She released her first nationally distributed album, ''Even Closer'', featuring the single "Closer," through

Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings is an Oakland, California-based, independent hip hop record label founded and owned by underground hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics. The label was created by the collective in 1995 to publish and market t ...

. "Closer" was also featured on the soundtrack of the 2003 movie ''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

''. In 2004,

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

/ SME Records picked up Skyblaze Recordings for worldwide distribution and rereleased the album with additional tracks. She co-wrote and co-produced the entire album, which is a mixture of neo-soul,

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...

lieder In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...

, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

. She also toured North America with the band Spearhead. In 2004, ''Even Closer'' peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Charts for Top Independent Albums.

''Change It All''

Her second album, ''

Change It All ''Change It All'' is the third studio album by American singer–songwriter Goapele. It was released in 2005. This album was composed of all-new material and was a forward step in her development as an artist, which was a great expansion in rang ...

'', featuring the single "First Love" and the song "Love Me Right," was released December 2005. The album featured production work from Jeff Bhasker, Mike Tiger, Amp Live, Sa-Ra Creative Partners, and Linda Perry. In 2006 the album peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Album Charts and No. 2 on the Top Heatseekers while the single "First Love" reached No. 18 on the Hot Adult R&B Airplay. Goapele appeared on ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series ...

'' to promote the album in May 2006, in what turned out to be the show's final new episode. She also appeared on ''The Orlando Jones Show'', ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', ''ABC View from The Bay'' and ''FOX Good Day Atlanta''. Her first three releases have garnered praise from the likes of magazines such as ''Rolling Stone'', ''Nylon'', ''Interview'', ''Marie Claire'', ''Billboard'', ''Essence'', and ''Vibe''. She has appeared on the covers of local Bay Area publications ''San Francisco Magazine'', ''Diablo Magazine'', ''East Bay Express'', ''SF Bay Guardian'', ''Mugshot Magazine'', and ''City Flight'', She was named the number-5 artist to watch in the July 2003 issue of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, made the countdown on MTV’s ''Top 10 Artists to Watch'', and collaborated with ALDO Shoes’ advertisement campaign in its fight against HIV/AIDS, which featured artists such as Avril Lavigne, Ludacris, Dave Navarro, Charlize Theron, Pink, Eve, Rosario Dawson, Eva Mendes, Bow Wow, Ziggy Marley, and Kelly Rowland.

''Break of Dawn''

On July 10, 2009, Skyblaze Recordings leaked the single "Milk & Honey" (produced by Bedrock), the first single from her third studio album of the same title. However, in August 2011, she announced that the album would be titled ''Break of Dawn''. The album is being recorded at the Zoo, home of Goapele's Oakland-based Skylight Studios and will feature production from Drumma Boy, Bedrock, Kanye West, Dan Electric, Mike Tiger, Bobby Ozuna (Raphael Saadiq, John Mayer, Erykah Badu), Malay (John Legend, Mary J. Blige), Jeff Bhasker (The Game, Kanye West, Ludacris, T.I), and other guest musicians. After many delays, the album was finally released on October 25, 2011.

''Victory''

In celebration of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa Goapele released the single "Victory" featuring South African emcee Hip Hop Pantsula, a prelude to her upcoming musical project ''Victory'', which was released in Winter 2010 and feature an array of artists from the African continent as well as throughout the Diaspora. The leading track was recorded in English, Setswana, and Xhosa and tries to draw attention to the need for education and resources to combat Africa's most crucial dilemmas. The album will also encompass philanthropy, political and social activism. Proceeds from the project will go to ANSA (Artists for a New South Africa) a non-profit organization working to combat HIV/AIDS, assist children orphaned by the disease, advance human and civil right, educate and empower youth and build bonds between the U.S. and South Africa through Arts & Culture. In 2014, Goapele signed with singer

Eric Benét Eric Benét Jordan (born October 15, 1967) is an American R&B/neo soul singer-songwriter and actor, who has received a total of four Grammy nominations to date for his musical work. Biography Early life Benét was born on October 15, 1966 ...

's record label Jordan House and is in the process of recording new material for her new label.

''Strong as Glass''

In 2014, Goapele released ''Strong as Glass'', her fifth studio album. The lead single was "Hey, Boy" featuring Snoop Dogg and the video was released September 10, 2014, on YouTube.

Collaborations

Apart from her solo work, she has collaborated with West Coast MCs such as Aceyalone,

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, ...

, Zion-I, and

Mac Mall Jamal Rocker (born June 14, 1975), professionally known by his stage name Mac Mall, is an American rapper who became known in the mid/late 1990s as one of the local artists putting the Bay Area on the hip hop map. Mac Mall signed with the record ...

; those involved in the

Hieroglyphics Egyptian hieroglyphs (, ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, used for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with some 1,000 distinct characters.There were about 1 ...

Crew; Detroit based vocalist Dwele; and Clyde Carson and

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

on the track "Different.”

Human rights work

Goapele performed at rallies, demonstrations, and various political events around the world from Cuba to South Africa. On September 14, 2006, the California-based

Ella Baker Center for Human Rights The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights is a non-profit strategy and action center based in Oakland, California. The stated aim of the center is to work for justice, opportunity and peace in urban America. It is named for Ella Baker, a twentieth ...

honored her with its first ever Human Rights Cultural Hero Award during the center's 10th-anniversary celebration, which was titled "Tribute to a Dream." The following statement was issued by the Center regarding the award: The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights is a non-profit strategy and action center. The stated aim of the center is to work for justice, opportunity, and peace in urban America.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Closer'' (Goapele Music, 2001) * '' Even Closer'' (Skyblaze/Columbia/SME, 2002) * ''

'' (Skyblaze/Columbia/SBMG, 2005) * '' Break of Dawn'' (Skyblaze/Decon, 2011) * '' Strong as Glass'' (Skyblaze/Primary Wave/BMG Rights Management, 2014) * '' DreamSeeker'' (Skyblaze/Primary Wave/Empire, 2017) ;Singles * "Closer" (2002) * "Got It" (2003) * "First Love" (2005) * "Love Me Right" (2006) * "Soweto" (featuring

) (2008) * "Chocolate" (2008) * "Milk & Honey" (2009) * "Victory" (featuring

Hip Hop Pantsula Jabulani Tsambo (14 September 1980 – 24 October 2018), better known by his stage name Hip Hop Pantsula, later shortened to HHP, was a South African Motswako rapper (Motswakolista) who performed in several languages, mostly in Setswana. He was ...

) (2010) * "Undertow" (2013) * "Hey, Boy" (2014) ;Guest appearances *

– "Make Your Move" from '' Full Circle'' (2003) * J Boogie's Dubtronic Science – "Try Me" from ''J Boogie's Dubtronic Science'' (2003) *

– "Show & Prove" from '' Breakin' News'' (2003) * Triple Threat – "How U Talkin?" from ''Many Styles'' (2003) * Aceyalone – "Moonlit Skies" from '' Love & Hate'' (2003) * Planet Asia – "Upside Down" from ''The Grand Opening'' (2004) *

Tajai Tajai Massey, known by the stage name Tajai (born April 21, 1975), is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the four founding members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Misch ...

– "Dedication" from ''Power Movement'' (2004) *

SupremeEx Yameen is an American hip hop producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. His most recent album, "Diamond is Unfadable" was released in 2017 on Rumble Pack Records. Light of Love / Sound of Fire In 2010, Yameen released an ani ...

& Tajai – "Meaning" from ''Nuntype'' (2005) * The Team – "Sunshine" from ''World Premiere'' (2005) * Amir Sulaiman – "They Don't Know" from ''Like a Thief in the Night'' (2007) *

Zion I Zion I was an American hip hop project founded by MC and producer Baba Zumbi (real name Stephen Gaines) in Oakland, California. K-Genius and Amp Live were also project members. Career Originally formed as a group, Zion I released the debut s ...

– "Life's Work" from ''Shadowboxing'' (2012) * Ben Williams – "Voice of Freedom" from ''Coming of Age'' (2015) *

Cassper Nyovest Refiloe Maele Phoolo (born 16 December 1990), professionally known as Cassper Nyovest, is a South African rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, record producer and amateur boxer. Born and raised in Mahikeng, North West, he is regarded as one of t ...

– "Destiny" from "Thuto" (2017)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Goapele 1977 births Living people 20th-century African-American women singers African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters African-American Jews American people of Israeli descent American people of South African descent American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American sopranos Berklee College of Music alumni Columbia Records artists Jewish American musicians Jewish singers Musicians from Oakland, California American neo soul singers Singer-songwriters from California American contemporary R&B singers 21st-century American women singers Trip hop musicians Ballad musicians 21st-century American singers 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American Jews