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MC Opi
MC Opi
Background information
Birth nameJanette Oparebea Nelson
Born (1971-04-10) April 10, 1971 (age 53)
Chelsea, London, United Kingdom
GenresHip hop, dancehall, dub, trip hop, deep house, progressive house, electronica, electroacoustic, experimental, dark ambient, circuit bending
Instrument(s)Bass guitar, drums, piano, celtic harp
Years active1987–present
LabelsMushroom Australia, EMI, Polygram, Phonogram, Wintrup Musikverlage
Websiteopinelson.com

Janette Oparebea Nelson, (born 10 April 1971) known by her stage names MC Opi[1] and Opi Nelson[2] is a multi-instrumentalist, spoken word artist, music and documentary producer.

The Monthly Australia's popular magazine of politics, society and culture wrote Nelson "blazed a trail as a producer and guest artist...".[1][3]

She is most known for being the first female music artist to receive national recognition in Australia for a Hip Hop and Dancehall performance as a guest artist on the Christine Anu[4] (ARIA award winning Australian indigenous singer and song writer) and Paul Kelly[5][6][7][8][9][10] (a prolific ARIA Award winning Australian folk singer and songwriter), 1994 ARIA nominated, single, "The Last Train".[11][12] Later she was both a writer and guest performer on Anu's award winning 1995 ARIA Best Indigenous Release and ARIA Platinum Album, Stylin Up.[13][14][15]

Nelson was a well known local Sydney live independent spoken word artist and producer[1] before she met Christine Anu, whilst acting in a cast of eight, alongside Christine Anu and Barry Otto[16] (AFI Awarded Australian actor), in the 1993 musical theatrical production The Trials of Brother Jero [17] written by Nigerian Nobel Prize playwright Wole Soyinka.[18]

Before "The Last Train's" success in 1994, she was known for her work in Australian dance music TV and radio. She was one of the first music artists to be a reporter and assistant producer on the first Australian dance music show SBS TV's 'MC TEE VEE'[19] and Alternative Arts Show 'The Noise'[20] (produced by one of Australia's prolific TV producers, Annette Shun Wah[21]). Her MC Tee Vee interviews included The Beastie Boys,[22] Lucky Dube[23] and others.

At the age of 19 years, she co-produced, with Jaslyn Hall[24][25](Triple J[26] and Womadelaide[27] producer), the 1990 Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio documentary 'Women on the Rhyme' the first ABC radio documentary about Australian female hip hop artists. This documentary featured interviews with Charlene (Def Wish Cast), No.1 Jamaican & US female Dancehall artist Shelly Thunder, New Zealand Hip Hop Group Moana and the Moahunters and others.

Early life and Family

Nelson was born in Chelsea, London, United Kingdom and has Ghanaian, Australian Indigenous and Irish heritage. In 1979 she left Britain to live in Sydney, Australia.

Nelson's niece is MZ Porsche,[28] a female West African Ghanaian Hip Hop artist who has achieved national recognition in her country and like Nelson, she is a multi-instrumentalist.

Collaborations

Late 1993 Nelson was spotted by internationally acclaimed Australian indigenous artist, filmmaker and photographer Tracey Moffatt.[29][30][31][32] Moffatt invited her to be an assistant director and have a cameo role alongside the late INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence in the notorious parody INXS "The Messenger" video, a song on INXS's Full Moon, Dirty Hearts album.

In the same year, Nelson also collaborated with David Thrussell (SNOG, and Black Lung) an Australian musician and a prolific composer, Russell Kilbey (The Crystal Set) and Dare Mason [33](a producer and composer who has worked with internationally notable bands The Church, Placebo and Kraftwerk) on the progressive house and industrial dance mini EP Get Lost Sex Industrie,[34] Polygram Australia.

In 1994 following her guest performance on Christine Anu's debut single "Last Train" the previous year, Nelson collaborated further on Anu's debut Album Stylin Up.

2000 to Present

2000 produced her solo industrial dark wave project Jezebel Complex[35][36] which Australian Broadcasting Corporation Producer Tim Ritchie played on the ABC National Radio show 'Sound Quality'.
2008 produced her solo project 'The Black Hole Lovers'.[37]
2009 she studied the Masters of Digital Media at The College of Fine Arts, The University of New South Wales in Australia obtaining distinctions in the subject 'Sound Construction and Design.'
2012 to 2013 returned to London and continued to work on her independent solo music project 'The Black Hole Lovers' whilst working at The University of Cambridge and Oxford University.
2014 returned to one of her former occupations TV production, with her side project DotsWaves TV,[38] a web TV show scheduled for 2016 which showcases Noise, Street, Music and Digital Hybrid artists around the globe.

References

  1. ^ a b c "'Iggy Azelea in Bikini Wasteland' The Monthly Magazine". Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  2. ^ "Opi Nelson Official Website". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  3. ^ "'About' The Monthly Magazine". Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Christine Anu Australian Broadcasting Corporation". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  5. ^ "ABC Radio Paul Kelly". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Penguin Books Paul Kelly". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Guardian Newspaper Paul Kelly". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Paul Kelly The Movie". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  9. ^ "Paul Kelly Allmusic". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Paul Kelly BBC News Entertainment". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  11. ^ "ARIA Awards 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  12. ^ "Paul Kelly Discography, Single 1993 Last Train Toasting by Oparabea Janet Obiri-Nelson". Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  13. ^ "Stylin UP ARIA". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  14. ^ "'Stylin Up' Writers". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  15. ^ "ARIA Chart Accreditations 2000 Platinum 'Stylin Up". Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  16. ^ "Barry Otto imdb". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  17. ^ "The Trials of Brother Jero 1993: Australian & New Zealand Theatre Record January 1993". Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  18. ^ "Wole Soyinka Biography". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  19. ^ "SBS TV MC TEE VEE". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  20. ^ "SBS TV 'The Noise'". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  21. ^ "Annette Shun Wah ABC'". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Beastie Boys Allmusic". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  23. ^ "Lucky Dube Allmusic". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  24. ^ "Jaslyn Hall ABC". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Jaslyn Hall City of Sydney NY2002". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  26. ^ "Australian Broadcasting Corporation Triple J". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  27. ^ "A brief History of Womadelaide Arts Hub". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  28. ^ "Mz Porsche Go Metro Music". Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  29. ^ "wwm.com Tracey Moffat". Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  30. ^ "tate.org Tate Museum Tracey Moffat". Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  31. ^ "pica.org Tracey Moffat". Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  32. ^ "GuggenheimMuseum Tracey Moffat". Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  33. ^ "allmusic.com Dare Mason". Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  34. ^ "Discogs.com Sex Industrie 'Get Lost'". Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  35. ^ "Archive.org Jezebel Complex". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  36. ^ "Sound Quality Jezebel Complex". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  37. ^ "MySpace 'Black Hole Lovers'". Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  38. ^ "DotsWaves TV". Retrieved 16 May 2015.


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