By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Sep 24, 2014 at 9:02 AM

Milwaukee poet and rapper Kenza DAWN has a new record out called "Feminetics." On it, Kenza DAWN unleashes fiery lyrics atop a bed of sound that draws on hip-hop, funk, soul and more. It's a breath of fresh air from the Milwaukee scene.

We caught up with Kenza DAWN to talk about her music, her new record and more...

OnMilwaukee.com: Give us the Kenza DAWN story.

Kenza DAWN: Kenza means "treasure/abundance of gold" in Arabic. Dawn means "first light that pierces the darkness, signaling a new day." I love my name, but I didn't know what it meant until I was an adult.

I was born and raised in the inner city of Milwaukee's North Side. My father is the smartest person I know and my mother is the most stubborn and determined. I've been reading and writing since I was 4. I primarily watched PBS and religious programming until I was a teen. I have always had a love affair with words and books. They allowed me to travel to places we couldn't afford to go and see things I wasn't privy to.

I could escape the very stressful and difficult realities of my everyday life by immersing myself in a good book. I love to learn new things. My appetite for knowledge is insatiable! My father would reward us with a penny for each new word we could learn the definition of and spell.

My parents divorced when I was 7. My father became an addict. My mother worked three jobs and went back to college. We were poor. I was very self-conscious. I attended suburban schools from kindergarten through high school and I never fit in. I was a teenage mother. I experienced mental, physical and sexual abuse. I engaged in criminal activities. I've attempted suicide. I've been in crossfire and life-threatening situations and walked away unscathed. My experiences are not very unique. Its my expression that's unique. The ability to journal; to write, reflect, and process saved my life. Music preserved me. I am a walking miracle.

OMC: How and when did you start writing lyrics and making music?

KD: I wrote my first song when I was 4. I would constantly rhyme and sing and my two older brothers would constantly tell me to shut up. So I would go into the closet and sing to myself. I began writing poetry and songs again in middle school and joined a girl's group as a background singer/dancer in high school. I never stopped writing, but I didn't have the courage to rhyme publicly until after high school.

OMC: Do you think hip-hop has served to bring poetry to young kids, who maybe wouldn't have been interested in it otherwise?

KD: Yes, especially in under-served/impoverished areas. Real hip-hop, abounding with similes, metaphors, alliteration, familiar stories, word play, history, heart and soul and delivered rhythmically, is more tangible to many young people. It's an interactive art form that capitalizes on call and response and repetition. Hip-hop is a phenomenal learning tool! Now, poetry/spoken word is mainstream ... no "alternative" or "nerdy" stigma ... says the self-professed nerd. Schools are beginning to embrace it as a part of their curricula. Hip-hop-infused spoken word clubs are becoming more and more common. I love it!

OMC: Is there an overriding message in your music; a thread that runs through and connects it all?

KD: Music is my passion, my pleasure and my purpose. It's part of me. I want you to feel me when you listen to my music ... to be inspired, motivated, encouraged and elevated. I want you to experience love and truth when you hear me. I just want people to wake up and discover how awesome they are. And I want to be a part of that awakening process.

OMC: You have a new record, right? Can you tell us a bit about it?

KD: It is entitled "Feminetics." I'm unapologetically feminine and my music is a celebration of all that I am. "Feminetics"is an example of restoring balance in the male-dominated genre of hip-hop music. I'm flexing my Femcee skills and showcasing something besides sex.

OMC: Your music blends a lot of different styles: soul, jazz, hip-hop. Who are some of the artists that inspire you most?

KD: There are so many, but I'll try to narrow it down. MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, KRS-1, Public Enemy, Poor Righteous Teachers, X Clan, TuPac, Bahamadia, Lauryn Hill, Esperanza Spalding, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Earth Wind & Fire, Will Downing, Oleta Adams, Frankie Beverly & Maze and Rachelle Farrell.

OMC: What do you think is the state of hip-hop in Milwaukee these days?

KD: Milwaukee is saturated with rappers, but real hip-hop artistry is a rare find. People are starting to crave a musical environment with more skill and substance so now there are more cyphers and organizations promoting hip-hop culture and music. I believe that the future of hip-hop in Milwaukee is very promising.

OMC: What's on your ipod right now?

KD: My current playlist includes Esperanza Spalding, Michelle Lau'rielle, The Terry Sims Band, Tupac, Goody Mob, Paul Santisi and Feminetics, of course.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.