By Kevin Heffernan
Photo Lisa Martin

“I need room to be the whole mess that I am. I won’t be defined by ideals of a man”

– says Hop Hop, stage persona of rapper producer Jaz Frazier, as she proudly flashes unshaved armpit hair with a shrug and eye roll.

Hop Hop got on my radar last year when her video for Scratch came across my Facebook feed. At first, I thought, wow great capture of public art and graffiti, alongside shots from rooftops and under bridges. Then I turned on the volume as the bass dropped and I headed over to Spotify to follow and hear more.

Talent on full display, Frazier pulls her audience in with mixed samples that she’ll rap, fast or slow, or sing with passion over. Once you’re hooked, she’ll put all her opinions and feelings out in full-view. Check out the beauty and yearning from A.N.T contrasted with the racial identity politics and frustration of Swiss Miss:

Speaking with Frazier, an Alabama native now living in Buffalo, she says of her work,

“Hop Hop is me on 10. She’s like the candy coating for my inner kid, my soft side, my bad bitch, my politics. When I’m onstage, it becomes my soapbox. I try to wield what little power I have with careful recklessness. “

Get her into your 2019 playlists, and then subscribe to the email list so you can go and support at her next show.