**June is Pride Month and all month long, KUTX is celebrating LGBTQ+ musicians who have shaped Austin’s music scene.***
Megz Kelli was born and raised in New Orleans, surrounded and infatuated by the city’s pulse of music. Writing lyrics as early as seven, Kelli says music has always felt like an organic extension of her being. Kelli and her family moved to Dallas in 2005 after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and landed in Austin in 2012 to attend St. Edward’s University, where she formed the MC-producer duo Magna Carda with friend and classmate Dougie Do, crafting music that brilliantly blends rap, jazz, R&B, and soul music, earning them the credit of “Austin’s answer to the Roots.”
As a queer, Black, female rapper, Kelli describes herself as a “triple whammy” becoming an inspiration for others like herself, especially in a corner of the music world with a reputation for not allowing space for female or gay MC’s. Finding space within the Austin music scene at large as a rap group was another uphill battle, which led Magna Carda to find a second home in Dallas’s much more rap-friendly music scene and led the duo to grow into a quintet.
Over the last decade, Magna Carda have found themselves thriving in the center of Austin’s music scene, sharing stages with the Pharcyde and Chali 2na to Joey Bada$$ and Oddisee, and taking home the Austin Music Award for Best Rap/Hip-Hop artist five years running.
Catch Magna Carda this Thursday, June 30 at Antone’s and watch the recent Studio 1A session below.
FOLLOW MAGNA CARDA
Set List:
- All The Way/Green Street
- Propaganda
- Better If
Musicians:
Megz Kelli – Vocals; Dougie Do – Keys; Michael Longoria – Drums; Brandon “Tank” Tanksley – Bass; Billy Blunt – Guitar; Michael Gonzales – Percussion
Credits: Host: Fresh Knight; Producer: Deidre Gott; Audio Engineer: Jake Perlman; Rene Chavez; Audio Mix: Rene Chavez Cameras: Michael Minasi, Patricia Lim Edit: Michael Minasi
