Quartz QZ, the self-proclaimed “lyri-sista in love with her craft”, is an NY-based rapper/vocal artist and songwriter. She creates sounds reminiscent of old school hip hop, with a bold and femme-forward vibe. Others have described her as being similar to artists such as Eve, Nas, and MC Lyte. While Quartz has several musical influences, most of her inspiration is drawn from life experience and women who work hard to make their voices heard in male-dominated industries. Besides being a petite woman with a big voice, she doesn’t have any gimmick other than her ability to combine smart humor with truth. Quartz has performed at several talent shows, competitions and cultural events, winning first place at a show during the early stages of her career. When she was a more active performer, she was known for her ability to smoothly improvise her way through technical difficulties. Shortly after releasing her long-awaited debut album in 2015, Raw Emotions, she opened for Cee Knowledge/Doodlebug of the Grammy award-winning hip hop trio Digable Planets. Her latest project, The Archives, is a combination of most of the tracks from her debut and the Black Excellence EP (2018).