The first time that Jasmine Barber, poet, stepped on a formal stage as rapper J Bambii, it was at the Hideout in 2016. She had been writing songs for herself for more than a year as a way to understand her evolving identity, exploring a genre that she had considered herself simply a fan of.
But as she became increasingly active in the city’s music scenes, Barber quickly saw inequities in the experiences of her nonmale, nonwhite peers. Seeing Black women underpaid and relegated to early opening slots before audiences had arrived pushed her to take a stance as an organizer in addition to being a performer. It all started with “The Brown Skin Lady Show” in 2017, a musical showcase that centered and empowered Black women at the now-defunct DIY spot, the Dojo, in Pilsen.
