Crazy. I was checking out AHH.com & came across the audio mixtape by Jazzy Joyce which pays tribute to female rappers. For those that don't know.... Jazzy Joyce is a female DJ pioneer who's been putting it down from day one.... (even before the Original Spinderella). The first time I acknowledged her was on Sweet Tee's classic joint, "It's My Beat."
Anyway, she's hosting the Ladies First mixtape where they're mixing a lot of classic female rap joints & I have to say... brought back a lot of memories & was nice to hear collectively reminding folks that bruthas didn't keep hip hop alive alone. My only problem was their choice of Jean Grae joint & no MC Lyte tracks. (out of all the females... hell no.) But after listening to all 75 minutes of it, JJ gives props to her at the end & say she's hosting the volume 2 version. (After hearing that I was cool, but still mad. LOL)
But after getting that high off of some good ole fashion hip hop with a woman's touch... I started to read the comments. Bad mistake, since it seems like the ppl that were commenting didn't listen to the audio as they were only giving props the names mentioned on the header. Another asking "Where's Lauryn?" when they played 3 songs she spitted on.
I hate reading comments on hip hop sites sometimes. Guess that's why the first time I got on the hip hop chatroom on Yahoo (way back).. was the last time. It was only a back & forth rant, cursing match, or somebody tryna hook up, or some racist mofo trying to get a rise out of Blacks on the site.
But one thing that's really messed up & I'm sure it's some ppl that would agree with this (I don't). One reader blamed Lil' Kim & Foxy Brown for their sexually explicit lyrics for the downfall of female rappers. WHAT?
First off. Both sistas are 14 years deep in the game & proceeded by a slew of females that took rap even further (i.e. Missy, Eve, Rah Digga). They revolutionized the game making it okay for females to not have to look or sound like a boy to be recognized. And plus, I think they were something needed to show a different side of women. All sistas can't be regal like Latifah, pro-feminine like YoYo, conscious like MC Lyte, classy like Salt-n-Pepa.
If anything, they gave female rappers another option. But the bad part is it opened the door for least talented females who can get over on being sexually perverted (i.e. Trina, Khia), while more deserving femcees struggle to be heard (i.e. Jean Grae, Rah Digga).
Once upon a time, the sistas had to come tighter than the bruthas just to be acknowledged, while a wack male rapper can get a pass. But now a days, wackness sells no matter the gender.
Kim & Foxy's last albums were actually nice, & these women actually do have more to offer than just sex talk. But truthfully, look at their history. Foxy's Broken Silence only went gold & the first 2 singles (BK Anthem & Oh Yeah) were mad hot on the streets. But what got more bang on the radio? "I Taste Just Like Candy."
Lil' Kim's last 2 albums were both critically acclaimed & high marked on the Source. And neither were as sexually explicit as earlier albums collectively. But what's the last hit RAP song she's had? "I Got the Magic Stick." In other words, if they didn't do sex songs, they wouldn't sell nor would they get play on the radio, in spite of the high marks received on their albums.
Shawnna is another example. That woman is a beast on the mic & what's her biggest & only hit? "Gettin' Some Head."
So is Kim & Foxy the blame for the fall of female rappers? NO! It's us. The consumers that don't support the females providing alternatives. If you're not buying their CD's, why should they continue to cater to you?
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2 comments:
You're a sharp dude George. Neither Kim or Foxy are to blame for the demise of the female rapper. If there is a demise, then consumers & label owners should be to blame for that. Both Foxy Brown & Lil' Kim have put out dope music even after they left their mentors (in the case of Kim her mentor Biggie was murdered). Both can spit some hot lyrics. I wouldn't even say that they opened the door for wack femcees to enter by being sexually explicit. Consumers do have to shoulder some blame b/c if you supported something that's dope as opposed to something sexual explicit (and nothing else) there would probably be even fewer rappers like Khia in the game. Lil' Kim has shown she could rhyme on several cuts. Foxy Brown in my opinion is a better rapper than certain dudes in the game. Both of them were very feminine in their approach as well. I would commend them instead of putting them down.
My bad. I didn't mean to say they open doors for wack femcees, but I think they made it more convenient for them to get on using it as a gimmick. And I definitely agree that the consumers bare some blame & not just for the death of female rappers, but for rap music in general, b/c they're putting money in the pockets of these wack rappers. Dope emcees can't eat off a compliment.
Kim sometimes lose me when she's on other ppl's stuff, but on her own joints, she brings it. In their prime, a lot of times they outshine some of the guys on their own songs. Esp. Foxy Brown on "I Shot Ya." Not only was she the only female, but she's was the only rookie in an all-star posse cut. They deserve more props than some of these so-called "backpackers" give them credit for.
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