Zipaktli, Local Hip-Hop Artist
An interview with local hip hop artist Zipaktli (Irene Meza Sanchez)
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Martha interviews local hip-hop artist Irene Zipaktli. Irene discusses her history living in Boyle Heights, the work she does in her community, and the type of music that inspires her own practice as a singer-songwriter. She shares how many of her current passions stem from her desire to strengthen her relationship to the ancestral landscape around her and taking care of the environment. During the interview, Irene sings a song in her native tongue, sharing with Martha how the lyrics describe the transformation and duality that she embodies.
How has Boyle Heights influenced your music?
"Just knowing the type of people that live here. A lot of times we are 1st/2nd generation...or what they call "under served". But there is really a lot of beauty within us, how we struggle, how we make the best of what we have, and how we always just keep pushing. All the realities of the best and worst things, you can find them around here. You can find some of the best food, and you can find some of the worst circumstances...but the people here will always find a way. I remember when I first started feeling like home in this community, I realized that there's a lot of people that really have their culture present, or they're really trying to walk the path of decolonizing. And with spaces like Corazon del Pueblo and other different spaces in the area, I see that there's a place for us here and we're creating those spaces for us, that represent how we feel and what we go through." - Irene Meza