Crystle Lightning

Crystle Lightning
Born Crystle Lea Lightning
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
February 5, 1981 (age 34)
Occupation Recording artist, actress, DJ, Indigenous rights activist
Years active 1994–present

Crystle Lightning is an artist/musician living in Studio City, California known for her work as a film actress, an MC with the hip hop group LightningCloud, and DJ. A dedicated electro house DJ, Crystle recently moved from the booth to the center-stage mic with her performance partner, MC RedCloud. The pair wrote and recorded their recent collaborative work LightningCloud (2012) with RedCloud’s long-term musical collaborator, DJ Hydroe. Lightning’s love of electro house music softens RedCloud’s underground hip hop edge on this recording and represents the marriage of their musical interests. The LightningCloud crew is currently expanding the reach of their audiences through tight, high-energy live performances.

LightningCloud released their self-titled debut in 2012 to critical acclaim. Sam Slovik of the L.A. Weekly called the group, "a near-earth object inventing new realms of the Electro-House-Hip-Hop revolution on the planet. Urban futurist[s], MC RedCloud and Crystle Lightning are L.A.’s subterranean Bonnie and Clyde." The Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards (APCMA) honored the group with recognition for Best Hip Hop Album in November 2012.[1] In 2013, LightningCloud battled their way past the best MCs in Southern California to win the “Who’s Next: Battle for the Best” contest on the number one hip hop station in the United States, Power 106.[2] As winners, LightningCloud received a cash prize, a performance with Kendrick Lamar, and the honor of representing the best of west coast hip hop against Hot 97’s Brooklyn-based, east coast representative Radamiz in a freestyle battle in Austin, Texas on March 15, 2013. After winning that MC battle,[3] LightningCloud received the opportunity to work with Timbaland in the recording studio.

Early life

Born Crystle Lea Lightning, she holds dual citizenship with the United States and Canada. She is the daughter of director and actress Georgina Lightning. A First Nations Hobbema/Enoch Cree artist, Crystle began performing in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada when she was 4 years old. She relocated to Hollywood, California with her family when she was 9 and quickly landed a lead role in Three Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995). Since then she has landed notable acting performances including a recurring role on the daytime NBC soap Days of Our Lives; BET's The Game (2006); American Pie Presents: Band Camp (2005); and in Older Than America (2008) where she played alongside veteran actor Bradley Cooper (from The Hang Over and People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive, 2011"). Her recent role as "Tia" on TNTs Southland brought the "chola" culture back to Primetime TV.

Crystle Lightning is also a respected electro house DJ. Inspired by a mix performed by DJ Lady Tribe at a local Los Angeles nightspot, Lightning sought a musical apprenticeship with Christi Mills, later partnering with her mentor to form a performance crew called Ladies of the House. Ladies of the House is well known for their New Year’s masquerade extravaganza at the Parlor Room, in Hollywood, California. They perform regularly at prominent Los Angeles hot spots such as King King, the House of Blues, the 1616 Club, and Lucy’s 51, as well as throughout the United States.

Career

She first started acting in 1994 and has been in a handful of videos with her most noted role being her portrayal of Lori Piestewa in Saving Jessica Lynch.

Lightning had starred as the character "Jo" in the 1995 movie 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up.

In 2005, she played "Chloe" in the movie American Pie Presents: Band Camp.

Crystle's voice was used in the video game Prey, as the role of Jen (Tommy's girlfriend).

Trivia

She has a tattoo on her lower stomach of a rose and her name.

See also

References

  1. ↑ (November 1, 2012). APCMA, And the Winners Are. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  2. ↑ (February 25, 2012). Who's Next @ 2. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  3. ↑ [RE: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/03/18/lightning-cloud-win-battle-best-south-southwest-148235] (March 19, 2013). LightningCloud Win Best of the Best at South By Southwest. Retrieved 2013-03-18.

External links