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Ladybug Mecca: The Rebirth of Mec

By Katie McDonnell
Co-Editor

Ladybug Mecca, formerly of the Grammy-winning trio Digable Planets, has completed the production of her debut solo album, Rebirth of Mec. She plans to release the album this fall and begin touring before the year is out.

For those who are having trouble finding Ladybug Mecca in their mental archives, think back to 1993 when the jazz/hip-hop song "Rebirth Of Slick" ("Cool Like Dat") could be heard falling off the tongues of fans from all walks of life. Digable Planets' Top 10 hit won a Grammy award for Best Rap Performance by a duo or group as well as a Billboard, and the group toured with Sade.

This unique and talented artist is not new to the industry.

The sound and feel of Ladybug Mecca¹s upcoming album will be an extension of Ladybug herself, as she wrote all of the lyrics and co-produced tracks. But Ladybug was not the only one makin' beats, "several people worked on this album," she said. "All incredibly talented, up-n-comin' producers. Myself, Mad Aris, Sa-ra, and a group of brothers from Cali." Other producers include Shane Conry, Isreal, Martin Luther, and Nu Paradigm's Nkosi "Ko-Produced" Gray.

The connection between Ladybug Mecca and her new label, Nu Paradigm Entertainment, began by chance. "I was at a recording studio in Manhattan to meet a producer who was working there and before leaving, I ran into the owner of the studio, who also happens to be the owner of the label. As I came to know more about Nu Paradigm, I felt it was the perfect place for me."

Ladybug Mecca said it's important she stays true to herself as an artist. "My style musically and lyrically is basically who I am. Which is a lot of different cultures, very universal, all meshed into one."

Because of the conglomerate of sounds, she is unsure of what section record stores will put her upcoming CD. "The Digable Planets CD was put under jazz mainly because the first single had a lot of jazz samples on it," she said. "I think it all depends on the first single that comes out, the classification will probably be based around that. I don't know if the first single will fall under Hip-Hop, I will probably be doing more rhyming on the second or third released."

"It's hard to classify my music, it is singing, rhyming… It's not R&B/Hip-Hop and it's not Rock. It is sort of universal."

What separates Ladybug Mecca from other females in the songwriting/rhymin' category?

"I would say that my personal view on life is much different than them, so I don¹t come from the same place as them lyrically," she said.

This could be due in part to the artist's Brazilian-American background and her spirituality.

"Growing up, I listened to Brazilian music first," she said. "My parents came here (America) from Brazil before I was born and met in the DC area." "As I got a little older, I got into Stevie Wonder, Jackson Five, Earth Wind and Fire… Those influenced me on top of the Brazilian music. Then when I was even older and could choose the music I listened to, that's when I got in to Hip-Hop, Rock, all kinds of music."

"I am inspired personally and musically by a lot of things," she said. "People I meet, my family, music."

Ladybug Mecca used her personal experiences and consciousness when creating material for Rebirth of Mec (tentatively titled).

"To me, really good writing is a song that everyone connects with. All music sounds good that you can feel, that talks to your intuition."

Over the past few years, Ladybug's main focus has been family. She currently lives in Harlem, NY with her husband and their four children. After an adulthood of ups and downs, she feels everything that occurs in her life can be attributed to her "path."

"I had to take time off from music because my parents passed away in the mid-nineties and I had gotten myself into an unhealthy relationship," she said. "It was a learning lesson and was a struggle to get out of. Then I had a solo deal in '97 but it just wasn't my time to come out. The whole time I just kept jotting down my experiences and preparing for today."

She feels that her experiences and the path she has traveled enable her to look at life and think, "wow, I am blessed."

"I believe we all have a path whether we are conscious of it or not," she said.

With an aura that exudes spiritual awareness, this female lyricist has overcome a great deal of negativity in her personal life and still has an immeasurable amount of positive energy and vision.

Her advice to up-n-coming artists:

"Listen to your intuition all across the board. Know the industry and keep your original beliefs and goals. Really look at it seriously and take it seriously. Speaking from experience, being young in the industry, and you need to have your business in order and have to be responsible because you are going to be in a position to sign contracts and you must remember that you are responsible for your life. Don't put your life in other people's hands, and if you do, make sure you trust the people," she said. "Creatively, stick to your guns, if your style is outside the box, don't let anyone try to change that. Stick to who you are and do you."

Ladybug's melodic voice mixed with intuitive and truthful style is a refreshing blend of sounds, opposing today's commercialized music scene.

The re-birth of Ladybug Mecca will not go unnoticed.