The Minaj Mirage: The Case of the Forgotten Femcee

“They always allow ONE,” is the response I did not have time to give to this brother who  dared say that you cannot deny the doors that Nicki Minaj has opened. Huh? What I did manage to say was “I do not know what doors you are referring to, but trust that they haven’t done shit for me.” I was on a panel for hip hop appreciation week representing the voice of women. And like Nicki- I was the only one. No pressure. But honestly, I was grateful to my homie for putting me up there to provide my perspective. Some brothas in the game know what they need to do.


Listen to me: it’s historical. ONE femcee has always been“allowed” out. She is the Queen B of her crew. The token female. And while this has definitely brought us some of the most amazing women (and allowed many of them an opportunity they would not have had), I am really all set with the “One at a Time” model these days. Honestly.


This is not an attack on Nicki. This is not a conversation about how she is “ruining our image.” I think she is a tight emcee when she is not being controlled, whose spirit may have gotten led away for a little while by the desire for fame. Or maybe it was just her willingness (or forced hand) to do anything for what she loved. Whatever it is, tryin’ to diss Nicki is not the issue.


What IS the issue is the patriarchal structure that hip hop has built itself on that perpetuates this cycle. A structure that is so deeply engrained, that men cannot even see when they are emulating the very system that they complain about--especially men of color. Men who claim that they are “going to bring hip hop back to its roots,” but obviously has its roots confused with the arrival of Columbus. It’s still immersed in the idea of conquering, because women still have to do far too much to get heard and recognized in the game. Especially when we once existed in societies built by the wisdom of our clan mothers.


I know. I know. “Oh god. Here she goes again.” If that is your attitude while you are reading this- know YOU are exactly who I am talking about in this article. And trust me, you are not the first and won’t be the last. So let me save you some time and air.
Let me address some of the complaints I have received and my response.


#1: I am asking for an “invitation” when hip hop is about the hustle, not being invited.
No. Let me make this VERY CLEAR: This is not about an invitation. It is about respect. I have watched countless shows and moments where women emcees who have been in the game for just as long as their colleagues (if not longer), and rocked TWICE as hard, were not acknowledged or brought on a bill when they were more qualified than the men who did perform. And do not say it wasn’t because she had a  vagina. Afterall, “who wants to hear a girl rhyme?” is still a myth running around out there. The honest answer is PLENTY. Ask Tiye phoenix, Jean Grae, and Bahamadia. Stop basing your actions on this capitalist structure of supply and demand. Rock the Bells is one of the biggest culprits of this. It then trickles down to the local male emcees who think that fighting for gender equality is a burden. Which brings me to my second “complaint.”


#2: I am too intense. Too feminist.
Or maybe you are just too uncomfortable with my truth. Here is the reality: Black men have historically been made to believe that racism is more important than sexism. This was actually one of the “divide and conquer” tactics used by slave owners when they began to fear black women and men uniting for the takeover. No one is immune.  I remember sitting with a “prominent” black male who ran a venue that centered around African Americans. A man considered very “for the people.” But when I asked him his thoughts on being responsible to stand up for women of color and fight for sexism his response was degrading and horrifying. He stated that I was engaging in ”tricknology” or something ridiculous. It was followed by the typical male  shut down of “here we go.” He had the audacity to end with “Its bad enough I gotta fight racism, now you want me to fight for yall too.”


YES, “brotha,” Yes. Because until you respect your women- your life and all of hip hop will stay off balance. You might have everyone else fooled- NOT ME. Nicki needs a remix- cause WE see right through YOU.


#3: “Well its not our fault more women do not support women hip hop artists. How can you want us to do what even the women won’t.”
 Oh short sighted blind brother- here is my response: What you are seeing are women who have been (in the words of my man Malcolm) “Hoodwinked” and “Bamboozled.” They have been drinking the patriarchal koolaid for so long, they forgot their own power, stories, and names- that is why they allow you to call them out of theirs so damn often.  Understand that hip hop and its communities have marinated in a poison so severe that now ALL of the people are suffering. What can you do instead of blame US for being trapped in the same system that is obviously still holding YOUR mind captive? You can start to wake up your sisters (and yourself) by praising them and  bring new voices to the table, helping us all awake from our comas of self-denial.


My point is this: Please do not speak to me about my struggles in hip hop and blast me for my truth. Until you walk on that stage with breasts & a vagina (or fight to get on it), you have no say here. Do not tell me that I “sho is lucky I gots me one female rapper who holdin it down” massa. Instead see the larger structure that hip hop has succumbed to, and not just when it is convenient for you to “save hip hop.” That shit is old. If you really want to “save hip hop,” you can start by really taking an honest look at yourself, then look at everyone affected in the game, and use hip hop in its original manner: to heal the ills of the ENTIRE community. Say WORD.

Hip Hop More Alive Than Ever: RAPATHON 5

Photo Courtesy of Kurt Nice

I love my culture. I love hip hop. I love being a woman. These are a few of my favorite things and I got to engage in all of them last month. The third week of May is  hip hop appreciation week and I wanted to celebrate. Thanks to Kurt Nice out of Jersey and D.R. the Chef  and Nikki out of Harlem- I got the opp, times 1 million.

I am a woman who will do whatever she needs to perfect her craft. I got the opportunity when I saw a post to participate in Hip Hop appreciation week in Jersey. There I not only performed but sat on a panel that discussed different topics of hip hop. Including: Hip Hop and the “illuminati” (to which Hakeem stated: Leave it alone- these are all just excuses for you not doing what you need to be doing), Feminism in hip hop, and hip hop and its decline. While we could not go into these conversations in depth, it was great to be able to touch on each one as I sat on the panel with great minds such as the manager of KRS-One, and The old A&R for Artists such as RZA from Wutang. With an opening of tributes to the ancestors and the forefathers and mothers of hip hop, and the close by the electrifying and soul stirring performer NY Oil and his youth group PEMG- it was an amazing event indeed.

This event was also a great place to network with other artists and organizers and I scored a table with D.R. the Chef and Nikki of the Harlem Hip Hop culture center. Because I’ve been in rhythm it was the fresh synchronicity as they were there promoting Rapathon 5: a 28 hour cypher to break the guinness book of world record. A I sat there with them I felt a bond forming. They were so real. So True. So open. And so was I. The clincher came when D.R. stated “You will meet the best femcees in the game at this event.” I WAS IN.

3 trips in one week to NY later (one for the audition which I beasted, one for the rehearsal, and then the final event) and I was there. Rocking among some of NY’s Tightest Emcees. And sprinkled in were those of us from the outskirts, who loved the culture with all we have and who came to tighten our game at the birthplace of hip hop. NY. I was in love from the moment I stepped into the Harlem Hip Hop Culture center.

The lyrics spilled onto the Streets of Harlem, Frederick Douglass Blvd  gained a new sense of abolition as the art of the freestyle removed the leftover mental shackles and began to welcome true lovers of hip hop culture. The energy uplifted, expanded, and united. The rules were simple: Come with your best game, pay attention to the coach, and no cussing. The last was a testament to the true lyrical abilities that the Hip Hop Culture demands. Their motto- If you cannot spit without swearing- you can’t spit.

I was excited and nervous. I was put with some of the illest lyricists in the game. In addition, because of my skills, I was made an alternate for teams if members couldnt hang or there weren;t enough. But the best and most humbling gift/moment had to be when I was places on 2 all femcee crews: Women who have rocked mics for years, who have honored hip hop culture with their lives, and who had spirits that could move you in one sitting. It was there I got my training.


It was perhaps AtLas’ that made the greatest impression on me. As the mentee of MC Lyte and a veteran in the game, I had a chance to warm up with her during the rehearsal before the event. It was in that circle that she got me “open,” making me learn to marry my words with the moment. Teaching me to be a conduit. Helping me understand that in order to get to where I needed to be I had to reinforce my lifelong lesson of learning to let go. Let go of the fear, let go of the apprehension, let go of the self doubt.  “You can enter a lot of circles to get better in your game, but it is with the women that you will truly manifest your gift and get nurtured.” She was right. Only 20 minutes with her and I felt free-er then I ever had in a cypher. I was ready.

Women took the stage several times during those 28 hours. Each moment an exemplification of how Hip Hop Culture Center holds the women precious. There was no begging for the mic in Harlem. It was given readily, sometimes urgently- they understood our power. They understood our importance. We rocked the stage treating the crowd like a ship on rough winds over the sea, except with the reassurance they would make it to the shore. Dipping and diving, weaving in and out of ideas, concepts, and lessons with our lyrics. Our words electrifying and exhilarating. We were UNSTOPPABLE. D.R. Kept his word. I was elated.

After this, there is no doubt in my mind that it is the women who will lead you. It is the women who will ground you, inspire you, and sustain you. From the times we rocked the stage to my girl Nikki on stage and off holding it down behind the scenes with encouragement and stage/event management- There was no question of our power.

This experience is meant to shut up all those who think that a group of women cannot join together without a “cat fight.” This experience was meant to shut up all those who forget to put us on the bill because “There just aren’t enough of you” or “femcees just aint that dope.” It was meant to show the magnificent energy that we can generate. It solidified my mission, clarified my purpose, and helped to feed my own endeavors as I took the energy back to my partner in Isis Storm. Because we always knew... It was just nice to have our sisters from another space and place confirm our vibes.

Final Thoughts: Oh sure- some will try and water this down to just a “bunch of rappers trying to break a record,” but it was so much more than that. It was the coming together of genders, generations, and cultures to show one thing: Hip Hop is NOT DEAD and never will be. And as our voices overflowed onto Frederick Douglass blvd I couldn’t help but picture our ancestors chanting “Keep on you don’t stop....Keep on-Rock on!”

RESOURCES

www.h2c2harlem.com

www.hiphopsisters.com

http://shadesradio.com
www.PEMGOnline.com 

Completion

Completion is a funny thing. How it makes you feel accomplished, capable, but also the effect it has especially after a long process. I think when it comes to making or creating, completion has a very special meaning: It means that you got it...or at least I think it should. What does "Got it" mean? It means that the lesson was absorbed. A type of metamorphoses attained.

I suppose what has me thinking of this is the completion of my second album. It is a spoken word album that originally was supposed to come out with my hip hop album...but apparently somethings take a little more time. This process (tho not long to some) has felt like forever. Originally I was going to let go of the spoken word album until later. Then people stated that they really wanted some of my spoken word and did I have an album...I had resigned myself primarily to (f)emceeing, so I told them not as of now but one may be on the way.

Well its here. And its amazingly perfectly imperfect. Its Rough. Raw. Untamed. Like me.  It gained a life of its own as I began to add the tracks that people wanted the most and soon it all made sense: this album became a documentation of my recovery- from addiction, self loathing, relationships, the past. And then I realized that people wanted these things because they were recovering (or trying to) as well.

I do not think any project has made me more convinced of my place as an educator and healer than this. As I looked through my old journal entries I realized that this was my mission. I prayed to really embrace my mission, and surely it came.

It is 12:13 am and I am here in the studio...my batcave. My safe haven. The only place that can compete with my alter (not ego...prayer space lol) and nature when it comes to processing my experience. Funny that way it is (Apparently I have also decided to speak like Yoda this evening....wait I mean morning).

But seriously...Something happened here. I think I married pieces of me through this process. This album is really not about anything but healing. About being okay to be where you are. Even the process was about me fighting my perfection. Me resisting the urge to get someone "more experienced" to take on the track I was having trouble mixing (yes I engineered this one too). It was about me not being worried about doing it "right" but taking you on my journey. We'll save all that shit for the next hip hip album ;)

But for now...this is for the soul. Not everyone will get it...or appreciate it. Thats ok. This is for the ones who will- and they will get it hardcore. I invite you into my spirit. My journey. Yeah.....

Completion.

Hope and triumph
5th

They say she rhyme pretty good...FOR A GIRL

It still happens: They leave you off of bills, when they put you on they make you rock first when no one is there, then tell you after that you “rhyme pretty good for a girl.”  They hold shows about injustice and inequality but not ONE WOMAN is on the bill. They forget that we are their mothers, sisters, and daughters. They also forget that we too are FRESH EMCEES.

The struggle for women in hip hop has never been a secret. From its inception till now, women have always had to fight harder,  throw bows stronger, and flow harder to even be looked at or considered. We are put in boxes of conscious, cute, or sexy and forced to play a role: The righteous sister (Lauryn Hill), the scandalous (Lil Kim), the cute and clever (Lady bug mecca) and in the process not only do they take the focus off of our amazing lyricism, they deny all parts of ourselves...and in some cases cause us to do it too.

Sorry but I am SICK of Lauryn Hill as the be all to end all of “good women in hip hop.”  Especially when you have so many amazing women out there such as your Tiye Phoenix, Masia one’s, and Eternias straight KILLIN IT in EVERY AREA. Not only skilled in lyricism but talking to us about the ISSUES THAT AFFECT ALL OF OUR LIVES and the LIVES OF WOMEN.

I have been rockin mics for a little over 12 years. I have had to cuss heads out for leaving me off the bill, fight my way to the stage, and make them remember that it was a WOMAN who gave them birth for them to even be there. Now as women are left out of hip hop and not considered, our communities crumble- how can no one MAKE THAT CONNECTION?

Hip Hop is morphic as I have said in the past. My second passion is that I am a scholar and I studied the connection between hip hop, its message, and the state of the community. Come on yall- It was REAGAN cutting art programs and Robert Moses PLOWING THROUGH THOUSANDS OF HOMES in the GHETTOS OF NEW YORK THAT GAVE BIRTH TO THIS ART FORM. You see people needed to let the system know “Don’t Push Me- I AM CLOSE TO THE EDGE.” Check your history. Hip Hop will always tell the story of what is going on with the country and its people. Just take some time to listen.

And should this be the case- what is hip hop telling us now? As less women’s voices are heard or forced to become Nicki Minaj what are we doing to our women, youth, and how are we affected by these images. As more men degrade who we are, refuse or forget to give us play, and force us into their boxes-what are we doing to our community? We are one, men and women. The Yin and the Yang. There is nothing that you do to me that you do not do to yourself.

But there is light and partnerships forming. People like Chuck D, MC Lyte, Andrew Woods, myself and others are bringing attention to the lack of women in hip hop and doing their thing to get out the following message (as I said in one of my tracks) “Until I’m Healed- no moves can be made.”  Scholars such as Joan Morgan, Gwendolyn Pough, and Tricia Rose are taking this fight to the streets as well as academia with a vengeance. Plus women such as Tiye Phoenix, B-mor 7, Tiger Lily (of Riders Against the storm), Queen yonasda, Da Empress, and Emerald Stone are letting us know that we have many dimensions to us and our voice MUST be heard.

So the next time that you hear or witness that moment- that moment where you or someone you know stops a woman from grabbing that mic or tells her that “she rhymes pretty good for a girl” let them know this: She just a tight emcee and you could probly learn somethin’ from her.

Keepin in mind the she movement,
5th

This is a "Letter to Lil Wayne" Looong needed...Tho I can do without the Steve Harvey reference and Lauryn Hill still being the "go To" for women in hip hop when there are so many such as Tiye Phoenix, Queen Yonasda, and Artists like myself (5th Elmament) out there...THey still killed it!

Top 10 Female Rappers NOT NAMED NICKI MINAJ

Check out this article from "The Well Versed" And Click on the link for free downlaods of their music. Some I have covered some are Brand new!

THE TENS: 10 DOPE FEMALE RAPPERS NOT NAMED NICKI MINAJ

Posted by Andreas Hale on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 · 30 Comments 

Although we enjoy the fact that Nicki Minaj is a female emcee occupying a space in a hip hop culture that is male dominated, we’re quite annoyed that the music industry acts like she’s the only female in hip hop that has skills. Actually, the mere concept is offensive to many of the women who have been rocking mics and haven’t been recognized by the mainstream because they don’t ooze of sexual energy or aren’t affiliated with a top male act. The music industry acts like there isn’t enough room for more than one female emcee, we’d like to argue that point with ten who would shine if given the chance.

1) Jean Grae

Possibly the best female emcee out there today. It’s actually a shame that we have to put her in the female rapper space because she raps circles around a majority of the men out there. After first bursting onto the scene as part of Natural Resource in the mid-1990s, the artist formally known as What? What? changed her name to Jean Grae and began destroying mics as a solo act. She’s mean and vicious, but in a female sort of way. Not to mention that she oozes a different type of sexuality that isn’t as overt as the Lil Kims and Nicki Minajs of the world. Her album with 9th Wonder is the stuff hip hop is all about and we simply cannot wait for Cake or Death to drop.

2) Rah Digga

How could anyone forget about the first lady of the Flipmode Squad? Digga has been shredding mics long before Nicki Minaj considered picking up one. She was a beast as a member of the Outsidaz and stood out alongside Busta Rhymes‘ crew. Her recently released solo album with Nottz Classic is certainly one of the best releases this year. Not to mention that she can rap her ass off.

3) Invincible

Detroit’s best kept secret. Invincible is something serious on the mic. Her lethal rhymes and socially conscious persona make for one helluva emcee. The recently released Shapeshifters is proof positive that Invincible should be getting more attention than she currently is. She’s just that damn good.

4) Eternia

The Canadian has been shredding microphones for some time now. Her debut album It’s Called Life was critically acclaimed and her follow up with Moss titled At Last is expected to be yet another dope released from Eternia. Let’s not forget that Eternia challenges gender-based stereotypes in the industry each and every time she touches a microphone or utters a word in public. She’s the role model women need to be like.

5) Tiye Phoenix

Most first heard Tiye Phoenix when she stood out with her spectacular rhymes as a part of the Polyrhythm Addictsalongside DJ Spinna and Mr. Complex. But she’s been wrecking mics for some time now while being signed to Rawkus records in the late 90′s and working with Mos Def, Talib Kweli and The Last Emperor. Her solo debut Half Woman Half Amazin’ should have gotten more shine than it did.

6) Amanda Diva

Ms. Diva is a jack of all trades. Although initially known as an MTV personality, Amanda Diva has always been involved in hip hop culture and released several projects over the course of the past few years. She’s also published a book of poetry, been known to hold a note and appeared as a guest commentator on many of VH1′s shows. Her progressive feminist views are some that should be lauded in an industry that is male dominated. She takes no shorts from anybody.

7) Nikki Lynnette

One of the new kids on the block. The other Nikki is just as talented (if not more) than the Nicki getting all of the spotlight right now. The multitalented Chicago emcee has received praise from Lupe Fiasco and has had her voice featured in McDonalds, Secret Deodorant and Nationwide Insurance commercials. But don’t confuse her for a softy on the mic, Nikki is quite the mic menace and proved it with her latest mixtape Roses N’ Guns.

8 ) RAtheMC

You may have heard a similar story somewhere before: a car crash survivor kicks rhymes with her mouth wired shut and perseveres to become one of the rising stars in Hip Hop. No, it’s not Kanye West. This is RAtheMC‘s tale. The DC rhyme slinger spits with the venom of a seasoned veteran from the golden era of hip hop. The proof is in her recently released Heart of a Champion mixtape. Don’t sleep.

9) Mae Day

It’s not a distress signal, unless you are standing in her way. Another one of Detroit’s shining artists, the former ballplayer turned emcee is another artist that has been busy in the underground over the past few years. Her experimental Cherish the Day: The Mae/Sade Experience fused her lyrics with beats all crafted from Sade’s work. We look forward to more from Mae Day in the near future.

10) Rapsody

As the lone female in the Kooley High collective, Rapsody has demonstrated a vicious delivery and slick wordplay that has many clamoring to hear more from the North Carolina. As part of 9th Wonder‘s It’s A Wonderful World music group, Rapsody is one of the names most have recognized as a potential star. Her show stealing performances on Kooley High’s Eastern Standard Time project and her initial foray as a solo artist on Rapsody Relay proves that she’s definitely one to watch in 2011.