Newcomer, Black and Indigenous queer rapper Prado is a sharp and fierce voice for Black and Indigenous Women of Colour. She dropped her debut album, Prado Monroe EP, on June 18, 2021, a day just before Juneteenth. “Juneteenth is a day that stands for the emancipation of enslaved black people, the liberation of and freedoms of black people in America,” said Prado in a media statement. “In Canadian music, there are so many black artists and activists that I want to celebrate on this day and the freedom of making our art and the confidence this EP gave me.”
Prado Monroe EP has the vivacious energy to be the album of summer 2021. As a person, she is authentically sweet and quick-witted. Her lyrics are clever and sharp with a vibe that exudes the confidence of an unbothered bad bitch. Before becoming Prado, she would produce music under the moniker AlienKanye and ghostwrite for male rappers and now it’s her time to shine. I know that in the future she will draw comparisons to Lizzo, both artists are incredibly talented, but I like to believe that they both have something unique to say. The world is starving more artists like both, and I am here for it. Before the debut of Prado Monroe EP, I got to chat with Prado about her new album, what it was like starting out as a ghostwriter, and her thoughts on better representation of people of colour in the media.
