Wednesday, November 11, 2009
      Female rap…a lot of people think that it doesn’t even exist, but at the same time a lot of people think that it is something this game really needs. Ladies have always been a part of this movement…since the day one. Do u remember The Funky 4+1? The hip-hop group was formed in 1976 and was the first one to have a female MC, Sha Rock. Old school rap raised a generation of great female MCs. They could rap, they were great role models, entertainers, professionals aaand they challenged men. They didn’t diss them, but ladies raised the bar everytime they held the mike. You can ask me “How?” Well, they say “there's his truth, there's her truth & there's THE truth”. So everytime a female touched the mike and battled w/ a male MC it was kinda cross-examination. It has always been so and will always be…men and women have different vision. Even the same thing is gonna be interpreted in different ways by a man and a woman. So when a man rapped his verse, she was like “Excuse me, but I beg to differ!!!!” and she spitted her 16 bars. Thereby, we had his truth, her truth and eventually the truth. But what happened to that generation of ladies? 

I remember in one of his interviews, Notorious B.I.G. said that the biggest problem of female MCs (those days) was that they tried to be like men. At first I was kinda offended by that remark. Why can’t I be like a man? Well, simply cuz I ain’t one. A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. This is the way it's supposed to be and since hip-hop reflects the world/society, it’s the way it’s supposed to be within the hip-hop community. The new school generation of female MCs is more commercially successful, but they lost the essence of being a female MC. The new generation is nothing but a copy-cat. They do what men do. They tell us the same story using the same expressions, the same vocab. In my opinion, the situation is even worse…they do what MEN WANT them to do. They don’t represent sisters anymore. What they do is nothing BUT a gimmick. It’s okay w/ record labels (as long as they get their $$$), it’s okay w/ male rappers (note: not MCs) cuz they ain’t challenged, they can just relax and get their paper…but is it okay w/ the culture? I don’t think so. The culture is losing one of its powerful voices…in mainstream area. There are a lot talented ladies trying to make their way on top. I’m sure that the bomb called “Female Underground Hip-Hop” is gonna blow up this industry one day just like bebop. It used to be some funky music played by some geeks in New York night clubs, but that funky music took over the whole jazz game and was really influential for a while.

Another “interesting” point is that females shouldn't be around hip-hop becuz it’s disrespectful to them. Oh, yeah? The last time I checked rejection was the best motivation. You wanna call me a “bitch”…well, go head, daddy. I understand you, for real. You have nothing to say, so you try to bring me down, but…it doesn’t mean that I can’t bury you 16 bars under... in the most gentle way, cuz I’m an “L” to tha “A” to tha “D” to tha “Y”. If you treat me like I ain’t ish, I’m gonna prove you that I’m THE ish in the flyest way. 

So I truly believe that female rap is exactly what hip-hop culture needs to get back to being a real thing and to stop being a joke. Ladies of hip-hop challenge gentlemen to be stronger, wiser, more consistent, thoughtful, and real. Since this challenge is gone, all we hear is ringtone rap, commercial crap about fashion brands & trends and wanksta rap. That's why I say that we need that Ladies First thing back. Even though ladies ain’t never run this game, they showed the right direction for years. And look what hip-hop turned into when female voice became less influential…Are you proud of this state of hip-hop? 

Message to my rapping sisters (from Queen Latifah):“Grab the mike and get dumb!!!”

I used 2 ♥ him

Common used to love H.E.R. & I used to love H.I.M. (Hip-hop Is My Muse) ... but true love never dies ... this is my L.O.V.E. S.T.O.R.Y.

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About Me

They call me Janus cuz I’m a little bit of every opposition. I’m quiet & loud, happy & sad, cocky and shy, rough & ladylike… but most of all I’m hip-hop. I started this blog to share my thoughts and ideas with the world, so feel free to leave your comments and to holla at me. Welcome to my world! Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/ms__lady