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«The Other Queen of Memphis – A Film by Luna Mahoux with Chastity Daniels / + Embaci (live)»
Embaci, Luna Mahoux, La Chat, Darius «Phatmak» Clayton

FilmTalkMusicReading

The film and concert unfold a dual portrait of diasporic music as a space of memory, resistance, and collective imagination. Following the film, there will be a conversation with Luna Mahoux, La Chat, and Darius «Phatmak» Clayton, moderated by Year-to-Date (in English), a poetry reading by Darius «Phatmak» Clayton, and a concert by Embaci.

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  • Sat 24/05 21:30 – 00:00

    Stall 6

Copyright: Guilherme Santos

A documentary look at Memphis’ rap culture, caught between visibility and disappearance. Framed by a car ride with rapper Lachat (Chastity Daniels), the film 'The Other Queen of Memphis' unfolds a layered portrait of the local scene, where personal memory, social reality, and musical lineage intertwine. Between the figures of Lachat and Gangsta Boo, a double narrative emerges: one of female presence, influence, and the unspeakable woven into the city’s cultural memory. A central element is the film’s atmospheric score, co-created by New York based artist Embaci, whose work rooted in operatic vocals, experimental production, and poetic compression opens up alternative emotional spaces. Her live concert following the screening echoes the film’s themes, extending them into a sound-based dimension that bridges intimacy and scale.

About the film

Memphis, outdoors, cold. The first Queen is Lachat, an idolised local rapper with gold teeth. At the driving wheel, she guides us through her winding story, which is a little like this city, or at least the vision of it that she wants to convey to us. Riding alongside her, the film agrees to lose its way and quite quickly turns into an opaque quest: recounting Memphis’s rapper community, the successes, blind spots, inspirations, disappearances, joys and violence. Here, Lachat is sovereign, she drives her stories to the locations involved and through this mysterious drift she becomes a secret queen, the queen of the ruins she uncovers for us. Yet, although the film draws on an encounter, it shuns portraiture. Behind the first queen, from out of the invisible, her double is spawning. Another rapper, the other queen: Gangsta Boo. Immense but destroyed by this city and its stories. It would be overstepping the mark to say she’s a ghost, she still exists through Lachat, who reveals her. This other queen is a little like Lachat, a little like this city, still there but at the same time not really. What better than a film from a moving car to tell the story without saying too much: go fast, develop the mystery and find your right distance. The supreme frame, the right distance, would be that of the car window: a frame within a frame cut as an American shot. A passing frame that stops on people, their rules, their music, our fantasies, their unspeakable lives, their teeth, and their stories in gold.

(Clémence Arrivé Guezengar)

Information on accessibility and language

The evening – including the film screening, conversation, and poetry reading – will take place in English. Translation will be provided if needed. The concert will not feature strobe lighting or rapid light changes; only minimal haze will be used.

Doors open at 8:30 PM

Start: 9:30 PM

About the artists

  • Luna Mahoux is a Belgian artist whose work explores overlooked Afro-diasporic narratives through a blend of music, documentary, and archives. She graduated in Painting from La Cambre and joined Le Fresnoy-Studio national des arts contemporains in 2023. While traveling in the United States, she deepened her research on music as a living archive and the complexity of Black experiences through the lens of collective memory and individual narratives. Her artistic approach examines how rap and Black music function as spaces of resistance and remembrance. Luna Mahoux has received several awards, including the tiff Emerging Belgian Photography Prize (FOMU, Antwerp) in 2023 and the Fintro Prize (Brussels) in 2024.

    Originally from Memphis, La Chat rose to prominence in the late 1990s on Three 6 Mafia’s Hypnotize Minds label, delivering sharp flows, raw lyrics, and fierce energy. Alongside Gangsta Boo—her best friend and a rap icon she evokes in Luna Mahoux’s film—she represents a powerful female voice in a male-dominated scene. In 2001, she released her solo debut Murder She Spoke, now considered a classic, and made a lasting impact with her feature on Chickenhead with Project Pat. Since then, she has built an independent career across albums, mixtapes, and numerous collaborations.

    Originally from the historic Orange Mound neighborhood in Memphis, Darius "Phatmak" Clayton creates performances that blend poetry, music, and comedy. In 2005, he founded The Den, a vital hub of the city’s local arts scene, bringing together poets, musicians, and comedians. He is also deeply engaged in social advocacy, particularly for people experiencing homelessness. His influence spans from mentoring emerging artists to uplifting Memphis’s underground arts scene, making him a central figure in the city’s cultural ecosystem.

    Embaci is a multidisciplinary artist and musician from Brooklyn, New York, with Trinidadian roots. Her work weaves sound, technology, and storytelling into celestial, shape-shifting forms. Known for her ethereal contralto voice—drifting between resonance and distortion—she blends operatic technique with experimental production to create immersive, genre-defying soundscapes.

    Her creations transport listeners to a celestial, alternate universe, vividly reflecting her boundless imagination. Celebrated for her ethereal voice and poetic lyricism, she has garnered international acclaim as both an artist and a multidisciplinary virtuoso. Her music transcends conventional genre boundaries and flourishes within collaborative processes. Embaci’s sonic visions are a testament to her artistic sensitivity and emotional depth, striking a harmonious balance between delicacy and strength that resonates deeply with audiences.

    She has performed or exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Art (London), MoMA PS1 (New York), HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), Zürcher Theater Spektakel (Zurich), Yale Union (Portland), Issue Project Room (New York), Abrons Arts Center (New York), Volksbühne (Berlin) and the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection (Paris).

    https://www.instagram.com/embaci/  

    https://www.youtube.com/@embaci  

    https://embaci.bandcamp.com/  

    https://soundcloud.com/embaci

Credits

  • A film by:
    Luna Mahoux
    With:
    Chastity Daniels
    Sound:
    Gabriel Naghmouchi
    Music:
    ssaliva & embaci
    Driver:
    Darius Clayton
    On site coordination:
    Laura Brunisholz
    Spotting:
    Mina Squalli-Houssaïni
    Image:
    Kevin Elamrani-Lince
    Video editing:
    Kevin Elamrani-Lince
    Sound editing:
    Clément Decaudin
    Sound editing assistant:
    Geoffrey Durcak
    Sound mixing:
    Médéric Corroyer
    Color grading:
    Gabriel Porier
    English transcription:
    Antonio Lewis Demetrius
    French translation:
    Loïc Mfoundou
    Graphic design:
    Kim Coussée
    With thanks to:
    Chastity Daniels, Darius "Phatmak" Clayton, Crosstown Art Residency, Forde Genève, Mina Squalli-Houssaïni, Asma Barchiche, Laura Brunisholz, Azzeazy, Olga Rozenblum, Jaquis, Soraya Abdou, Ross Devlin, Mckenzii Webster, Jared Boyd, DJ Zirk, Growlers, DJ Casper, Goat Ap, DJ Luna, Lil Stacey Merino, Wallace901, WYXR radio Memphis, Martin Luther King Memorial, Ohgee Cookie, Gangsta Pat, Dj Spanish Fly, The ceo fam, Vince Johnson, Anjel, Keelyn Ellis, Curtis Turner, Jordy Simms, Dj Nicole, Olajide Ibitoye « Rest in Peace to my sister Gangsta Boo »

Supported by

  • Executive Producer : Le Fresnoy - Studio national des arts contemporains

    Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains is funded by the Ministry of Culture and the Hauts-de-France Region with the support of the City of Tourcoing. The technical equipments was co-financed by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund). 

    Copyright ©  Luna Mahoux – Le Fresnoy – Studio national – 2024
    All rights reserved

Copyright: Nicolas Paulo Walker Da Silva

La Chat / Chastity Daniels Copyright: La Chat / Chastity Daniels

Luna Mahoux Copyright: Luna Mahoux

Copyright: Kim Coussée

Copyright: Kim Coussée

Copyright: Nicolas Paulo Walker Da Silva in collaboration with Flavio Karrer

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