On the Scene

Natalia Sheppard, otherwise known as ‘MC Tali', is the most successful female MC in Drum n Bass of all time. With three DnB Awards, a solo album, numerous singles and guest vocals under her belt, Tali has performed all around the world with many of the scene’s heavyweights. She shares with Her Magazine her journey from Taranaki freestyler to international superstar

Words by: Natalia Sheppard

The year was 2001, and I was standing backstage at the bar of one of Melbourne's biggest live venues. There in front of me was my musical hero, award winning UK Drum n Bass producer, Roni Size. I couldn't get over how fate had placed him there in front of me, casually sipping his drink and perusing his surroundings.
Originally from New Zealand, I had moved to Melbourne six months earlier, waiting tables to save money for a plane flight to the United Kingdom. My dream was, as Australasia's only female Drum n Bass MC, to turn up in Bristol to find Roni Size and the Full Cycle collective, and convince them to sign me.
I have been involved with music since I was a young girl growing up on a dairy farm under the shadow of Mount Taranaki, classically trained in singing and piano with a passion for writing songs and poetry. As I discovered Hip Hop music, I began to develop a love of 'Free styling', making up songs and raps as I went along, and whilst living in Christchurch I was introduced to Drum n Bass music.
I immediately fell in love with the way the music made me want to dance, and the unity it created amongst those of all ages and races. It was here I witnessed my first real taste of what it would be like to be an MC.
Hosting the set, this guy flowed over the music the DJ mixed, and sent the crowds into fits of hype and joy with his lyrics. I knew then that that was the career choice for me.
When I expressed my enthusiasm to my DJ friend, the first thing he pointed out was that there were very few females who held positions of influence within Drum n Bass and even then, the calibre of their work was limited.
I knew that if I was to be taken seriously I would have to practise and hone my craft as much as possible, not only with regard to the quality of rhymes I wrote, but the efficiency in the way I delivered them. I also studied as much as I could find about the music itself, pouring over the Drum n Bass magazines that came 'Par Avion' from London straight into our local specialist Record store.
I knew the names of all the songs, the producers who wrote them, and the record labels they were released on. I listened to every mix tape we were lucky enough to be sent from friends in London, and spent evenings out at local clubs listening to the DJ's mixing til dawn. When I eventually drifted home, the echoes of the music followed me down Christchurch's misty streets.
I did reasonably well in my first forays out MCing in New Zealand, with most people (mainly men) surprised I could hold my own on the mic. But, typically, in a scene that is dominated by males, I soon learned that my presence made some people uncomfortable, and I was given a lot of harsh and often sexist criticism and was told to 'give up and go home'.