Crystle Lightning

Crystle Lightning
Born Crystle Lea Lightning
(1981-02-05) February 5, 1981
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Occupation Recording artist, actress, DJ, Indigenous rights activist
Years active 1994–present

Crystle Lightning is a Canadian actress and 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 Hangover 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.

Lightning, in the 2006 video game Prey, voiced Jen, the girlfriend of the game's protagonist, Tommy.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1994 The Last Chance Detectives: Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa Winnie
1995 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up Jo
1995 Tecumseh: The Last Warrior Star Watcher
1995 The Last Chance Detectives: Legend of the Desert Bigfoot Winnie
1996 The Last Chance Detectives: Escape from Fire Lake Winnie
2003 Saving Jessica Lynch Pfc Lori Piestewa
2005 American Pie Presents Band Camp Chloe
2008 Older Than America Diane
2014 Death Factory
2015 Tamales and Gumbo Gloria's Cousin
2017 Second Sunrise Pre-production
2017 The Red Man's View Pre-production

Short Film

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Yellow Wooden Ring Velma Blea
1998 6/29 Paula Cooper
2010 Sardines Tiffany
2010 The Ricochet Misty
2010 Search for the World's Best Indian Taco Rose
2014 Unmatched Candi

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1995 ABC Weekend Special:The Secret of Lizard Woman Keah Nez 1 episode
2001 Touched by an Angel Anna Hernandez Episode: "Mi Familia"
2006 The Game Scantily Clad Girl #2 1 Episode: Mi Casa Es Su Casa
2006 Live! From the Future Herself
2008 Days of Our Lives Sasha Episode:#1.10981
2009 Tease Tina 3 Episodes
2012 Femme Fatales Candela Episode: Hell Hath No Furies
2013 Southland Tia Episodes: The Felix Paradox

Video games

Year Title Role
2006 Prey Jen/Radio Caller #2 (voice)

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.
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