This is Nyota Parker.

rights reserved to Nyota Parker (photo from Nyota Parker’s BandCamp)

In the past few weeks, the world has been aflame with protest. The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer has ignited a massive global outcry against American law enforcement and the systemic racism it was built to support. Protesters have taken to the streets and their social media feeds to enact change, educate others, and gain funds to support the movement.

Among them is Zoe Amira, the creator responsible for the original “stream to donate” video. This video gives people who are stuck at home or that don’t have money to donate the chance to support Black Lives Matter. Amira pledged to donate all ad revenue from the hour-long video to charities supporting the movement and also used the time to highlight black speakers and artists.

Among them is Nyota Parker, a 20-year-old lyricist and musician. She’s no stranger to speaking up for what she believes, combining hard hitting lyrics on subjects like conformity and gender with her trademark soulful-yet-fresh sound. She describes her music as “trazz,” a combination of trap and jazz, and borrows inspiration from both old and new-school artists to create the perfect mix.

Parker says she’s always been a musical person, but she began writing here and there around 12 years old. Her interest in hip-hop and rap skyrocketed when she moved from Ireland to South Africa, where her uncles exposed her to an array of new music. By age 16, she decided to take it further and started seriously recording.

“My uncles would pick me up from school if my mom sometimes worked a bit late,” she said. “They would play the latest hip-hop songs and I would just listen to that and memorize their lyrics and write my own.”

Since then, she’s created two EPs, a mixtape, and a host of singles both on Spotify and Soundcloud. Most of the time, Parker will start with a beat and build from its vibe, eventually transforming melodies into poetry and finally, a finished product.

Her songs vary in style and content, but they carry one major theme— nonconformity. She says she wants to promote individuality and encourage her listeners to be themselves, whether or not others agree.

“That’s the whole thing,” she said. “I try to inspire people to be individual, be the trendsetter. You don’t have to go through a system for you to be somebody. That’s the main message.”

While she deeply enjoys writing and creating music, her favorite part of being a musician is playing shows and interacting with the audience. Parker is currently visiting New York and plans to perform live soon, but social distancing restrictions are preventing any upcoming concerts from happening. In the meantime, she’s taken to Instagram live, performing for a virtual audience instead.

Along with many others, Parker has also been using her social media for more than just entertainment, passing along resources and education to benefit the Black Lives Matter movement. To her, the message of the movement is simple.

“Equality. Nothing more, nothing less,” she said. “Sometimes it seems like it's too much to ask for, but it’s just equality. They can always make us look like we're asking for too much, but it’s just equal rights.”

Her feature in Zoe Amira’s “stream to donate” video took her by surprise, but she was happy to be involved in such a beneficial project.

“Not only did she direct people to an easier way to donate,” she said. “But she also directed people to great black artists. That helped a lot of us out.”

Parker has also been using her platform to share petitions and information, and she recommends others do the same. She also encourages getting out to protest if possible and doing whatever you can to help those on the front lines. Providing food and water is a great way to support and show protestors that there are people who care.

To keep up to date with her future projects— and maybe even catch an Instagram live concert— check Nyota Parker out @nyotaparker on all platforms. 

To help out the Black Lives Matter movement and learn about some other great black artists, check out Zoe Amira’s “stream to donate” video here.