Nobody Knows Her Name … YET

Many of you know her, many of you don’t. Her plate’s full but she’s still hungry for more. She is a superwoman, fighting with positive aggression. She’s a filmmaker, an activist, an educator, a community organizer, a writer and a mother. Her name is Rachel Raimist and she is changing the face of hip-hop.

Rachel grew up in Upstate New York. In 1993, she left the city that never sleeps, for the City of Angels, to attend the University of California. While there she successfully earned her B.A in Film & Production. Following, she received her M.F.A in Film Directing in 1995. Currently, she teaches Video Production at the University of California, Irvine.

Rachel runs her own independent production company, Unleashed Entertainment. She is also a freelance writer. Raimist writes for the now defunct, Blu Magazine, The Cipher, ShadowBox, Red Eye Magazine and Culture Magazine. She’s a woman with a lot to say and write but that’s only half the story.

Having directed and sub-directed more than 30 films and productions, Raimist has attracted a lot attention and has retrieved recognition for her positive political outlook. She’s been interviewed by 60 Minutes and has had her work written about in such publications as The Village Voice, L.A. Sentinel and L.A. Weekly.

Her independent documentary, “Nobody Knows My Name” documents women in hip-hop, featuring real-life stories from female artists such as Medusa, Lisa, T-Love, DJ Symphony, Asia One and Leschea. This film gives you the opened minds and hearts from the artists.

Rachel’s initiative was to creative the ultimate chronicle and shoot across the U.S. Sheer dedication and almost hitting rock bottom, the production of the project had fluctuated from it’s highs and lows. Rachel was left to support herself and her aspirations for the production after receiving weak support from those whom she’d shared her ideas.

Back in New York, both of her parents were suffering from cancer, so she was traveling back and forth. Soon after starting production, Raimist discovered she was pregnant and lost all funding from UCLA.

“Nobody knows My Name” features women in hip-hop who don’t use their sexuality to get where they want to be. The film covers 3 of hip-hop’s base elements, it missing the graffiti element. Although, Lady Pink is mentioned there is no footage of any graff-writers. Understandably, many of them did not want to talk on camera.

Rachel is currently working on making “Nobody Knows My Name” into a book. She is accepting submission from writers around the world for the project.

The film has been showcased all over the world and in 45+ colleges & universities worldwide. You can find “Nobody Knows My Name” at Women Make Movies.