Anyone who has had the pleasure of experiencing Bathsheba Smithen perform live will undoubtedly leave inspired and mesmerized by her uncanny ability to deliver poems with a passion rarely seen.
The poet, hailed by Dr. Nikki Giovanni as a “first-rate thinker”, is also a Christian rapper and will be releasing her third single, “Insanity”. The track will air on The Sean Yoes Show on Baltimore’s WEAA on Friday, August 14th between 6-7PM ET during a discussion on the topic, Ladies First: The Female Influence On Hip Hop. Those outside of the Baltimore area can stream the interview live on www.weaa.org.
In addition, the new track will be available as a free download on Soundcloud and CDBaby from Friday, August 14th to Friday, August 28th. After August 28th, the single will be available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.com.
“Insanity” is a song from the artist’s upcoming EP, Ride 2 Freedom. A mixture of neo-soul and rock, a genre that Bathsheba has dubbed “neo-rock”, the track is saturated with inspiration. The songwriter is passionate about the message and the lyrics of the song. She says, “I wrote ‘Insanity’ while in distress and feeling pressured by expectations and the judgments brought on by family members, friends, and colleagues. So many people wanted me to be who they thought I should be, instead of accepting me for who I was. As an educator, I see this every day in educational settings where young people are forced to suppress their individuality; where people are masquerading in costumes that others or society has created for them. Many of us work hard at re-creating ourselves instead of finding the purpose for which we are created. My hope is that ‘Insanity’ does what it is set out to do: liberate others from the cages of expectation, fear and judgment.”
Although Bathsheba’s story reads like a Lifetime Movie, she decided to take the trials and learn from them. Using faith as the backdrop and music as the soundtrack, Bathsheba has been the force behind songs like “Let’s Get It Rockin’”, “Need to Be Free” and the soon to be released “Insanity”. Clearly, a divinely inspired poet, Bathsheba Smithen is set to change the world with her gift for words and passion for change. That innate desire led her to start Cage Free Voices, an organization with a goal of freeing people to walk into their destinies. Its main focus is to assist youth with self-image and identity challenges.
Below is a list of upcoming engagements where fans can see her:
Victory Christian Ministries International
Sunday, August 30, 2015, 10am
Water & Baptism Family and Friends Day
4415 Crain Highway, White Plains MD
Type of performance: Spoken Word
26th Annual Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival
Saturday, September 26, 2015, 10am- 7pm
Susan Campbell Park, Annapolis City Dock, Annapolis, MD
Type of performance: Music & Spoken Word
Women Walking In Their Own Shoes Summit
Saturday, October 3, 2015, 9am
The Westin Crystal City Hotel
1800 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202
Type of performance: Spoken Word
For more information about Bathsheba Smithen, log on to www.bathshebasmithen.com or www.cagefreevoices.com.