Agency
Kween G
Kween G (Gladys Kibone Namokoyi) was born in Uganda, East Africa during a
troubled time when the country was in the grasp of economic decline, social
disintegration, and massive human rights violations. Kween G’s father sought
political asylum in Australia which was granted and when Kween G was 4 years
old, the family emigrated to Sydney as political refugees.
Attending primary and high school in Australia, Kween G was raised on a
steady diet of African music and Reggae, but growing up with three older
brothers she was introduced to the culture that would captivate her for
life: Hip Hop. She quickly fell in love with Hip Hop devouring the lyrics of
MCs like Nas, Tupac, Notorious B.I.G, Boot Camp Clik, and Rah Digga.
Before long, Kween G was putting pen to paper scribing her own material and
no microphone has been safe since. In 2000, as fate would have it, Kween G
met Belizean Bombshell at the Olympic Games in Sydney (where they were
individually performing) and united through a fiery passion for Hip Hop, the
KillaQueenz were formed.
KillaQueenz are one of the hottest acts in Australia and their highly
energetic live performances have given them a well-deserved reputation as
ultimate party rockers, putting them in high demand for music festivals
while also supporting the likes of Lady Gaga, Salt N Pepa, Public Enemy,
Wu-Tang Can, South Rakkas Crew, Tha Alkaholiks, Bone Thugs N Harmony, NASA,
Lucky Dube and many more.
Their debut album “Sistarhood” was released in 2009 and showcased hard
hitting rhymes over a fusion of Hip Hop, Reggae, and Dance music with the
lead single “Double Up” receiving support across the globe. The album
featured two of Australia’s most respected Hip Hop producers Katalyst and
M-Phazes as well as South Rakkas Crew known for their work with Diplo and
Mad Decent. Remixes from the album included production from Yolanda Be Cool
& DCUP of “We No Speak Americano” fame.
As a MC, Kween G’s focus is potent content and flawless delivery and style.
Kween G makes music that excites, entertains, and enlightens her listeners,
but most of all she makes music to “move ya behind to”. Her work ethic and
commitment to her craft is admirable, but it is her fighting spirit, courage
and humility that has earned her respect across the country. Not content to
be ‘just another MC’, Kween G has actively pursued a career in radio and
television, attending NIDA (Nation Institute of Dramatic Art) in 2005 and
studying Presenting & Screen Acting.
Kween G also hosted a show on community radio station Radio Skid Row for 2
years (where she interviewed Hip Hop royalty DJ Kool Herc, Digital
Underground and Michael Franti from Spearhead), giving the perfect platform
to hone her presenting skills. Following the stint on Skid Row, Kween G
began working for national broadcaster SBS Radio, firstly in admin then as a
presenter and producer of 3 shows.
Kween G is also a rising player in the world of television and after
featuring as the face of SBS’s ‘Turn it Up’ youth competition, encouraging
Australian youth to share their stories through image, sound, film and word,
Kween G produced the news feature for Alchemy’s ‘Stolen Generation’ special
which was awarded a Silver medal in the United Nations category and 2 New
York Festival awards for the Social Issues and Current Events category.
And that’s just one aspect of the remarkable Kween G story so far. In 2010,
Marrickville Council voted her Young Citizen of the Year, a prestigious
honour that rewarded the essential community work that Kween G undertakes.
Kween G regularly participates in workshops with Beyond Empathy, an NGO that
uses arts genres such as film, digital and mixed media, theatre, music,
dance and visual arts to build relationships between inter-generationally
disadvantaged young people, local support agency staff and the local
community in 13 locations across Australia.
If Kween G’s fiery commitment to succeed and growing star potential is any
indication, it won’t be long before the rest of the world is scrambling to
catch up and meet Sydney’s “Best Kept Secret”!!