Two Is a Crowd: Why the World Won't Allow For Multiple Female Rappers

Divide and conquer. That seems to be the magic formula that keeps the music world from having multiple, successful female rappers coexist at the same time. I was fortunate enough to witness a time in the 1990s/2000s when there were several women in hip hop all individually different but collectively they rocked it. Eve, Rah Digga, Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Queen Latifah, Yo Yo, Monie Love and many others brought a sass to the game that has yet to be duplicated. All females, all rappers yet none of the drama that floods our timelines today. Surely there were issues between women artists, hell look at The Supremes. Could you imagine how early the rift between Diana, Mary, and Florence would have began if they had social media accounts to vent their frustrations on? Thank goodness Twitter had not been invented then.

Why can't this sisterhood of hip hop exist today? The world has changed drastically over the past twenty years making it so much easier for the ladies to gain an more even footing in terms of business and careers yet we are still stagnant when it comes to the music business. 50 Cent once said that having a female artist was too expensive because of the cost of hair, makeup, and wardrobe. What this says is that consumers are only concerned only with the physical appearance of female artists and not the talent or tenacity that they possess. Are we as consumers that superficial when it comes to the art we consume? The better part of me wants to believe that it is bullshit but skim through comments on any Instagram post or Twitter and 5O Cent may prove to be correct by the way women are judged by their possessions and looks or lack there of.

Nicki Minaj is no doubt a beautiful woman with above average rap skills but let's be honest and say that the ass is what sets her apart and probably why most people even took the time to notice her early on in her career. She could spit a million sick bars consecutively and the conversation would still revert to her body parts. This is something she knows and reminds us of several times in her own music but the depth of the issue is bigger than Nicki. It is this notion that women are there to be looked at, fawned over but not heard to the point of where our voice truly matters.

Is Gary Clark Jr. Our Generation's Last Black Rock Star?

 

Imagine that as 2015 comes to a close we have been fortunate enough to audibly witness what could be our generation's Jimi Hendrix in the rocker slash blues crooner Gary Clark Jr. The release of his album The Story of Sonny Boy Slim is not only wickedly good but it is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the drum kit based sounds that currently floods the airwaves. His sound is gritty, reeking of a raw passion that can be heard in every note he constructs and it's so distinctive that after a few listens you can immediately distinguish why this guy is so special.

At only 31 years of age, Gary Clark Jr.'s gift of music seems to be possessed by the spirit of an artist birthed decades ago, a rarity that stands alone from current trends in the music industry. While his roots can be found in the likes of artists such as B.B. King and Curtis Mayfeild whom he admittedly studied, part of what makes this album special is he ability to incorporate bits of hip hop influences. With lyrics that spread the spectrum of hopefulness to the blues soaked words of lust and lost love, Clark easily keeps the listener's attention. The immediate single of the album, The Healing, traces his southern roots by opening with a passionate hymn that jaggedly moves into the rifts and drums of a rock/blues track that speaks of the healing powers of good music.

All I can say is that I love the uplifting vibe and purist instrumentation of the album. Check out the first single below and let me know what you think of it!

Get to Know: Cocaine 80's

What happens when you put some of the illest songwriters, composers,rappers and producers in the game in a jar and mix it all up? You end up with this incredible mixture of a hint of alternative urban soul sounds and the collective of artists that make up Cocaine 80's. 

Consisting of some of music's elite, the group founded in 2011 includes producer No I.D, rapper Common, singer/songwriter Jhene Aiko, singer/songwriter James Fauntleroy, producer/composer Kevin Randolph, singer/songwriter Makeba Riddick, composer/engineer Rob Kinelski,and composer/instrumentalist Steve Wyreman just to name a few.  

Cocaine 80's have released 4 critically acclaimed full length projects without much fan fare proving that the love of producing quality urban music is their priority over adoration. The group has worked with and featured many artists such as Nas, Frank Ocean, and Rihanna. Despite the star power and their apparent sought after talent, Cocaine 80's has not caught on in the urban radio markets that currently are dominated by Atlanta based hip hop, heavy synths and trap beats. 

Eccentric and alternative urban music has yet to find its place among popular music with the exception of The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, and once upon a time Frank Ocean. Hopefully the talented group will amass the following I think they are worthy of. Check out one of their latest and most popular singles below and be sure to let A Soul Sistah's Life what you think!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to A Soul Sistah's Life! Most importantly thank you for not abandoning me despite my being M.I.A for a while. I was fortunate enough to have a two week vacation and enjoyed every nanosecond that I was disconnected. If you are new to my blog or just briefly passing through, I  would sincerely like to say Happy 2015 and hope that we can all  make each day, moment, and second count. 

Another year on the calendar is in the books and I must admittedly announce that I failed to accomplish many of the goals I set. 2014 really seemed to zoom by way to quickly, leaving me feeling like I wasted a lot of invaluable time.  Though making resolutions are not my thing, I have written a checklist of things that I would like to spend time on this year. Don't worry, there will be no boring list of things that you probably could care less about but hopefully through this blog we can share our growth, failures, and joys together. 

In retrospect I think that the world and in particular the United States dealt with a lot of our skeletons in 2014. Race relations and mistrust of authority figures were at the forefront of heated conversations due to the deaths of multiple unarmed black men and boys. I was tremendously enthralled and captivated by last years events due in part to being the mother of a black son but also because I found myself thrust into taking action to assist in combating some of the ills our communities face. I attended marches and community meetings, helped plane events, and became a much more informed consumer. It really felt like for the first time I was awake and on the front line of the battle like the many generations of oppressed groups before me.  

While the deaths of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice are nothing new to many of us in the black community, it was amazing to see people of varying colors, ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds come together for a greater good. Hopefully 2015 will have a much better social climate but truly only God knows. 

Stay tuned to A Soul Sistah's Life this year for more news and general ideas or topics that I pray will be informative and uplift spirits. Once again, Happy New Year and thank you!

-Yaya D.