Empire I (true name Miriam Moufide, also stage-named The Gangstress) is a singer, songwriter and social activist based in Kingston, Jamaica. Her musical style has been described as a blend of

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and

World music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

. She is signed to Monumental Records and distributed by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

and Zojak Worldwide.

Early life

Born in Wales to a Moroccan father and British mother, she was raised in Morocco. At age 7 she moved to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, where she lived with her 2 brothers, mother, and Ugandan/Yemeni stepfather. At the age of 16, Moufide moved to Costa Rica for school and began a four-year trip around the world, living with small and marginalised communities. Her love for music and anthropology led her to visit and live in 30 different countries, and to eventually put her experiences to music.

Activism and Charity

At 21 while in the Amazon rainforest attending the

Bumba Meu Boi Bumba Meu Boi is an interactive play celebrated in Brazil. It originated in the 18th century. It is a form of social criticism. Lower-class Brazilians mock and criticize those of higher social status through a comedic folklore story told in son ...

festival, she met members of the Rainbow Caravan for Peace and made the decision to join them as they visited indigenous villages and festivals. Drawing on her education in theatre, music and workshop facilitation she worked with them performing in street theatre and giving workshops on

bioregionalism Bioregionalism is a philosophy that suggests that political, cultural, and economic systems are more sustainable and just if they are organized around naturally defined areas called '' bioregions'' (similar to ''ecoregions''). Bioregions are d ...

permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using Systems theory, whole-systems thinking. It applies t ...

ecovillage An ecovillage is a traditional or intentional community that aims to become more socially, culturally, economically and/or environmentally sustainable. An ecovillage strives to have the least possible negative impact on the natural environment ...

design,

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemistry, biochemical and physiology, physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support its life. The intake of these substances provides organisms with nutrients (divided into Macronutrient, macro- ...

and spiritual gatherings. Her lyrics often focus on social matters like women’s rights ("NANA Power"), building community ("Participate") and defending your dreams ("Get up on it", "Won't surrender"). The artist tries to use her international recognition to draw attention to issues that matter to her, by hosting and performing charitable events, especially in her home cities of

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The song ''S.O.S. To Freedom'' is currently being used in a campaign against human trafficking across the United States. You can also find her NANA Power song utilized in the Girls Action Foundation's, Light a Spark cause.

Musical career

Moufide, having taken the stage name ''Empire ISIS'', began making music while traveling in Jamaica, working with the legendary Jamaican musicians

Dean Fraser Dean Ivanhoe Fraser (sometimes appearing as Dean Frazer; born 4 August 1957) Allmusic.com biography by Sandra Brennan/ref> is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Mus ...

and Chinna Smith, as well as Miami-based producers The Iconz. She recorded her debut album "Empress Gangstress" in part at Bob Marley's legendary Tuff Gong Studios in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

. It featured reggae singers

Bushman The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are the members of any of the indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures of southern Africa, and the oldest surviving cultures of the region. They are thought to have diverged from other humans 100,000 to 200 ...

and

Half Pint Lindon Andrew Roberts (born 11 November 1961),Josephs, Karla (2012)Big deal for Half Pint", ''Jamaica Observer'', 7 June 2012, retrieved 8 June 2012 professionally known as Half Pint, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. Biograp ...

. Empire ISIS has played in over 20 different countries, including Brazil, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Senegal and Canada and the American festivals

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

and

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

. On her more recent albums, Empire I has worked and recorded with producers like Prayon and

Kovas Kovasciar Myvette (born August 1, 1985), known professionally as KOVAS, is an American songwriter, record producer, music composer, and recording artist of Spanish and French descent (Central America and Morocco). Career He has produced an ...

. As well as songwriting for Empire ISIS, she also writes under the name Miriam Moufide for other musicians and is published by Cherry Lane Music and pigFACTORY Music. In June 2011, Empire I was voted into the "Wall of Fame" at the Montreal Hip Hop Summit and is now featured in the Montreal deck of "Legend Of The Fame" hip hop trading cards. In 2012, Empire I relocated to Jamaica where she has been touring and recording, collaborating with a variety of producers including Truckback, J.Hennessy, Sam Diggy, Frassman Brilli and Rebel Camp Entertainment. In 2016 Moufide changed her stage name to Empire I following issues with public confusion with the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

frequently referred to in the media as "ISIS". She made the official announcement on the Jamaican program Onstage TV January 23, 2016.

Film and television

2007 * Reggae Uncensored DVD, also featuring: Damian "Junior Gong" Marley,

Sizzla Kalonji Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Sizzla Kalonji or Sizzla, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is noted for his high num ...

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. Paul's first album, ''Stage One'', was released in 2000. He gained international fame with his second album, ''Dutty Rock'', in 2002. Its single "Get Busy ...

Junior Reid Delroy "Junior" Reid (born 6 June 1963) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. From 1986 to 1988, he served as lead vocalist for the reggae band Black Uhuru on three albums: '' Brutal'' (1986), '' Positive'' (1987), and ''Black Uhuru Live i ...

, Mavado and

Collie Buddz Colin Patrick Harper (born August 21, 1981), better known by his stage name Collie Buddz, is a Bermudian reggae singer. He signed with Columbia Records to release his self-titled debut studio album (2006), which entered the ''Billboard'' 200 ...

2008-2009 *Gangstress Chronicles: Series of interviews by Empire ISIS for Quebec music channel MusiquePlus featuring

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...

U-God Lamont Jody Hawkins (born November 10, 1970), better known by his stage name U-God, meaning Universal-God, is an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He has been with the group since its inception, and is known for ...

, Tricky,

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ; formerly stylized as KiD CuDi), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Clevelan ...

Perez Hilton Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting Tabloid jou ...

and others.

Song Placements

Born to Dance ''Born to Dance'' is a 1936 American musical film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Eleanor Powell, James Stewart and Virginia Bruce. It was produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The score was composed by Cole Porter. Plot Wh ...

Bad Girls Club ''Bad Girls Club'' (abbreviated ''BGC'') is a 2006 American reality television series created by Jonathan Murray for the Oxygen network in the United States. The show focused on the altercations and physical confrontations of seven aggressiv ...

The Hills

Khloé & Lamar ''Khloé & Lamar '' is an American reality television series that debuted on E! on April 10, 2011. The series is the third spin-off of the show ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' and features reality star Khloé Kardashian and her then-husban ...

Shameless (American TV series) Shameless means lacking in shame. It may also refer to: Television and cinema * Shameless (British TV series), ''Shameless'' (British TV series), a UK television series that ran from 2004 to 2013 * ''Shameless'', a 2007 HBO special by Louis C.K. ...

Burn Notice ''Burn Notice'' is an American espionage television series created by Matt Nix, which originally aired on the USA Network for a total of seven seasons from June 28, 2007, to September 12, 2013. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, ...

Robson Arms ''Robson Arms'' is a Canadian television series that began airing on CTV Television Network, CTV on June 17, 2005, and ended on June 30, 2008. ''Robson Arms'' is a co-production between Vancouver-based Omni Film Productions Limited and Metropolita ...

Notes from the Underbelly ''Notes from the Underbelly'' is an American sitcom that was aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 2007 to 2008, originally debuting as a mid-season replacement. The series is based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Risa Green, and ...

Good Christian Belle

Make It Or Break It ''Make It or Break It'' ( ''MIOBI)'' is an American teen/family drama television series that focused on the lives of teen gymnasts who strived to make it to the Olympic Games in 2012. The series was inspired by Touchstone's 2006 teen comedy-dra ...

The City

Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins (also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins) function as a grouping of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. In the standard list, the seven deadly sins according to the Catholic Church are pride, greed ...

Taking The Stage ''Taking the Stage'' is a musical reality show set at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is produced by Nick Lachey, a SCPA alumnus, for MTV. The first season chronicled the lives of five high school students and ...

The Millers ''The Millers'' is an American sitcom television series that was created by Greg Garcia (producer), Greg Garcia and stars Will Arnett as Nathan Miller and Margo Martindale as Carol Miller. The Multiple-camera setup, multi-camera series aired fr ...

UJAMM Fitness

The Catalina ''The Catalina'' is an American reality television television series that aired on The CW. The series debuted on May 29, 2012. Episodes Reception Brian Lowry of ''Variety (magazine), Variety'' called the series "a ''Jersey Shore (TV series), ...

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term ''girl'' has other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.com, "Girl"'' Retrieved January 2, 2008. ''daughter'' or ''girlfriend'' regardless of age, ...

Discography

*Empress Gangstress (2005) ** featuring

and

*Sound The Trumpets (2007) ** featuring

Sizzla Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Sizzla Kalonji or Sizzla, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is noted for his high num ...

and

Turbulence In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers with no disruption between ...

*Brand New Style (2009) *Crack The Code (2011) *Back From The Dead (2017)

Singles

*Come With Me feat. Fafadi (2013) *Ignite Pink Wall Riddim (2013) *Haute Couture (2014) *Ina Da Streets (2014) *La Pongo feat. El Freaky (2014) *Fi Da Man Dem feat. El Freaky (2014) *Boom Boom (2017) *Beggi Beggi (2017)

Awards

Some awards and nominations Empire I has received are listed below. * Gala SOBA (

Sounds of Blackness Award Sounds of Blackness Award also known as S.O.B.A. or SOBA is an annual Canadian awards in hip hop and urban music in Quebec and Canada. SOBA was established by Ruddy B. Eloi, well-known from a French-language Quebec television series ''Watatatow ...

s) **2008: Winner – Best English Single of the Year **2008: Winner – Best World Music Music Artist of the Year * GAMIQ(Quebec Indie Music Awards) **2008: Nominee – Best World Album * Hollywood Music Awards **2008: Nominee – Best Pop Artist * International Reggae & World Music Awards **2005: Nominee – Most Promising Entertainer * Montreal Hip Hop Awards **2010: Winner – Female Artist of the Year * Toronto Exclusive **2007: Winner – Best New Artist **2007: Winner – Best New Single **2007: Winner – Best New Female Artist *Toronto Independent Music Awards **2008: Winner – Best Out-Of-Province – "

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

" * Underground Urban Music Awards **2008: Winner – Best International Artist

References

External links

Musique Plus Page

Official website

Label website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire I Dancehall musicians Jamaican women rappers Canadian hip-hop singers Musicians from Bangor, Gwynedd Reggae fusion artists Living people Welsh emigrants to Canada Canadian people of Moroccan descent Jamaican people of Welsh descent 1977 births