In case you’re not familiar with “Bangs the Great,” the Sudanese-Australian “rapper” who’s been an internet sensation a la “It’s So Cold in the D” and “Why Must I Cry” for the past couple of weeks, then watch the video below:
Every now and then, awful videos that aren’t made bad on purpose pop up on the web. It’s the reflection of the fact that we need more damage control. Tons of people should be told the truth but part of the problem is that people don’t know how to communicate effectively. There’s a way to criticize without being cantankerous, an emotion that only causes people to get defensive and unreceptive to what might be valid points. Mocking someone and telling people to kill themselves will only end up in said antagonist being labeled a hater.
Nikki D was the first female rapper to get a record deal with Def Jam. Most of you may remember her from popular singles like “Daddy’s Little Girl,” and “Letting off Steam.” I caught up with her a couple of months ago to ask her the million dollar question which has become quite the cliche in hip-hop. Check it out:
She recently did an interview with XXLamg.com discussing how she felt about being snubbed by Hip-Hop Honors, based on a video blog she posted on FaceBook where people got the impression that she had beef with Foxy Brown. That’s not the case so stop instigating.
She told XXL:
“I felt like I should have been there as well. I felt like [West Coast rapper] Boss should have been there… Boss is the second female rapper signed to Def Jam. Foxy’s like the fourth. You got other women that were on that brand before. And I felt like that was a disrespect to everybody. I couldn’t vent for Boss and I couldn’t vent for BWP so I vented for myself. I [don’t] want people to think I was bitter. I wasn’t bitter at anything. I’m not mad that I’m not on the label. I’m not mad that other female rappers came out after me. I embrace the whole roster thereafter. I embraced every person that came including Foxy Brown, who turned out to be a really nasty bitch in the end. I was never a hater. I just wanted to make sure people knew my place ’cause I really worked hard to find that place. That was my mission after high school—to become the first female rapper on Def Jam. I was so passionate about it and everybody around me knew that so when I didn’t even get an invitation it just really pissed me off.”
The interviewer went on to ask her about what she thought of female emcees in the game now and she added:
“There aren’t any out! Who’s out? You mean, Nicki Minaj? That’s not a rapper. That’s a girl with her ass on the screen. Nice hairdo and she’s saying some things but she’s not a rapper. She’s not an MC. She’s an artist. She’s an entertainer. There’s a difference. She can go out there and open her mouth and say whatever but people ain’t listening to her. They looking at her. And rapping is about the skill. It ain’t about your fat ass. It ain’t about your set of titties. It ain’t about that long-ass weave.”
I’m not mad at Nikki. Making a female rapper successful is one of hip-hop’s biggest conundrums (and everybody has a different opinion) but what she’s saying makes sense. Nikki D is from a different era when rappers–male and female–were all about respect on the mic, and when it came to femcees, they were counterparts to the men as opposed to objects (hence Gucci Mane’s “5 Star Chick” and countless other songs).
In case you’re wondering what she’s up to, she’s doing well as a business woman. Once she parted ways with Def Jam she began a career as a marketing consultant. If you’re a woman trying to get into the rap game, you should reach out to her. It’s going to take the support of other women for the ladies to get respect again.
Chez Lucienne
308 Malcolm X Blvd (Lenox Ave)
Between 125th and 126th Street
Price Range: $$$ (out of 5)
Rating: 4/5
I’ve been wanting to visit Paris for years but you can’t do that with no money (womp womp). However, my blog affiliate Kitty Bradshaw invited me to a nice dinner on Tuesday–specifically set up for bloggers–in the heart of France…kind of.
We dined at Chez Lucienne, which is located in Harlem. Yep, Harlem (it’s a different world there than it used to be folks). Chez Lucienne is a French Bistro nestled between 125th and 126th streets and Lennox Ave. I always used to walk past, curious about what was going on inside because it seemed out of place, but after checking it out, I will definitely go back. It’s a dimly lit cozy space that’s perfect for a romantic date, dinner party or simply unwinding after work. I joined bloggers and social media afficionados, Stevie NYC, Michael Street of Greasy Guide, Nikita Banks of The Single Girls Guide to Men, Monique from Suite October, Rae Holliday of Stuff Fly People Like, Phaon from Luxurious Prototype, Billy Ye and “P0ps” from J & R Music World digital for a complimentary appetizer, entree and desert.
Roc4life.com and GangStarrGirl.com teamed up back in May in search of a dope female mc for the “Roc Your 16 Bars” contest. It was tough competition as the ladies really stepped it up but in the end, Harlem native AtLas’ was the winner. Get to know her as she talks about her affiliation with MC Lyte and her love for hip-hop.
Some time last year I discovered a fly beauty blog named Clumps of Mascara, and have been checking back every day since. Brittany, the publisher, is the coolest. And although my blog isn’t technically a beauty blog, she knows that I’m a product junkie and graciously invited me to a beauty blogger networking event in NYC last Saturday. It came at a great time for me because I’ve decided to expand my post material.
“Bloggin’ Beauties” was the brain child of Brittany and Yana (of My Own Judge). The lovely ladies who came out were treated to free manicures by nail expert Jacqueline Saulsbery, and we got to play with makeup from brands like Stila, Orly, Zoya, Thevi Cosmetics, Tarte, Victoria’s Secret and more. Check out the pics:
I just found out that Grace Jones will be performing at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Thursday, and am bummed because my unemployed-self can’t afford to buy tickets willy-nilly. (Anyone wanna donate to a struggling journalist?) However,the least I can do is honor her legacy because she doesn’t get the props she deserves when it comes to her immense influence on pop-culture, especially hip-hop and soul music.
Her first name might be Grace, but she personifies fierce! Grace Jones has influenced hip-hop and many-a-diva from Rihanna to Patra to Lil’ Kim to Lady Ga Ga–from their senses of fashion to their attitudes.
“Sometimes we must completely destroy that which we build so that we may rebuild all over again. it’s just a cycle of life.”
–Tiye Phoenix
Check out why she named her album Half Woman Half Amazin.
Tiye Phoenix, veteran mc, is an unsung shero of hip-hop. The rapper, beat battle champ and singer has more talent in one beaded braid than most if not all of your favorite rappers. The Baltimore native studied classical piano as a child and eventually evolved into a skilled artist gifted lyrically and vocally. She entered the scene in the late 90s when she formed S.O.U.L. Food Symphony, a D.C.-based all female collective that consisted of emcees, singers, and musicians. SFS performed with artists like Nas, Black Moon and Gil Scot Heron. Tiye went on to write with legendary groups Public Enemy, and work with classic hip-hop producers Hank and Keith Shocklee. The rapstress, who derived her name from the 18th century Egyptian Pharoahess (Queen Tiye) and mother of King Tut, has toured and performed with soul songstress Tina Marie, the late Rick James and recorded with the UK group, The Runaways.
Pearl Bailey, Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne and Diahann Carroll were pioneering women in entertainment history who turned every creative project they touched into silver. They were beautiful, elegant and known for being triple threats—singing, dancing and acting with all their hearts and souls. Their ambition, charisma and charm gained followers worldwide, and created legacies that will never be forgotten. But in today’s entertainment world, divas are known for being mired in controversy, meaning, they tend to become famous for being party girls who clutter tabloid pages with drunken and drugged debauchery. However, 19-year-old starlet Katerina Graham is a beacon of light amidst the gloomy backdrop.
“I’m trying to have old fashion values about the way I approach my career,” muses Graham. “I hope I can be a good role model because there’s not that many positive young female stars out there.”
Born in Geneva, Switzerland to a Liberian father and a Jewish-Russian mother Graham relocated to Hollywood with her mom when her parents split by age six. From there, she started appearing in commercials thus, her passion for entertaining was born, and she is now on the road to taking over the entertainment world one craft at a time.
I spotted this video at Straight From the A, where Rocsi reveals her struggles with diet pill abuse and an eating disorder.
It’s amazing what you can reveal to a room full of strangers, but not to people who really know you. Rocsi is right, if people know your struggle it can help others going through the same thing.
I feel bad because I’m guilty of calling Rocsi skinny–just to be negative–not realizing that we share a common ground. The first time I had ever heard a woman in hip-hop admit to having an eating disorder was on the Salt n’ Pepa show, when Salt revealed that part of why she left the group was because she was struggling with bulimia. I couldn’t believe it. I always admired Salt’s body. She had an acceptable frame for hip-hop–thick in the right places–so why would she do that to herself? But she was no different from me.
In hip-hop, the most fascinating thing next to beef is usually the “First Lady” of the crew. But few lady starlets have been as elusive as Starr, the leading lady of Skull Gang. Every now and then she would pop up on a Juelz Santana hook or on a hood mixtape and pique everyone’s interest, but then she’d disappear again. In December the 22-year-old Harlem native appeared on Juelz Santana’s “Jingle Bellz,” and she also sang in Jim Jones’ Hip-Hop Monologues, leaving people wondering when she was going to do her own thing. The time has come. Her new single, “RockStarr” ft. Juelz Santana and Lil Wayne is buzzing online and on New York City’s top urban radio stations, but we still don’t know who she is. That’s why GangStarrGirl.com decided to get to know the woman behind the voice. Introducing Starr, the First Lady of Skull Gang.
