Revered as one of music’s most gifted Philly lyricists, Bahamadia is known for her subdued, under-the-radar persona. However, her presence in the culture has never waned. Largely considered one of the dopest women to have ever touched a mic, her 1996 album Kollage continues to ring bells two decades later. In the years since, she has worked as an educator, mentor and founder of B-Girl Records as well as a frequent performer who helped headline Rock Steady Crew’s 2016 anniversary event. Recently, she has released new music in the form of her Dialed Up series, which she calls “the first ever music project created entirely on a handheld mobile device and recorded in a car.” It’s a visionary project, especially considering the first volume dropped in 2013, before recording-studio-in-your-hand-apps became all the rage. Today (October 19), the second volume premieres on Ambrosia for Heads.

Bahamadia Speaks On Artistic Integrity & Hip-Hop Womanhood, 20 Years After Kollage (Interview)

In speaking with AFH, Bahamadia says the tape series “was conceived due to a desire to produce on the fly while presenting quality material in a most cost-effective approach,” a prescient goal for someone who’s been in the game for so long. “My belief as an innate creative is to introduce and utilize unconventional methods that enhance artistic expression, in this case via mobile production,” she explains before adding “I became inspired to take a more practical route to music making mainly because I have found that, in the information/digital age, there is a space for people who wanna get ideas out randomly.”

Dialed Up 2 follows the same creative framework as its predecessor, but includes guest features. Camp Lo’s Geechi Suede and Zion I are joined by a handful of other artists whose voices make this project much more than Bahamadia’s latest beat tape. Kev Brown, Prozack Turner, Fat Nice, Groove Da Moast, Rasco and Dave Ghetto are all contributing acts. Over the course of the 12-minute mix, Bahamadia’s influence can be heard throughout, though from behind the controls. However, she does contribute her signature rap styles to the tape’s opening cut.