Rap Artist MBALLA Gets “Illegal” in New Stream

Hip-Hop artist and activist, MBALLA has debuted “Illegal,” the debut track off of her new seven track EP Never Leave Quietly. The EP is set for release later this year. MBALLA was born in Paris France, the daughter of a Cameroonian ambassador.

Of “Illegal” MBALLA commented, “This song is my personal experience and reaction to what it meant to be an undocumented person of color amid extreme racial tension and an upcoming presidential election in the US… Specifically, one where immigration was an extremely hot topic. I had to find ways to process my personal predicament here. The stakes were and always are really high in my situation. I was a woman of color protesting equal rights for Black people, but simultaneously an undocumented person, therefore with no rights, including the lack of a right to protest. In that moment, I felt like I had to create a voice for women like me — women of color who want to support fights for equality but risk their freedom and potentially the entire life they’ve established here by doing so. As I wrote and recorded ‘Illegal,’ it became an anthem that calls out and denounces all oppressive systems and is ultimately an anthem for all people who feel marginalized or like they’re being treated unfairly — illegally.”