Celebrating the Unsung Through Movement & Erotic Energy—Chipo Kandake

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I’m Alexa Ashley, and this is Eyes Wide. In this episode, we get to hear from the musicologist, performer, and energy healer, Chipo Kandake. Chipo shares how she rewrites music history to celebrate black women and how she uses movement and erotic energy for liberation.

Alexa Ashley: To start, could you tell me a little bit about what it was like growing up as Chipo?

Chipo Kandake: Growing up as Chipo, it was fun for sure. Probably to some people very isolated, but I had a blast because I definitely was the only child. But rarely I was the only child who might be the only child, so I spent a lot of time alone in my room just looking up stuff and going to the library, being a nerd. That's what it was like growing up.

Alexa Ashley: All right, so what would you look up at the library?

Chipo Kandake: I liked a lot of books on history and music, so this is how it would go. I remember I definitely had a pattern because when we had cable in the house—so on Sundays, the infomercials came on. And you know how they had the CDs from the '60s and all these different areas of music, psychedelic music. So I would literally—you know that point where the letters scroll and scroll and scroll, and I would try to write down as many songs as I could and band names. And I would go to the library, get on my computer, research, find books about the genre or about the band, and check them all out and then read or check documentaries all about things. So that's the type of stuff I would do because I wasn't really into fiction books. I was more so into historical things specifically about music.

Alexa Ashley: Yeah. How old were you when you went to the library to do that?

Chipo Kandake: It was like between ten, eleven to all the way until I got older, 'till I got a laptop. So, yeah. That was probably like when I was like sixteen, seventeen. From eleven to sixteen.

Alexa Ashley: Do you remember when your love of music began?

Chipo Kandake: Yeah, I do remember because growing up, I just kind of listened to whatever was around me, but I think it was at some point at the library because we didn't have a computer in our house, so I just started looking up things. And I was kind of into the little emo bands like Green Day and My Chemical Romance. So embarrassing. So that was like the beginning. That was my introduction. But then the actual moment where it really clicked was at some point in middle school, I was watching a local television show that played indie films and there was a film called Suburbia. Not the one that's more mainstream. There's another film called Suburbia that's about these punk kids in the ‘80s and it was mainly like actual punk kids. And I saw T.S.O.L, a hardcore band singing—I can't remember the—Darker My Love. That's what it was in the show, and I was like, "What is that? I gotta find out." I've never seen anything like this in my life. And from there, that's where my love and interest for music deepened and it was way from punk to psychedelic to all types of shit. Baile funk in Brazil. Like I just took off. All types of stuff, so yeah.

Alexa Ashley: How old were you when you saw that show?

Chipo Kandake: I was twelve. Yeah, I was twelve.

Alexa Ashley: That's cool. So now you are so many things like musicologist and historian, and that's so cool that it started from such a young age. And now it seems like you're focused on documenting and uplifting these unsung heroes in the music world. What do you feel compels you to research and document these women?

Chipo Kandake: What compelled me? I don't know what necessarily led me to doing that per se. It just made sense at the moment because it wasn't something that I was planning. But when I was working with the Femmes Noires exhibition at the CAC, Mickalene Thomas's exhibition, I was definitely really inspired by what she was doing which was very similar. I mean, pretty much what she does is highlight black women in mainstream media in a very uplifting way that they haven't been showcased and highlighted before. And I've always—everything that I—my interest and the music I love, I always love funk.

What I was into at the time that I saw that was very much in mind with what I would see in her work, as I was digging up roots of New Orleans music and really just understanding women's roles in the music industry. But specifically the funk. The reason why I was interested in uplifting those women because funk is a black genre, and there were a lot of black women who contributed to the genre but did not get recognition. And I think it's easier for people to focus on black people being unsung in predominantly white industries rather than in our own communities because it kind of gets way more overlooked because then it comes from being the thing of what some people may call white supremacy to patriarchy. Because it's happening in our own community, I think it's important for me to do this because nobody is uplifting them the way they should be, and they're older now. I want to celebrate people while they're here and also just let people who don't know anything about it—how they contributed—not just to the genre but to society as a whole in ways that you would never have thought.

Alexa Ashley: What do you feel like has been one of your most rewarding points in your research or in your publishing of these women?

Chipo Kandake: Most rewarding? I mean, what's always rewarding is—I guess the most rewarding thing about publishing anything about these women in the funk genre is one, either people's response is saying, "I didn't know," people learning something from the poems. And the other response is the women themselves singing there and just—because it's not just that I want to educate other people, but I also want other women, the women that I'm posting about to see themselves uplifted in a way that they haven't been before and by another black woman. And so, that's important to me. Those are the main things that are rewarding when I do what I do, at least so far.

Alexa Ashley: Yeah. That's beautiful. And then you're also involved in the dance aspect and performing and teaching. Do you feel like your love or interest in dance came along at the same time as music in your life?

Chipo Kandake: Yeah, it always has been together, but I never really thought about it in that way until recently because the thing is I’ve always been—it's like that was literally what everybody has always known me for, just dancing. And my love for music is based off of not just me liking the feeling from the song but from the actual movement; me moving it to it. It's how my body reacts to the song, and so growing up, even if I was listening to punk music, if I'm not slamming or if I'm not hitting the Britney Spears in choreography or something, I'm probably not listening to it. So it always went hand in hand, but I didn't realize it until recently. And so with everything I do, I incorporate dance so even with femme funk, me channeling music or wear grooves through dance like me using my body as a tool to do the work that I'm doing, not just with the funk, but also with the healing aspect, healing sacral chakra or performing, channeling energy. So it intersects with everything. And that's what music—when you go to the primary sense music it was communal, but it was also in most traditions; in places where the community can't even dance together. So that's the root of music.

Alexa Ashley: Yeah. And how have you experienced that in your life? The healing aspect of dance?

Chipo Kandake: That didn't come around until recently honestly because I'd never thought—I knew that I liked to dance, but I never thought I'm gonna be trying to heal my sacral chakra. I never thought about anything like that. I definitely did not envision it. It just came about when I was going through a spiritual transformation in my life and just coming into myself a certain type of way about two, maybe three years ago. And with the help of some spirit guides, I was able to understand what I was actually supposed to be doing with my dance abilities, and I was supposed to help people be comfortable in their bodies and their self, with their sacral and their own self-esteem and just moving throughout their lives. And I realized I had the gifts, so I was like, "Okay, let me do it." And that's just kind of how it came about. And right now, I'm still trying to find a balance because I'm always going to be a student in life, but it's still kind of new for me being a teacher, and sometimes being a teacher of the sort, you can forget about yourself because you're so focused on helping everybody else that you start to deplete. So it's just finding that balance between the two.

Alexa Ashley: Tell me about your spiritual transformation period? What was that like?

Chipo Kandake: It was interesting. Think I was at a point where I was realizing certain things in my life weren't working anymore, and I guess I never realized how much my insecurities and the lack of value I had for myself was holding me back and just getting into certain spiritual practices like honoring my ancestors, alter work, and things like that just to be more connected with my bloodline. And so I spent a lot of time doing that type of work and really activating my dreams and my intuition so I can be more clear about the things that I'm doing. That's pretty much what it was, and it's still a journey now, but that's how it started two years ago.

Alexa Ashley: Yeah. Cool. I found it seems some of the most transformational healing times have come after some of the hardest times. What do you feel was your hardest time in your life so far? 

Chipo Kandake: Yeah, I feel like I was thinking about that a lot recently but maybe—the most challenging time. I definitely had a few different obstacles in my life, but the most challenging time would probably have to be—it was definitely a challenge. It wasn't too long before COVID happened and I was transitioning from my job at the newspaper, The New Orleans Tribune into something I didn't know. And then at the time, I left my place that I was living and I was in between places—you know what, I just remember what the hardest time was. It wasn't that.

The two hardest times were right before COVID, literally, when I was working on Mickalene Thomas's exhibition because what happened in the long-story-short was that all the work fell on me for the whole museum. And I was getting underpaid, overworked, and uncredited, and my living situation was compromised so traveling to get to work, basically holding together this whole programming together and exhibition and X, Y and Z. And I think it got so bad to where I remember my body actually tensed up so much to where I couldn't even stand up straight because it was that strained because that's how much I was really doing. Just imagine commuting to a job two hours there and back by bus and then having to do it, basically being a project manager, a public programming coordinator, and being a content director for a store and getting underpaid and not credited. And also being thrown into an industry I know nothing about, so just holding all of that on my shoulders was a lot. And I was so thankful by the time COVID happened because it took everything away from me which is really what I was lowkey praying for because then now this is the perfect excuse to only focus on me and what I need to do in this lifetime which I never did.

Alexa Ashley: And do you feel like you had a spiritual transformation after that point?

Chipo Kandake: Yeah, absolutely. I did have a spiritual transformation. I mean, most importantly, I had to learn like all twenty—that was 2020, yeah. Was it 2020? It is 2021 now, yeah. I don't know the years anymore, but yeah. It was the start of a new decade, absolutely. And I really had to learn how, not understanding to value myself, but also understanding that in how to take care of myself and putting myself first in that type of way, and that means the rest, which is a hard thing for me to understand. I think a lot of people could relate to that during COVID. I was still waking up nervous that I was late for a meeting. It was actually like I was waiting for something. It's like you're not. You need to rest. It's okay. You get too tired. Don't overexert yourself. Put you first. Take care of yourself. Root chakra. What do you need? Take care of your needs, your basic needs. Stuff like that. And it can be hard especially living in a place like America, you always feel like you have to be productive all day, every freaking day. And it's like that's not realistic nor is it healthy, and you're not going to be able to operate the way you need to unless you take that time to yourself. I think that's been a huge transformation in doing that and also respecting myself in a way that I hadn't before. 

Alexa Ashley: Yeah. Your background in school, you studied film, what do you feel film gave you or how has it shaped your perspective on life?

Chipo Kandake: Well, being in film school was good because it helped me understand certain logistics in production which will come in handy when I'm making my films and as I'm doing my performances. I understand production and stuff. Well, actual film making, a lot of stuff I had to learn just on my own, doing things, but I think film really helps me in understanding production and also storytelling which is why I got into film because I really like storytelling and I really like character development. And I think that's lacking in a lot of art in general nowadays, especially in pop culture. It doesn't really exist, and that's definitely something I'm incorporating in my performance and everything else that I do.

Alexa Ashley: Yeah. For you, what makes a good story? You're talking about character development. Is there an aspect that you film?

Chipo Kandake: A good story should one, keep you interested to say “What's going to happen next?,” to the end and also should give you a reaction, make you react and to have a strong emotion toward something. I think that's good storytelling and to leave you wanting to explore whatever that emotion that you received or that question you received from what you watched even more. So whether it's not just happiness but like if you were really angry or not too happy or if you were confused. I think having those strong emotions to something is good storytelling because it should keep you interested, and maybe that's just me. Maybe I'm a little provocative, but it should provoke you too.

Alexa Ashley: Yeah. Do you feel that about music too?

Chipo Kandake: Yes, sometimes. With certain styles of music, sure. Like punk, obviously. They are the provocateurs of the industry, so yeah. Definitely. But not all music because different types of music are there for different reasons, so it's just like I'm not expecting that type of energy if I'm listening to Shoegaze or I'm listening to Bossa Nova. I'm not looking for that energy. I'm looking for something else.

Alexa Ashley: Yeah. So after your spiritual awakening and transformation, you got into the sacral chakra. What is it about the sacral chakra for you?

Chipo Kandake: I don't know. I mean, at first when I started dancing—well, I do know, but it wasn't like I went straight to it because when I first started doing my dance session, it was just to get people comfortable in their bodies. But as I start healing some things in myself, for one, I'm a Scorpio, so I'm the ruler of the genital area. We decide where the chakra is. That's Scorpio energy. And I start realizing that that's where a lot of my power was, and I wasn't tapped into it at first. And I was one of those people that don't really talk about the sacral chakra a lot. That one gets skipped so much. They're all important. All the energies are important, but I really like to focus on that because one, I start to realize that's my personal gift. And the stereotype they have about Scorpios being like the sex gods, all that type of stuff, I don't necessarily agree with. But I do agree that a lot of our power is in sensual and sexual energy, but that doesn't necessarily always mean having sex. And that's why I do what I do because being sensual is not you making love to somebody, necessarily. There's more to it.

Alexa Ashley: What does it mean for you?

Chipo Kandake: I mean, for me, your sensuality and your sexuality represent life, life force, and your creativity is connected. That's why a lot of people—we don't talk about this but it's why a lot of especially huge artists, they kind of partake in being very promiscuous. That's simply because they're just party people, but a lot of times when you don't know how to use your sexual energy, you need to keep the creativity going. So you're constantly trying to keep that energy up, and sex is one way, but it's not substantial. And for me, it's all about cultivating that energy within yourself because that's what it's for and that's what you can do. So I do that. There's a lot of different ways. Dancing is not the only way to cultivate sexual energy. You can do it through yoga, through breathing, but I work with movement.

Alexa Ashley: In your dance performances, whether live or online or music videos, I was wondering if there was a particularly fun moment that you had that you remember.

Chipo Kandake: Yeah, the best one so far, it's just scratching the surface, but it was dancing with a snake. That was probably the most exciting. It was something that I always wanted to do but was also scared of. And the opportunity presented itself to me really randomly, and I remember I said, "Yes!", out of nowhere. When I came to the stand, he was like, "Who wants to dance with a snake?," and I was like, "Me!" And at the time, I was second-guessing it, but it was like the most amazing experience ever. And eventually, when I'm settled, because you definitely need to be settled to do that, I would like to train to be a snake charmer, basically, and incorporate dancing with snakes in my performance. But I can't be a nomad because, you know, it's a pet. It's your animal, it's your companion, so you have to—

Alexa Ashley: You can’t have a snake carrier for the plane.

Chipo Kandake: Yes, exactly, right. And it's just like I don't think snakes can handle that because they even throw up when you're too rough with them when you dance, so you got to be stable with a snake.

Alexa Ashley: I love snakes.

Chipo Kandake: That was definitely the most exciting moment. It was so fun to dance with a snake. It's better than dancing with a dude at a salsa night. 

Alexa Ashley: That's amazing. Was it like a boa?

Chipo Kandake: I forgot what kind of snake it was, but it was big. 

Alexa Ashley: Wow.

Chipo Kandake: It wasn't a python, it was a—

Alexa Ashley: It's like a Britney Spears moment.

Chipo Kandake: It wasn't a python. It was a—I can't remember what they told me. I don't even know what kind of snake it was. I just grabbed the snake, but it was pretty big. It was heavy, for sure.

Alexa Ashley: That's amazing. Was it for a music video?

Chipo Kandake: Yeah, it was for Kevin Gates' Fatal Attraction music video. It was like a voodoo thing.

Alexa Ashley: Nice. That's amazing.

Chipo Kandake: Yeah.

Alexa Ashley: It seems you’ve always been an explorer, learner. Is there anything that you're exploring right now or interested in

Chipo Kandake: Yeah, I feel like there's always little directions, little pockets that I'm delving into and sometimes circling back on. As of now...oh, that's what it was. It's called the—what's this freaky music called? I can't even think what it's called right now. It's kind of losing me right now. But I definitely been taking a lot of interest in ancient Spanish and Arabic music from Spain. It's called Andalusian. I know the sound. I don’t even know how to pronounce it. But I been definitely into that style of music a lot lately, and yeah. I think I’m just kind of circling back. Right now, I'm in the moment where I'm revisiting a lot of things that have influenced and inspired me or things I kind of obsessed over in the past and revisiting it and seeing how I feel about it now and how it influenced me and just having a different perspective on it. Because I've been going back to my Gram Rock bucket list. A big part of my childhood as well, revisiting things like that, and a bunch of other stuff.

Alexa Ashley: One of the things that I love about you is the way you just kind of do whatever the fuck you want.

Chipo Kandake: Yeah, pretty much. I get that from my great-grandma.

Alexa Ashley: Yeah? What was she like?

Chipo Kandake: Well, this is like a main thing. This is why I was so happy to go back to Houston that time that I went randomly for that week. Because I talked to her, and she told me something that blew my mind, and I'm so glad I got to record her saying it even though you couldn't hear her because I'm too busy chuckling all of the night. But she's from the country, like North of Louisiana, and she didn't come to the city until she was an adult. But when she was living there, and I showed her the videos of me dancing, she was like, "Girl, you get that from me." And I was like, “For real?” because I didn’t know my grandma likes to dance. She was like, "I used to dance at the cafe. I was at the counter at the juke joint.” And she said, "Yeah, girl. I used to—" She was like, "Shit, I used to go there, and they would put a nickel. They'd give me a nickuh and tell me to dance." What's the thing called? The jukebox, yeah. They'll put a song on the jukebox, and they'll give me a nickuh. She said, "They're gonna give me a nickuh. They're gonna give me a nickuh. And I dang, girl yeah."

The part that knocked my socks off when she was like, "Girl, and I used to love that boy. What was his name? Jailhouse Rock? Elvis." I was like “What?” Because my family, they are so, so country. Definitely from the country of North Louisiana. Like Zydeco, that's all they freaking listen to. And nobody's interested in art or anything. Music. They don't really listen to music. They just like whatever's on the radio, cool. They don't really care about that. And so when she said that, that was hilarious to me. And I was like, “That's where I get that from.” I just didn't know why my interests—they were always kind of outside the box. She was just like, "Girl, yeah, I used to love Elvis." She's like, "I cut my hair like him." Like just think about it. Just think about my black-ass grandma in Monroe, Louisiana walking around with a fucking pompadour and dancing in a juke joint.

Alexa Ashley: That's amazing.

Chipo Kandake: And she was like her and her brother Lil’ Man used to do competitions and stuff. And I never knew any of this, and she was like, "Yeah, girl. I used to be—yeah." And she was like, "You get that from me." It was good visiting her, my great-grandma again because it was like I saw how much I was like her and how a lot of who I am comes from her than I did before. Everybody else in my family is kind of pretty conservative, and yeah. It's interesting. And I'm the free-spirited one. Me and my mom, we're the free-spirited ones. 

Alexa Ashley: Have you always felt that way?

Chipo Kandake: Oh, yeah. I always felt like—my whole life, I had always felt it. I wouldn't say outcast because that sounds so sad. Because no, I was sad about it, but I was—well, sometimes with family, but I just always felt like I'm very individual because there was just no one I could specifically relate to in family or life, which is why I have so many different types of friends. And I think that's normal, but I don't know. I think it's just—and Mom could probably relate to that too and all people. I'm not going to make it like I'm the only person in the world who is different, but all people are multidimensional. But sometimes, I feel like I’m kinda in my own bubble, and that's how I've operated with my family and with other people in life. I'm in the house on the hill, but also, I think a few people had told me this but there were certain people on certain levels of—I don't want to say level but certain ways of creativity that's kind of like the downside is that it's not necessarily being alone but just sort of isolation that they have to have to do it. I.e. one of my favorites, you know, Prince. A Prince type, or even spiritual workers that I know who are priestesses. They can't operate like everybody else does in the world. They kind of have to have a certain way. They do things that's kind of separate because of the work they do.

Alexa Ashley: I know it can be hard to be on your own, and I'm so appreciative of you doing the work that you feel called to do and being the self that you feel called to be. It's so beautiful and so special for the world. If there's anything you would want to be known for, what do you think it would be?

Chipo Kandake: Wow. What do I want to be known for? I really don't know right now. I know that I want to be known, and I know that I want a legacy. I don't know exactly what I wanted to be but I definitely—whatever legacy I leave, I want it to be something that's inspirational. And I know it's cliche but truly inspirational—like something that defies the times and constantly has an energy that propels people to take it there and to break out of whatever they may feel is a blockage or to be innovative. That's always something that I wanted to do. I guess I would like to be remembered as a performer and for the work that I do with basically rewriting and adding to the catalog of music history. And my healing work because I haven't seen anybody on a big level doing what I do with people and healing their sacral, so yeah.

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