Dio Ganhdih and Chhoti Maa: Indigenous Hip-Hop Artists and Activists

Dio Ganhdih and Chhoti Maa
Thursday, Apr 23 2020, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Virtual Event
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Music & Migration Speaker Series—Spring 2020
Thursday, Apr 23 2020 10:00 AM Thursday, Apr 23 2020 11:30 AM America/New_York Dio Ganhdih and Chhoti Maa: Indigenous Hip-Hop Artists and Activists OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Join us for a conversation and informal performance with Chhoti Maa, a multidisciplinary cultural producer, MC, and singer whose music is rooted in hop hop, neufolk, and Mexican oral tradition, and Dio Ganhdih, a queer indigenous MC whose bold lyricism directly confronts sexuality, gender identity, and the struggles of an urban Native lifestyle. Virtual Event Bennington College

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Chhoti Maa was born in Guanajuato, Mexico and is currently based in Oakland, California. She is a multidisciplinary cultural producer with six self-released projects (2 studio albums, 4 eps) in her 12 years as an MC, singer, and producer. Her music is rooted in hip hop, neufolk and Mexican oral tradition, specifically her Grandma's storytelling magic. As part of the post-NAFTA diaspora, Chhoti Maa was formed by her migrant experience. Since 2007, Chhoti has performed, collaborated and taught in Puerto Rico, China, US, Cuba, Spain, Qatar, U.A.E., Ghana, Sweden, Canada, Peru, Mexico and multiple Indigenous nations. Their music deals with decolonial living, red medicine, queerness, migrant empowerment, love and the reconstruction of the womyn temple. 

Dio Ganhdih is a queer indigenous MC decolonizing the game through her bold lyricism that directly confronts sexuality, gender identity, and the struggles of an urban Native lifestyle. With a musical upbringing rooted in traditional Iroquois ceremonies and celebrations, Dio Ganhdih incorporates the rhythms of her Cherokee and Mohawk lineage into her work as a hip-hop artist. The result is undeniably fresh: uninhibited flows, distinct sounds, and a trademark humor that makes even the most uncomfortable topics entertaining.