Co-creator of a small site called 2DopeBoyz.com — you may have heard of it — Meka has been scribing professionally for several years, with his work appearing everywhere from BET to XXL. When the LA native isn’t causing trouble in the streets of New York, he’s enjoying life as a part-time quasi-DJ. If you take anything he says here too seriously, that's a you problem.
The Femcee Problem
We need more of them, please.
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Story time, kiddos. Gather ‘round the warm glow of your computer screens.
A few Fridays before I took off to Atlanta for this year’s A3C Festival, I stopped by the radio show of my good friend who happened to have this small, petite female in the studio as his guest. I didn’t think much of it, because the show tends to lean on the more… debauched side of life at times (word to the show’s “interlude” that features the 40 Ounce Bounce song as its own theme song), so I went about my business while there until the guest – going by the name Nitty Scott, MC – asked for Kanye’s “Monster” instrumental to freestyle over, where she proceeded to blow everybody’s minds with her witty punchlines and fiery cadence.
Fast forward to the A3C festival itself. Despite the overwhelming presence of male rapsters… all right, all right; it was a sausage factory [||] most of the time there… some of the highlights of the entire weekend (that didn’t include Killer Mike screaming at/berating the audience “Mommy Dearest”-style until his microphone was cut off prematurely) were the female spitters who actually held their own against their male counterparts, particularly Jean Grae who absolutely commanded the audience’s attention and respect during her 9th Wonder-backed performance on the first night.
Let’s go a couple days after A3C, where I was the in-house spinster for a release party. The true highlight of the night was when one particular artist brought his own sister on stage, who then outshined her own brother’s entire set with one 24-bar verse as soon as she was handed a microphone.
Let’s now bring things up to the current, where – at any time – I’m subject to a plethora of emails every day from aspiring male rapsters, yet I’m constantly having to dig through either my spam box (where they sometimes accidentally end up in) or throughout the Internets to find their female equivalent who, are in some cases, light years better than their male equivalents. The fuck?
There seems to be this odd trend where there’s only one female rapster that garners the most attention at a time, and once one is somehow able to pull themselves from the muck of the polluted pool that’s the rap world (after waiting through that “couple years” interval most femcess have to wade in before making any kind of noise that isn’t independent), they’re instantly pigeon-holed as a “second coming of an already existing artist that’s likely already fallen off harder than Akili Smith.” Nicki Minaj is obviously that current “people’s choice,” originally only drawing comparisons to Lil Kim and Foxy Brown before somehow transforming into Young Money’s best Black Eyed Peas imitation. Yet, for the rest of us, where the hell are the other femcees who are, arguably, more talented than Onika but lacking the push and financial resources to get out there?
Oh, that’s right; they’ll have to a couple years to get on. Damn, homie.
Indeed, female emcees need to step up their promotional machine game. However, we also need to be willing to 1) pay attention when they cross our inboxes 2) Post them JUST as much as we post male emcees.
My problem is what the fuck do these so called Femcees rap about that i can relate to.
Sorry, but did you really just ask that? You listen to get another human being’s perspective. On life, relationships, etc. We’re women, not aliens…
Kudos Mek, well said.
“Where the hell are the other femcees who are, arguably, more talented than Onika but lacking the push and financial resources to get out there?”
The only statement that needs to be made in regards to Ms.Minaj.
we need more femcees rappin about being hoes the way we need more niggas rappin about sellin coke
Am I the only one who thought Rah Digga’s album was one of the year’s best? Shit was fire…if a male mc spit the same rhymes altered a bit, people would ride his nuts hard…just sayin
Femcees dont really need to step shit up. They already have to go harder than everybody. So really the problem is us not supporting them. When a femcee tries to get success she is likely more than often pressured to use here body more than her lyrics. And we all know the ridiculously good looking ones get hit on every second so extra hard for them.
Luckily Marz Lovejoy got Pac Div backing her up, so Im just hoping they have a Brother sister relationship. Nikki Lynett seems as if she’s making a lot of progress and think that has a lot to do with her ability to sing. Double Wammy, that was a major plus with Drake.
So stop being so goddamn sexist. We are men, why are giving more attention to dudes? Thats awfully homo if you ask me. I fucks with 3 Femcees so far and looking for more.
Ima check out Nitty Scott though.
As a DJ I get hit with plenty of female emcees, while at the same time I work with a LOT of dope ones (3 who were mentioned in the BET female emcee documentary). They are out there and they are spittin. Just treat then like any other emcee let them work and build.
in my humble opinion eternia’s “at last” is one of this year’s best albums…
With a couple exceptions most female rappers sit on their laurels too quick. It doesn’t help that they seem to use rap to push other agenda’s only to come back if the agenda fails *cough* Eve *cough*. I believe that rappers male or female should earn their “rap stripes” before going outside of hip hop, then get sharp again whenever you do decide to come back in the booth, Luda anyone?