The Chalice

For pretty much as long as there has been hip hop, there’s been talented, strong, whip-smart and empowered females crashing the supposed “boys’ club.” And throughout the history of the genre, the idea of the hip-hop collective has stood the test of time. Even locally, in their hometown of Minneapolis, MN, there have been nationally successful examples of these strong females and collective structures (Dessa, also a member of the renowned Doomtree collective, is a prime example of both). But not in Minneapolis, and not really elsewhere, have three of these hip-hop Queens joined forces to form their own collective- no boys allowed. Enter the Chalice. Each of the members of the Chalice brought to the table a unique sound and style, and viable, burgeoning solo career. Each woman also originally called somewhere besides the Twin Cities home. Lizzo, a Houston transplant (and multi-talented singer, rapper, and instrumentalist) brings an electric, kick-you-in-the-face Missy Elliot-like energy to the mic and has a swagger that only the South could birth. Sophia Eris, whose famous head-wraps give her the silhouette of an Egyptian queen, came to Minneapolis from Dayton, OH and got her artistic start in the spoken word scene. Her cool-calm-collected, laid back rhyme schemes and earthy style has garnered her comparisons to Erykah Badu. Claire de Lune, the sultry, smoky-voiced soul singer from New York City, got her start in Minneapolis doing guest vocals on songs with artists like MaLLy and The Tribe and Big Cats, and her old-soul sensibilities have earned her comparisons to Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone. The three women met through mutual friends in the tight-knit Minneapolis hip hop scene, and one red-wine fueled evening, wrote a song (“Push It,” which would become their breakout hit) in Sophia’s living room. After friends requested they record it, a low-fi recording was uploaded on Soundcloud. This caught the ear of local tastemakers, Minnesota Public Radio’s 89.3 The Current, who contacted the group asking for a clean edit. Realizing the potential of their fun, low-pressure side project, the women decided to give the group a go. The Chalice was born. Individually, each of the young women of The Chalice are more than noteworthy. Together, though, they combine to create something truly special, something so unique that, in less than one calendar year since the release of their first single “Push It,” it’s setting the Minneapolis music scene ablaze. The Chalice is a blend of hip-hop, funk, pop, RnB, and yet genre and boundary-less. Somehow simultaneously reminiscent of old-school hip-hop and also sounding like the future, the group’s first EP “We Are The Chalice” was released on September 28th, 2012 to critical acclaim and the rollercoaster ride that has been the first year of the group’s career shows no signs of slowing down. It seems that the women have everyone who takes a small sip from the Chalice under their spell. The Chalice is an all-female Hip Hop collective residing in Minneapolis. [Lizzo, Claire de Lune, Sophia Eris]