Memoirs Of Redefinition Radio #13: Women In Hip Hop Part 3-Medusa, Lady Of Rage, Mystic, Poetess, Eternia, Ninety-9, Ice Cream Tee, ESG, Female Producers, and more!

Memoir Of Redefinition Radio #13: Women In Hip Hop (Entry #3)

written by Kevin Beacham

-corresponds with the radio show dated: 7-1-2006

MEDUSA:

It’s no mystery to anyone that knows me or listens to my musical selections, whether it be in clubs/bars or on the radio, that my taste tend to lean more to older Hip Hop. By no means does that mean that I’m the “bitter Old Schooler” because I definitely love a lot of new artists. In the past, lets say, 5 years or so there have been a fair amount of MCs that have left quite an impression on me. To name a few; Chief Kamachi, Aesop Rock, Brother Ali, Lifesavas, Busdriver, Insight, Edan, RA The Rugged Man and Medusa (and many more....but more on them later). My first “experiences” with Medusa were thru what I call “Word of Mouth Legend”. I had read about her in magazines such as Rappages for years and that left me eager to hear for myself. Then the stories of her famed battles made there rounds in various Hip Hop Discussions. One of the most tales battle was about her battling, freestyle/battle legend, Juice to a stand-still.

By the time ‘97 and her “Do It The Way You Feel” EP came around it had been years of waiting with only a few guest verses here and there to feed the hunger. The stand out track here is “You Betta Be”. It paints the picture of her style beautifully and perfectly. Everything about her is soulful. She first demonstrates this by introducing the hook, “You better be a tight beat layer, stop walking around like you’re some dope ass rhyme conveyer, when all the while we just trying to make our paper, you’re a player, a player, a player...” and then expounds on the theme as she dives deep into the verse, “Everybody professing to be a hustler. Boy, get your head out of my daddy’s best seller. Your game is 2-ply it shows in your skits only old school hustlers can tell you about thick, get rich, do ten year corporate schemes while you chain snatch, slang that, (and) car jack to develop a rap thing...”. I hope that I’m getting these quotes right. Although her articulation is pretty crisp sometimes the flow speed switches so quickly it leaves my poor lil ears behind...ha. She finishes the first verse with, “You quote things my daddy used to say back in the day to the 15 year old sweet things on the subways and bus stops. Snatched by the finest of pimps, made addicted to the finest sh**...”  As far as the concept, the way I read it is that she’s speaking of all the MCs who like to fill their lyrics with stories of being pimps, players, hustlers and things of the like. She doesn’t seem to be chastising them for doing that so much as she is demanding that they be gifted writers and MCs, no matter what they choose to speak about. That’s just in the first verse. By the time the second verse hits it seems she’s shifted gears to ladies on the mic who are out to prove the theory that sex sells, “and you, I’m ain’t mad you’re a hoe, I’m mad you’re teaching my babies how to be a hoe when I ain’t at home taking that video to the dome. While you trying to clone B***hes, I’m trying to raise Queens, there’s about to be switches up on here after we get these samples cleared I’m exactly what you feared...”. You know actually I’m thinking about this a little differently now. I’ve always been so memorized by how good she sounded and just grabbing bits and pieces of the jewels she’s dropping that I never fully thought thru the concept. Now I’m started to think she’s more or less saying MCs should take responsibility for your words....but honestly I’m not absolutely sure. I’m sure there’s elements of both those points mentioned above but maybe that’s not the overall point. Well I guess I need to reach out for that interview I’ve been putting off for a couple years now and figure it out...ha.

Well, after this I was convinced that the Legends were true and I wanted more. We don’t always get what we want...obviously. I don’t think I heard much of anything until Nobody dropped his “Soulmates” project in 2000. Medusa’s contribution was “Fiend Or The Fix” which was one of only four tracks with vocals and arguably the best. Considering the chorus, I guess you can say, this picks up were the 2nd verse of “You Betta Be” left off. The hook is powerful and she delivers it with force, “Underground or the mainstream, generally the fiend and the fix is the same. Relentlessly click-ish, porn flick-ish ended up in mixes to where you have to spit game. The underground or the mainstream I bet your whole team, know your rap dreams tipped your booty clap fantasies and you’ll do anything for the fiend of the lime-light scene”. However, most of the lyrics seem to be more an open letter to the industry...and industry that isn’t letting her in. She doesn’t seem frustrated or discouraged, but as confident as ever. She challenges the A&Rs who are “too far into the mainstream”, “drownin’ in it” and therefore “can’t see the originality that (she’s) giving”. Furthermore she credits and criticizes them for recognizing the talent in her but still they can’t seem to “find no room in their budget”. Fine. She vows that her day will come. The chorus and lyrics sprinkled thru out the track suggest that it may be her own originality that is working against her, but rather than dumb it down she encourages you to catch up later. Well, she doesn’t just say it, she sort of taunts with it, “I’ve been soul searching in the underground, at the same time working on a compound to compound your eyebrow down ‘round your bridge. I got your ass in think mode once again. Now, why you being over analytical? When what I’m kickin’ to your kitchen is oh so simple. A soul symbol, and pardon me this is an undergound style so if I say something you can’t catch then continue to head nod and come back to it when your friends ain’t around”.

I still hadn’t got my hands on enough of her music, but at least I had something. The other part of her Legend was her amazing stage presence. I believe that is the symbolism of her name because when you see her you are frozen in your tracks...unable to move, she has your complete attention. Unlike the myth of the snake haired lady this is all very real. A few Summers ago I was on a road trip with my daughter and I heard that Medusa was going to be at a festival in Chicago that was taking place on the day I got back. Trust me, I was determined to make it back in time to witness this. I went with my daughter and two nephews (who were all aged about 10-12 at the time). When Medusa hit the stage I was captivated. Her presence was as undeniable as the stories had suggested. From the moment she hit the stage she proceeded to rip thru a series of tracks that I and I’m guessing that most everyone else in that crowd had never heard, but yet and still the crowd was with her. Actually she had my full attention until I was distracted by something I noticed....the kids. They hadn’t said a word since she hit the stage. No asking if we could go. No asking to go see or do any of the other of abundance of things at this festival. Nope. Their eyes were locked to the stage and their mouths were quiet for the whole set. I couldn’t believe it. I can hardly think of anything that held their attention that long. Not only that, as soon as she was done THEY were telling ME to see if she had a CD and to buy it. I did just that and on that day she created at least three new fans. The kids proceeded to sing her hooks for the rest of the Summer and occasionally they ask if she has any new music...that my friends is stage presence.
 
Anyway, the CD was compilation of her crew Feline Science called “Underground Crewed”*. Medusa has four solid solo tracks on there that have been holding me over while I still impatiently wait for new Medusa music.

LADY OF RAGE:

Lady Of Rage is one of those artists whose talent has been recognized by some of the most respected and/or skillful people in the industry but yet she has gotten as many set backs as she has props and she’s currently in the background. The story goes that she was living in Chung King Studios (early 90s I suppose, perhaps late 80s) and that’s where she was discovered by Chubb Rock. She made her debut on LA Posse’s “They Come In All Colors” album in 1991. On there she appeared on “The Winds Too Def To Die” (w/Breeze) and “Total Choas” (w/Big Ill Of W.I.S.E Guyz and later of Ill Al Skratch), both showcasing her as a fully developed lyricist ready to show and prove. It was thru these appearances that Dr Dre took notice and became interested. Suge Knight followed thru on that interest and made some phone calls and invited her out to LA to meet with Death Row. Things must have moved fairly quickly because by the following year, 1992, she appeared on 2 tracks (3 if you count the single b-side “Puffin On Blunts and Drankin’ Tanqueray”) on Dr Dre’s masterpiece album, “The Chronic”. She continued building her rep with verbal assaults with two tracks on Snoop Dogg’s “Doggystyle” in ‘93 (including nearly the entirety of the intro) and Dogg Pound’s “Dogg Food” (“Do What I Feel”) in ‘95. Ok, we need to back up just a bit because she slipped her solo debut in-between there on the Above The Rim Soundtrack with her biggest hit to date, “Afro Puffs”. It was three years later, 1997, when her debut album, Unnecessary Roughness, finally dropped. I don’t know for sure but one would guess that she had been working on that album for at least a few years while over at Death Row. It’s not that it sounds completely dated, but there does seem to be some evidence of that. I’m more or less basing it on the fact that over the years rumors would leak about producers she was working with and those peoples work still remain on this album. Certainly it’s possible she went and did newer material with them but I would guess not... However, she did do a fine job of choosing her album collaborators. The production is handled by Easy Moe Bee, Daz, Primo, & Kenny Parker (Boogie Down Productions). All in all it’s a “beats and rhymes” record. By that I mean there isn’t much in terms of concepts or obvious big single options. She just got some beats and wrote verses, which most would fall under the category of “battle raps”. That formula suits me fine, but the industry has rarely been good at marketing that. It didn’t help that this was all taking place at the height of some the problems at the label and with Suge Knight and his legal issues. The album did manage to sell about 300,000 copies so it wasn’t a failure by any means, but following that Rage left the scene for a while (excluding a appearance on Gang Starr’s “You Know My Steez” Remix). At that time, she shifted her focus to acting and showed up in some cameo roles mainly in some television sit-coms. A few years later she resurfaced musically appearing on a couple Snoop Dogg projects. Then in 2005 she dropped her first full project in 8 years in the form of a mix-CD called “From VA To LA”. Sure, it’s not a full album but I think Lady Or Rage fans will take what they can get at this point. The good thing is that she hasn’t lost her touch. It features some exclusive tracks, some of her previous works, and sometimes she’s just flexing styles over a variety of well-known instrumentals. “Str8 Outta VA” is one of those tracks. Here she rocks over the instrumental to N.W.A’s classic “Straight Outta Compton”. She drops one of the greatest lyrical displays of her career with flows like, “A 100 miles and runnin’, I ain’t slept in days, was always a renegade since my Death Row days, check my resume’, been there done that, (I’ve) come back to run rap, boss lady busts like a gun clap, trust me you don’t want that, I’m hard to the core like the rocks along the shore of Long Beach, my arms got long reach from coast to coast and since most don’t come close I feel like I’m supposed to boast, talking sh**’ll get you close to ghost so don’t approach the flame, just in case you don’t remember the name”...this Lady is apparently still filled with plenty Of Rage... This is the last track on the CD and after she finishes murdering the mic for about a minute and half straight she goes into conversational mode to set the record straight for any of those that thought she couldn’t make a return and assures all that she can still handle hers...no doubts here.

MYSTIC:

Yes, I know I’ve said it several times already but I’m really surprised that Mystic didn’t have a more fruitful career. She is in full possession of all the essentials; when she sings it’s beautiful, when she raps it’s rugged and in both cases it sounds genuine. All of this is perfectly displayed on her 2001 album “Cuts For Luck, Scars For Freedom”. I’m sure she gets this a lot, so I apologize, but this album could definitely be sitting in chain stores across the world with stickers that say “for fans of Lauryn Hill”. However, it’s not so much “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” as it is more like if Lauryn made her solo album in the same time period and mindstate as The Fugees “The Score”. The album is filled with soulful vibes, meaningful lyrics, and even a Grammy nomination. Her collaboration with Planet Asia, “W” was nominated for the “rap/sung collaboration” category. In my research I see talks that there was a reissued version of the album that should have come out on Dreamworks with 5 additional songs. I have never seen that version, but I’m intrigued with mentions of production by Kanye West & Supa Dave West as well as a collaboration with Mos Def. The idea of some of those boasts some serious potential. In the meantime, two of my favorite tracks of her appear on the same 12", “Current Events” b/w “Ghetto Birds”. “Current Events” is a 12" only cut (unless it’s also on that reissue) that features DJ Revolution relentlessly chopping up small phrases by Dismaster’s “Small Time Hustler”, Mother Superior, Jeru and others. This is Mystic staking her claim to being true to Hip Hop culture. It’s a gold mine of quotes that speak on the flaws and to those who are flawed in this biz. I don’t even know where to start...

First she speaks to those who are in the game simply to chase the money, “That position you got you like it huh? Keep it. (I’ve) Seen the garden that you got and I would never wanna reap it.
And the house you built that's some real pretty glass, And your image is alright but I can still see your mask, And folks is askin is my life complicated cuz' it took so long to get this wax created but ya'll know, I just been payin' my dues, Feet on the ground, head in the clouds a bit confused
As to when 'n how the house built fell down, Why ya'll more about the money than the texture and sound...”

After the break she comes back to speak to the Female MCs who are all about the imagery and not the art, “Yo boo, what's your budget, did you top a mill? Give up half your pub, that's a fucked up deal, And it's almost funny but not really, Should of studied the biz 'stead a tryin' to be pretty, And them cat's who write your rhymes give 'em my respect, It's damn near a crime that dough changes credits and edits, Monthly mags and reviews they did a good job couldn't miss 'em pimpin you, And them songs you(re) on how much you say you see?, I might get 1% of that and still flow for free but, I’m a goddess with a true school foundation,You got a bowl of poison tryin to feed the nation, I feel your hesitation on relatin' to me, If you skippin' this track you not hatin' on me, You just havin' a moment where my world's to bright but you supposed to do that it's only right...

The final verse is more vague, but as powerful, with scattered jewels like, “Current events, current things current swings, Only a few emcees really got that thing, You know, God given, not man created, Make you smile out loud 'cuz the beauties so naked”, And that's demonstrated in everything I do The company I keep ‘who you with?’ Du, but back to you, ain't even got no malice, Hope you find the missing pieces to your childhood palace, Personally I think you dyin' inside, Cause we (are) all born dreamin' with the truth in our eyes, but you, misplaced it the sickness I taste it, should walk you through the gallows so your future you could face it, Understand I just call 'em how I see 'em, I’m into real facts with real logic and reason, And beyond a single shadow of a doubt I’m just better than you and now the word is out....

Then it all comes to close with DJ Revolution going all out on the turntables. Once you have digested all that you can flip the record over for something less boom-bap, and more...well, mystic. The track has an eerie feel to it and sounds better and feels right in dimmed light. This dark soundscape is provided by The Angel whose work is probably more recognized in the drum-n-bass and dub world*, but she has a respectable Hip Hop resume’ as well (Pharcyde “Otha Fish” remix, Cokni O Dire of Project Blowed-Selector, and various Mystic tracks). In terms of subject matter, it’s not that different from “Current Events”, but rather than just speaking to other MCs and their preoccupation with riches she broadens the scope and applies the same logic, “you got mountains of things, get money, they not high enough to save you when those troops come running and that shiny new hummer, that ain’t strong enough to withstand the bombs they gonna drop on us, they got us killing ourselves, numbing our brains, they bugging our phones and fanning the flames. We damn near got our hands out begging for more, forget creeping thru the window, they walking thru the front door. The mystery, ain’t no mystery at all, you think you doing big things (but) they let you ball. Like they let our babies die and lock us in cells, like our youth ain’t got no options, it ain’t hard to tell it’s war going on that you thinking that you’re safe from, but you’re like me in the scope of they gun”.

OK, so you’ve been briefed of the accomplishments. You’ve read, and I assume were impressed, with the lyrical content. Now you are wondering what happened next with this talented individual.....well, nothing as far as I know. Her myspace page suggests she went back to finish college and has recently completed an album so the possibilities still exist...

THE POETESS

Coming off my Lauryn Hill comparison, I’m going to trust in your ability to mentally work out the details of this next sentence. If Mystic made a record in ‘92 it’s quite possible it would sound like “Simply Poetry” by The Poetess. I suppose the biggest difference in this case is that instead of singing there is poetry, hence the name.

First a little background information; Sometime in the Mid 90s the worlds of spoken word and Hip Hop became entangled and worked their way up the popularity tree. A while back I became curious as to where this first originated. Of course, there is the original influence on Hip Hop from the revolutionary poets of the 60s and 70s such as The Last Poets, Gil-Scott Heron, and Watts Prophets. Also, thru out time the word “poetry” has been used by countless MCs and in most cases it’s in reference to a more eloquent way of MCing. After some minimal research I found satisfaction that actual poetry on Hip Hop records may have started in the West Coast. The first point of reference I found was the intro to Ice T’s debut, “Rhyme Pays”in 1987. From there it stayed in the West Coast with Def Jef and his sophomore album, “Soul Food”, on the opening piece, “A Poet’s Prelude” in 1991. A year later in 1992 Def Jef lent his production talents to The Poetess, who carried on the tradition.*

The believe the first thing I heard from her* was “Making Some Change”[Baker Boyz] b/w “Let It Move You”[Def Jef]. I picked up the cassingle on the strength of Def Jef’s name being attached to it. The A Side was a playful sounding record with her rhyming in “that style” that nearly everyone MC was doing in ‘92, while the B-side was a slow paced jazzy number more akin to her namesake. It was a good single, it didn’t blow my mind, but it keep me interested enough to be on board for her next release. I suppose that proved to be unnecessary because the next thing I encountered by her was “Love Hurts” which featured guest vocals from Kool G Rap & Def Jef (as well as Almigh-T, a female MC who I think I only ever heard on this song) and having either one of those on your record would pretty much guarantee a purchase from me. The message in this song has been needed to be expressed since the beginning of time and continues to be needed, but in this case it was pretty much a direct response to what has come to be known as “The Dee Barnes Incident” involving Dr. Dre.* The song opens with a pretty scary statistic that I can assume is taken from a news report or a talk show of some sort, “25% of the couples in this country are estimated to be in a violent relationship”. I don’t even know what to say to that... I don’t know when or where the statistic was taken, but this song is from 1992. I wonder what that # is now? The production is handled by Miles Tackett (a.k.a Kid Named Miles) who later went on to form the group Breakestra. In what I believe is his debut production, he utilizes some hard hitting yet Hip Hop familiar drums courtesy “Synthetic Substitution” then gives it a jazzy feel with some Donny Hathaway “Voices Inside”. The song deals with the abuse of women from husbands, fathers, step-fathers, boyfriends and in general. I honestly don’t know if the lyrics in this song are all the MCs creating these stories to illustrate the points or if they are true and/or partially true. I know that when listening it sounds as if Def Jef and Kool G Rap are becoming a character to write the song. Not that they don’t believe in the message or that it sounds fake, it just seems that way for whatever reason Perhaps it’s so much more hurtful to hear it from a women’s perspective (even-though it is safe guess to assume Almigh-T’s verse can’t be her personal experience, which you will see why a little later). Poetess takes the first verse and describes “her” childhood. She starts, “Growing up as a kid I never understood the things my dad did, like hitting my mother, me and my brother hid”. She explains how she, “Went to bed holding her ears tight, filled with fear when I hear moms and pops fight”. She questions, “I never quite understood what the reasons where, how could he love my mother if he kept on hitting her”. Immediately following that line, and for the rest of the verse, she takes a more general approach to the situation, “I don’t know but what I do know is this, Love Hurts when it’s coming from the throat or the fist and the list goes on from the mental to the physical, use of verbal abuse, beat-downs, it ain’t cool. It’s bad enough we got it rough in society, oppression and poverty, no need to be fighting each other”. Both Def Jef (2nd verse) and Kool G Rap (4th verse) take similar approaches of witnessing their mothers being abused by their husbands and how they hope for the day where they are older or braver enough to confront them. Def Jef’s is a Step Father who has the audacity to say to him, “What you’re seeing son is me disciplining my woman, you gonna hate me for the rest of your life, but this is my wife...”. Unfortunately, I imagine this is the logic taken by most men who abuse women...they visualize it as justifiable just because they are the “man” of the relationship. However, that’s not even “clearly” the hardest hitting part from his verse. It competes with him questioning his mother on why she stays with him, “I encourage her to go. She says ‘No, I love him, I’mma stay’. Mom what you see in that idiot anyway. He beats you and he mistreats you, Daddy wouldn’t do that, but She says, “Your daddy did it too”. As if the thought of women going from situation to situation for more of the same isn’t painful enough, it’s coupled by the thought of them feeling that there really is not a better option. Def Jef’s response to that is, “Ain’t that much love in the word to be getting bruised for, used abused or even singing the blues for. He’s addicted to afflicting abuse, he says he’ll quit, if he’s the one with the habit, then why you always taking the hit”. The first four bars of Kool G Rap’s verse best describe how such situations can and most likely will easily escalate, “Does he love her or does he hate her? That’s what I’m thinking as I look up mommy hooked up to a respirator. Its started with a smack and that smack became a punch then a kick and then a broken back”. Almigh-T is the only one to take the position of being personally abused. She explains, “I was twelve years old when daddy started to get rough. Puff in one hand, the other holding a glass of that 80 Proof stuff...”. She tries to rationalize it all, “I tried to understand and got verbally beat-down, but I thought one day he would come around, but man oh man was I mistaken, nothing’s right in his life and the abuse I was taken”. Eventually the verbal abuse turns physical to which she responds with a pearl handle pistol and even as she’s “free” of the abuse she still has to, “Pray that I can overcome what Daddy did well, while I count the days in my padded cell”.

That song left quite and impression on me so it was no question when I saw her “Simply Poetry” album in stores I immediately picked it up. The album opens with the title track and what I would describe as her “masterpiece”. The production of this track is confusing. The credits list it as produced by Shafiq and Aladdin for Ammo Dump Productions, but immediately following that it says Produced and Remixed by Broadway. There’s actually a few tracks on the album that have production credits and then remix credits as well. I’m assuming that might mean she had worked on those tracks previously or had “demo” versions of those songs and then redid them for the album to update them. In any event, “Simply Poetry” just sounds beautiful...I don’t know how else to say it. Lyrically she flexes her namesake as she paints vivid pictures of what she sees, what she (and other MCs) write about, and the 3rd verse serves mostly as a tribute to the “poets” who paved the way and inspired her, including everyone from the famed writers of the Harlem Renaissance to some of Hip Hop’s finest. This is the way to start an album! Of course, starting an album so strong can be detrimental if those peaks aren’t revisited elsewhere, but that’s not the case here. Beyond the previously mentioned “Love Hurts” she also hits the mark with “Good Things Don’t Last” (a song about relationships), Forward Bound (a song about progress, "Step By Step, Stride By Stride") and A Love Poem (which covers all forms of love and the many things and ways that people love). “Best In Me”, "For The Rhyme's Sake" (w/Mad Kap) and “Lifeline” (featuring Jamie Foxx (Yes, THE Jamie Foxx) are solid efforts as well. Besides the aforementioned producers there’s also contributions from L.A. Posse, Darkside, and Love & Laughter. Yes, that's more than half the album so you get the point. I actually just listening to it again today and realized I forgot to mention how "warm" and "full" a lot of the production sounds. Although she didn’t release another album she didn’t really leave the business, but that’s a story for another day, but don’t worry, soon come*.

ETERNIA

I first heard Eternia in the late 90s when my man, Cryptic of Atoms Family, gave me a unreleased track called “Rhyming For Dummies” with her and Vast Aire. The song got a lot of spins on my “Time Travel” radio show (Chicago) and I never heard nothing else from her for about five years. Somehow we got in touch and started swapping emails and she would send me tracks to check out. “Love” is the best of the batch for me. The song tells the story of her mother and the tribulations and experiences she went thru in order to give birth to and raise Eternia. It’s a interesting perspective, ( I imagine) a challenging topic to write about, and very emotional to listen to. The song starts with her mother seriously considering abortion upon learning of being pregnant with her. At the time she was going thru a life “filled with sadness, grief and misery”. She was already burdened with the struggling to raise a son with a father that Eternia describes as “more than slightly deranged”. It gave me a chill when I initially heard the first verse end with, “Set the appointment set to go thru with it, the LOVE for her unborn seed would make her do it” as if to suggests that her mother “knew” that no life at all would have to be better than any life she could offer. Of course, the fact alone that she has written this song informs us that her mother had a change of heart and we are educated on that with the second verse. She explains how on the day of that “appointment” her mother’s best friend comes by to beg her not to go thru with it. For this Eternia says, “Thank God he sent an Angel as a human, doing right by me”. However, it’s far to early for a happy ending as the fears of her mother come to life. She doesn’t go too much into the detail as she informs that “some things (she) can’t explain”. She does briefly mention her father when saying, “God forgive him for me, have mercy on my Father’s soul when he is to meet your glory cause every man’s a sinner right? Some will take a life. Some will beat their wife, repenting for sins in after-life”. Right from there she goes on to deliver a personal message to her mother, “Nobody deserves the life you led, my mother you bled for me, fought tooth and nail just to be there for me. In the trunk of the car were you scared for me?, knowing that he’d pull the trigger on you, in a second you’d be dead for me and that’s the funny part of matrimony, feeling that you got a duty to the church you’d sacrifice your own body. I love my life, I love my mother, I love myself. I love my family, I’d sacrifice to no one else and if you told me one thing you taught me well, this is just another survival story to tell and if you taught me one thing, mother you taught me this, always have faith, love strong and resist”.

NINETY-9

I don’t really know much about Ninety-9. She was down with Sha-Key and I know that the Beastie Boys were impressed with Sha-Key (see Memoir #12) and so it’s no surprised that Ninety-9 found herself signed to Grand Royal (The Beasties label). However, she was caught up in the “Great Capitol Hip Hop Debacle” in ‘95 so that means she never got a chance to release anything. Well, she did make the cut on the Grand Royal “Mixed Drink” sampler which was a preview of the things to come for the label. Ninety-9's contribution is the interestingly produced [Djini Brown]/oddly vocally delivered/strangely titled, “Jhompa”. It sounds much like a stream of consciousness. She has much style and her inflections and delivery is similar to Sha-Key but it may even be slightly more “sharp” and smoother. She flips two verses and delivers the chorus, “Check out the way that I put the rhyme down when I’m walking by the bassline...” and then she’s gone and next heard from (by me at least) in 2000.

Around this time there wasn’t a lot of typical Hip Hop singles catching my attention. I had worked out a deal with the key vinyl store in Chicago, Gramaphone, to support my radio show with a limited record tab in exchange for plugging the store and oddly enough I was having a hard time using that tab up. I started to spend time in the Import section since there was a good deal of interesting production projects coming in from the UK. I stumbled across the “Willow” single and was so shocked to have a new Ninety-9 release in my hand that I was un-phased by the high priced import 12" (oh yeah, plus it was free and I guess I never debated myself that I could get two sub-par domestic singles for that same price...ha). I just snatched it up and once I heard it I knew I’d be giving it a lot of play so I spent a decent portion of next weeks tab to get a second copy. The song is soothing and mesmerizing. The lightly sung chorus sounds like a love made in Hip Hop heaven, “Just come follow me baby under the willow tree, I’ll be rhyming to my honey and he’ll rhyme back to me. Bring your SP-1200 and I’ll play with you. Just come and meet me under, under the Willow Tree”.I’m not completely sure what the overall message in the song is. I do know the last verse technically sounds the best, “Check this freestyle, it lingers like perfume put a dab on my wrist and I’m watching you enlist. I make a fist if your angry, open hands if your poor just come into my kitchen, watch for the open door. Cold steel grits to hold warm affection. My man drew and blew I should have learned from his lesson. I am (seed-??) for the love, though relations taxing. Check rhymes for the time, my obsessions long lasting....”. At least, that’s the best I can make of it. She tends to not say things in the most easiest way. She’s very descriptive but even more creative in the way she describes so it leaves so much open for interpretation. This can be satisfying for the dreamers and frustrating for the fact checkers...I am both so I suppose I’m happily frustrated by it all. The 12" has two other tracks that I honestly never paid much attention to based on being gravitated to “Willow” whenever I picked it up. Writing this encouraged me to finally give them a fair listen and I still find “Willow” as the superior work, but they are certainly worth a listen so I guess I’ll have to share them with you in the future (and get my full “money’s” worth on this $11.00 12") or you can seek them on your own, “Magilla” and “Last Minute”. Good luck though, finding info on her has proven to be a difficult task. I did learn that she was involved in project on BBE by an artist named Dobie (from England). She contributed two tracks to his album that are downloading as I type this...(uh, legally of course :).

ICE CREAM TEE

OK, off the back let’s cover two guaranteed career roadblocks. Having a name like Ice Cream Tee is going to make it hard for people to take you seriously. Then it probably didn’t help much that your career started as a song on the debut Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince album with a answer to their first hit called “Guys Ain’t Nothing But Trouble”. The biggest problem here is that you might be able to potentially snare in some fans who think you are the female version of the Fresh Prince, but then when they pick up your album it’s jam packed full of some of Jazzy Jay’s best production, DJ Miz (in his debut) flexing a vast array of rhythm scratches, and hardcore lyrics that range from politics to clobbering MCs. Talk about misleading...ha. Luckily for me I was able to brace myself, or avoid sleeping in my case, by being forewarned....

-side bar (a.k.a story within the story within a series of stories...): One day in 1988 I’m riding the
city bus and minding my own business. Several minutes, maybe even miles, later I look up and right in front of me is one my local rhyme idols. His name is Shakespeare (of His Majesti) and he had moved away to Cali when he graduated High School the year prior to make it in the business. Well, we’ll cover that in a more in depth look at His Majesti later... Anyway, we are talking about what new stuff we are listening to and because he’s involved in the industry now he had the chance to hear three unreleased artists early on and he tells me who to watch for. They are D.O.C, Chill Rob G, and Ice Cream Tee. Based on the immense respect I had for him and his talent I figured if he was impressed by them then I was going to be at least equally impressed. I engraved all those names in my mind and checked the record stores for them whenever I went there....

Back to Ice Cream Tee...finally the day came where her album was the one on the shelves and of course I picked it up. OK, let me “revisit” a previous statement, the album is not entirely a goldmine, so to speak. The jewels are sprinkled thru out and you would have to have a little patience or a tour guide to seek them out. Save your patience and I’ll play tour guide. “Can’t Hold Back” is the first single and also the start of the album. The highlight of this track for me is the rugged transformed bassline scratch by Miz (a key addition thru out the album). The lyrical peak takes place at the third verse where she drops knowledge on the record business. First she launches an attack on a rap rival of hers and then hits ‘em with this, “Ya know what forget it, don’t need another fairy tale, enough drama, the record won’t sell. Artist get jerked cause he wanna be jerked, scared, afraid to know how the business work I’m living to learn something you don’t know yet, like before you press this hand me a check”. Following that she goes on a freestyle rant about everything from drug addiction, crime, to freedom of speech. I suppose that’s the purpose of the song, she can no longer hold back all the things inside of her that have been bothering her for too long. From there we’ll just skip over to side two (that is if you are following along with the vinyl format) to “Come On”. DJ Miz is freaking some various bits and pieces from the Car Wash Soundtrack (including the “Right On” from Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” and various pieces of “Zig Zag”). Her voice and delivery is just teeming with confidence and I imagine that’s what masks the fact that’s she’s not really rhyming about anything particular...she’s just going for hers and doing it well. Once she’s got that out of the system she comes in on the next track, “National Speaker”, with the opening dialog, “Well I got something for the world, but I know you aren’t ready to hear it from a female”. I suppose that line alone sums up the response to this album. Could it really be that simple? Is it just that the general public weren’t (and I suppose still aren’t) ready for there to be women counterparts to Rakim, KRS One, Chuck D and other like minded MCs? I’m not suggesting Ice Cream Tee is worthy of the same praise as them but she definitely is well deserving of more attention then she got. For example, I think it would advantageous for people to hear, “Speaking of a diss it must be the season, females dissing another female for no apparent reason. I just observe, tell the world what’s real and not real they need to chill, we all clock the same bills...I’m not at war with anyone on this particular song the words I publish learn you right from wrong. Race, it doesn’t matter we all breathe the same air and when we die we’ll take the same road out of here. Where you will end up I guess is up to your religion, but as far as I’m concerned it’s God’s decision...”.

The album comes to a close with “I Am The Epodess” for those not able to decipher the meaning she states in the beginning, “I just wanna tell you how I kick DOPE backwards”. As you may have guessed from that, this is just a testament to her skills and for her to expose the ego a little. She does that with lines like, “Let’s face reality this girl is dope and every copy-written statement of rhyme I wrote” or “It doesn’t take a genius to do what I do, the only problem is it can’t be you”. Those four are the obvious album stand outs. I know there’s some other things of listenable pleasure but I’m just giving you the quick tour and you are your own for any further investigation. Oh and if anyone knows how to find Ice Cream Tee (a.k.a Bettina Clark) I’m all ears...

NJERI

Njeri had pretty much the shortest “career” possible in the music business, a cameo on one album. I would have to say it’s a credit to her skills that the one album was with The Genius, who saw fit to give her not one, but two verses on his “Beneath The Surface”. She certainly makes the most of the opportunity by delivering two impressive, swift flowing verses. Much like The Genius her style is based on the ability to write with vivid graphic detail and sophisticated word play. All this was evident the minute she let loose on “Victim” with, “My residence is a city where army veterans smoke rocks, on torn down blocks drug spots set up their shops and cops watch, innocent ni***s roam in the flocks rolling izm in Topps paper and knots, churches and liquor stores on every corner plot, To get money knots, funny ni***s act like they can pop glocks and those who can’t cop, sisters giving up a** a lot, brothers giving up cash a lot, they be struggling to become someone because their parents not”. She makes her next appearance on “1112" where she proves she can shine rhyming on a bonafide Wu posse cut alongside The Genius, Killah Priest, and Masta Killa. She has a gift for accenting her flow by picking great complimentary words to join together, such as, “ I shot the sheriff and the deputy secondly threatening the life of those who threaten me, lessening my chances of defeat by pre-determining the victory, as taught by Sunzu in the chapter after the third one, I heard my word shall be bond regardless to anything or anyone or else I die by the gun, my life has just begun, thought I was living all along but I was wrong. This long road I have to travel, in countless battles, these filthy snakes with poisonous fangs and rattles. Kings, Queens and Pharaohs change to cattle, (???) deduct the devil’s arrow, singing that his eye’s on the sparrow, mind narrow. Superstitious horoscopes and tarot, hark harolds, angels and christmas carols. Raven images hang from their mantels. Man made slaves in modern day babble brought from Africa in golden ropes and sandals by wicked thieves and vandals who man-handled us with leather whips and burning candles and rambled thru our castle leaving it in shambles, stole our gold and sold us like some Arab camels. We gazed amazed and baffled as he loaded his ammo into the barrel and blasted out our bone marrow. We were the Gretel and the Hansel tricked by this wicked jackal. Children of my Grand Ole Daddy had me in mind, were they lost in this wilderness blind...”. As far as I know that is the extent of her catalog, when I interviewed The Genius sometime after this album was released he informed that he would love to work with her again but at the time she had just had a baby and was handling family business.

LAURYN HILL

I’m sure everyone knows plenty about Lauryn Hill so I’ll be brief. She’s the mega-star of Female MCs. Unlike most people (it seems), I actually liked The Fugees debut album when I first heard it...ha. Actually it was one of three assignments in my first official writing gig* . Lauryn’s solo cut there, “Some Seek Stardom”, was a definite highlight for me. That’s why I wasn’t surprised at all when she became the critics choice MC in the group on the second album “The Score” that was received significantly better by the world...to say the least. All the talk of Lauryn then made a solo album inevitable and a few years later she delivered that with the Monster-selling/Oprah endorsed “The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill”. From there she slid far into the background away from the spotlight, of making music at least. She’s recently been seen on the scene so perhaps there is really a new album coming...who knows for sure?

ESG
“UFO” is one of the most famous break beats in Hip Hop. Back in the 70s, 80s, 90s nearly every DJ and/or producer played, sampled it or at least thought of using it. I find it to be one of those songs that I listen to and think, “There can really be no reason to create something like this, except for it to be sampled”....ha (the same way I feel about “Nautilus” Bob James). Of course, I don’t actually believe that because the track stands perfectly on it’s own, but it’s just seems like such an odd creation. Certainly that is a testament to their innovative nature. All things considered, these kinds of records are the ones that I really wish I could have been more aware of it when it was released to read the reviews, take in the initial feedback, and check the sales figures. At a guess I would think that Hip Hop is what made it a classic. Related to that, an interesting thing I heard was that for Tommy Boy’s recent “Hip Hop Roots” release, covering some of Hip Hop’s most sampled songs, that when Tom Silverman received the “UFO” track from Jazzy Jay he thought there was a mistake. It seemed much slower than he remembered so he decided to “fix” it. Turns out Jazzy Jay sent it as it was meant to be but back in the day DJs would always speed it up. My point is, that obviously Mr Silverman only knew of it thru Hip Hop. One thing I didn’t know until a few years ago was that the group was primarily an all female operation. I learned this while hanging out at my friend Tara’s house one day and she had the Soul Jazz compilation of their works, “South Bronx Story” which features some extensive liner notes as well. The group was comprised of four sisters Rene, Deborah, and Marie ( all; vocals and percussion) and Leroy Glover (bass). A quick internet search reveals that they were equally accepted and popular on the Dance and Punk Rock scene in the 80s. They’ve somewhat recently started being active again and have even added their daughters to the line up to keep it in the family. I for one am looking forward to a opportunity to catch them live, I would advise the same of you and in the meantime track down that aforementioned compilation and listen, read, and learn.

DESDAMONA

Desdamona is rapper turned poet turned rapper/poet. Originating from Iowa she migrated to the closest “big” city to pursue a music career and ended up in Minneapolis. She’s been working non-stop on stage and in the studio every since. I think I see her name on more show line ups than anyone in history...ha. These days you are most likely to catch her with her beatboxing partner, Carnage, who together they form Ill Chemistry. She’s also one of the key organizers of the B-girl Be Festival. There’s much I can say about Desdamona, but alas I’ve already said it so hows about you just go read it here: http://www.dunation.com/pages/news/desdamona2.shtml


FEMALE PRODUCERS: In my last Memoir I challenged you to come up with 10 Female Producers. Here’s a couple more to help you out. DJ Shortee, who is more of a DJ (obviously) but in the later part of her career was doing more production based stuff alongside DJ Faust. However, she’s mighty nice with the scratch techniques too and there’s plenty of audio and visual action (as well as a impressive resume’) on her myspace page. Run Run Shaw was the name you would see on the production credits for the late 90s released on Makin’ Records (Natural Resource, Pumpkinhead, Bad Seed). “Rumor” has it that was an alias used by Jean Grae. Not sure why she strayed from the production side of things...actually I should know because she once told me in an interview, but I just don’t remember what she said and I have no idea where it is...

-Index:
*Medusa: The tracks on the “Undaground Crewed” CD are “Cold Piece Of Work”, “My Momma
Raised A G”, “Make Your Neck Lock”, and Medusa Pushin’ Thru”. All of which are solid tracks.

*The Angel also did the Score for the movie “Boiler Room” which I previously didn’t know so I’m on a mission to track it down

*Poetry: Mind you, like I said this was just in my mind “quick scan:” research so feel free to
challenge my information on that. I also am aware of the fact that both Ice T (New Jersey)
and Def Jef (Bronx) are originally from the East Coast.

*The Dee Barnes Incident: Dee Barnes was the host of a popular West Coast Video show and she had N.W.A on her show not to long after Ice Cube left the group. Apparently on
 the show the producers or someone involved with the production of the show decided to
 create some controversy about the Ice Cube situation. The word is that Dr Dre took
 offense to the comments and assaulted Dee Barnes at a club. That’s just a brief
 summary of what I recall hearing back when it first took place. I advise you to do your
 own research....

*The Poetess (1): I'm pretty sure that is the order I heard here singles but it should be noted that "Love Hurts" was her first single and "Makin' Some Change" was the second.

*The Poetess (2): I just got in touch with her and there is going to be an interview happening soon so stay tuned!

*Lauryn Hill: My first published writings were for Chicago’s Fly Paper in ‘93 doing album
reviews for The Fugees-Blunted Reality, YZ-The Ghetto’s Been Good To Me, & Original
Flavor-Beyond Flavor. I’ll have to scan and post those sometime for prosperity and ridicule...

-connect with the artists:
Medusa: http://www.myspace.com/medusa
Lady Of Rage: http://www.myspace.com/officialladyofrage

Mystic: http://www.myspace.com/thatgirlmystic
Poetess: http://www.myspace.com/poetessmedia
Eternia: http://www.myspace.com/eternia
Lauryn Hill: http://www.myspace.com/laurynhill
ESG: emeraldsapphiregold.homestead.com or http://www.myspace.com/esgbassguitar
Desdamona: http://www.myspace.com/desdamona
Shortee: http://www.myspace.com/djshortee
Jean Grae: http://www.myspace.com/jeangrae

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