Veteran music producer Messiah’el Bey is set to release his new album “MAIDEN 1973” on October 31st, 2025. Messiah’s latest effort is about six years in the making and celebrates the empowerment of women as its theme. The new album features an all-female cast of lyrical guerrillas known as Gangsta Womb.
Established by the industrious Frida Beltrán, with some assistance from Messiah’el Bey, Gangsta Womb’s fiery energy and militant verbiage bring an enlivened sound to a fleeting music industry. However remarkable this vision of sonic conquest may find you, it also came with its own set of challenges. First, we find that the members of Gangsta Womb are few in number and reside in different countries. Due to the distance in location, many of Gangsta Womb’s vocals were recorded in different studios and sent to Messiah. Despite these circumstances, Messiah was able to put together a series of cinematic recordings that not only reflect the mood of this post-modern era but also supersede time.
Frida was born in Mexico to a Garifuna mother and a Mexican father who held a high rank in the feared organized crime syndicate known as the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. Frida’s mother moved to New York in fear for her life. In fact, details relating to the identification of Frida’s father remain undisclosed. Her mother would eventually settle in the Bronx, sometimes working two jobs to give Frida the best life that she could afford.
Growing up, Frida became interested in humanitarian causes and music. She spent much of her time studying piano and violin during her teenage years while maintaining a criminal lifestyle that she would eventually abandon. Frida met Messiah’el after his 2012 performance at Webster Hall with the Warlock Asylum band. The two exchanged phone numbers, which led to talks about collaborating with the aim of creating an album with women’s empowerment as its theme. Messiah agreed, but things wouldn’t start taking shape until 2018.
Frida spearheaded efforts to find artists for the project. Only women who lived on the outskirts of society were qualified to participate. Frida was introduced to an incredible Haitian songstress named Kimberly “Sundance” Jean by a mutual friend. Kemberly, who would later take on the pseudonym Kiki Seven, is a human trafficking survivor who was sold to a New York businessman and was able to escape.
Initially, Frida and Kim admired each other’s artistic gifts and musical ability. However, after discovering that they were both dating the “mutual friend,” who introduced them to each other, things took a wild and life-threatening turn. “We were really trying to kill each other. But the good thing is that we had mature people around us who wouldn’t let that happen.” Frida explained. One of the people involved in helping Frida and Kimberly come to peaceful terms was Messiah. Today, Frida and Kimberly are best friends and have turned their feud into a songwriting sport.
Messiah’el Bey’s upcoming album MAIDEN 1973 has provided a platform for every member of the six-woman crew Gangsta Womb, which includes: Assata Gunz, Star Livity, Spanish Fly, Miss Malverde, Kiki Seven, and Gangsta Womb. Additional guest appearances by Christopher Butler, Tara Egipto, Louise Howard, and Lesly Valeria Ruelas help solidify the album’s sound.
