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B.L.A.C Magazine

Music by Detroit Artists for a Summer Playlist

Local musicians continue to make the Motor City a good place for music. Here are four songs to add to your playlist.

Emell Derra Adolphus

(page 3 of 5)

'Keep It Moving' by Insite The Riot

Allandra Bulger originally thought her stage name Insite The Riot was too "abrasive." But then she found meaning in the "revolution in our thinking" (RIOT). And suddenly everything made sense.

Look for her to roll out music from her new album, Girl Meets Beat, this summer-—but until then, experience your own musical riot with our playlist favorite, "Keep it Moving."

 

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The Oakland Post

TEDx speakers share some background, sneak peaks before Saturday talks

by Oona Goodin-Smith

Posted on Mar 11, 201

Do the mid-semester doldrums have you in a funk and lacking inspiration? Shake off the winter blues and get x-cited for OU’s first-ever TEDx conference, taking place on Saturday, March 15 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Focusing on the theme of “Inspiration”, the event will be held in in room 1050 of the Human Health Building and feature speakers and performers ranging from hip-hop artists to engineers, all gathering to further the TEDx slogan of “ideas worth spreading.” “Love Doctor” Terri Orbuch, 12-year-old musical prodigy Daniel Cho, “Insite the Riot” hip-hop artist Allandra Bulger, and world-traveling OU Professor Barbara Oakley are just four of the twelve set to perform at the conference.

Allandra Bulger

Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I graduated from O.U in 2008 with a master's degree in Public Administration specializing in Nonprofit Organization and Management.  I am currently serving as a fellow with the Detroit Revitalization Fellowship Program through Wayne State University.  I also perform as a hip hop artist under the moniker “Insite The Riot”, which means to incite a revolution in our thinking. The music I create is a call to action for the listener to overcome limited thinking, persevere and expand self-awareness. I believe music can be a tool for personal development and growth. 

Can you give us sneak preview into what you'll be talking about for the conference?

I will actually be performing at the conference. My performance will be framed around using our authentic voice. My work seeks to impact the audiences’ perceptions of our individual and collective worth and potential. In a nutshell, the primary message I am conveying is to know yourself, love yourself and let your light shine.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Inspiration”. What inspires you?

I draw inspiration from the resilience of the individual and collective human spirit. I find inspiration in the history of my ancestors, the stories of my community, the unapologetic fight against injustice, human imperfection, spiritual evolution, the exotic and the mundane. 

What does speaking at OU's first TEDx conference mean to you?

Speaking and performing at OU's first TEDX conference is truly an honor. The fact that the event is locally organized adds a unique dynamic and experience. I am excited to return to my alma mater as a participant. I’m also looking forward to experiencing the other speakers as well.

Read the full article HERE. 

The Oakland Post

Hip hop gets grrrly at upcoming film fest

by Oona Goodin-Smith

Apr 2, 2014

There will be a riot at Oakland University this Saturday, April 5. Participants are encouraged to bring open minds, stomachs, and a healthy dose of street.

Progressive hip hop artist Insite the Riot, alongside her fellow members of The Foundation, a Detroit-based group that encourages women in hip hop, will be performing at Grrrls at the Mic, OU’s 30th annual Women and Gender Studies film festival, taking place this Saturday from 12-5 pm in the Oakland Center’s Gold Rooms.

“In the past, we’ve done both serious topics and fun topics,” said Erin Meyers, event committee member and Assistant Professor in Communication and Journalism. “This year we wanted to do something a little different.”

Borrowing its name from the Riot grrl movement that took place in Olympia, Washington in the 1990s, Grrrls at the Mic will focus on gender inequality in the punk and hip hop spheres, showing the female-empowering filmsGrrrl Love and Revolution and Say My Name, and ending with performances from women of The Foundation.

“There will be breaks between each of the performances as well as food, and people are welcome to come and go as they please,” said Meyers.

OU alum and Detroit Revitalization Fellow Allandra Bulger, or “Insite the Riot,” as she is known in the music industry, said that the event will be “a great experience for anyone who attends.”

“It’s stuff you haven’t heard, yet,” she said...

 

Read the full article HERE

 

 

METRO TIMES

Blowout profile: Insite the Riot. MC part of strong hip-hop presence at Blowout.

By Brett Callwood

PUBLISHED: APRIL 29, 2014

Since the early days of Blowout, there have been hip-hop acts on the bill. Over the last couple of years though, rap has become an integral part of the festival — a breath of fresh air — thanks in part to groups like Passalacqua, Cold Men Young and Clear Soul Forces. And the music is always great. 

This year, rounding out the Friday night Blowout at the Seven Brothers Bar in Hamtramck is a supremely talented artist who goes by the name Insite the Riot. She’s not interested in telling us her real name, and we’re not going to pursue it because she’s worked so hard over the last decade to brand herself. She’s a bright, razor-sharp woman, determined to prove through her own work and the work of others that hip-hop can be a positive, inspiring force for society. Ignorant stereotypes be damned — this lady makes sport of disproving every one of them. 

Insite (as she likes to be called) has been performing since she was 8 years old. “That grew out of a love for DJ-ing initially,” she says. “My uncle, who I grew up in a household with, was a DJ. When I was younger, I used to sneak onto his turntables and play records. There was one particular record that I really liked, “You Can’t Play with my Yo-Yo” by Yo-Yo. I scratched his record up, he found it and put two and two together. I was essentially banned from the turntables, and since I couldn’t play the music anymore, I started creating my own. I’ve probably been doing performances in a real way since my early 20s. I’m 32 now, so 10 years or so.”...

Read the full article HERE