When you hear the term "ladies night," what usually comes to mind? I imagine it’s mostly cheap drinks, slimy college clubs, and bad house music. Well, lucky for you, Devin the Dude and AustinSurreal.com, among others, are bringing you a ladies night you may actually want to show up for - one that Matt over at AS says he’d like to have with lady MCs every month, and it’s the best idea I’ve heard in a long time.
After seeing the amazing documentary
Say My Name
about women in hip hop at South by Southwest last month, my
old complaint that there aren’t enough lady MCs has come up
again. Upon examining the obstacles that female MCs face
attempting to make a living off music, it’s pretty obvious
why such a seemingly advanced culture as ours isn’t really
equal yet: faced with blatant misogynism in the genre of rap
itself, trying to reach audiences without the swagger of
male rappers and addressing different issues, as well as
dealing with doubting label reps who feel a woman cannot
sell as many records as a man in the same field (despite
prime counter examples like Queen Latifah, Eve, and Missy
Elliot), and the added biological complication of children,
there seem to be far more bricks in the wall than windows
for ladies in rap. That’s why it’s so very good to see this
poster and understand exactly what it means.
Born in South Africa to prominent jazz musicians as Tsidi
Ibrahim, Jean Grae has evolved into a female MC far more
ferocious than the X-Men character from which she adapted
her name. From her beginnings as an MC with the 90’s group
Natural Resource, to her most recent release, Jeanius
(2008), she has been one of the best MCs around, female or
otherwise. Her sometimes dramatic, sometimes
self-deprecating flow can tackle most any subject, from
My Story, a deeply personal depiction of an abortion she
had as a teen (on Jeanius); to the hilarious,
swaggering bravado of Give it Up (on This Week);
and beyond to the dark labyrinth of Shadows Forever
on the Blue Sky Black Death-produced album Evil Jeanius.
To get into hip hop with a handle like Invincible, you’d
better be confident in your abilities - much of MCing is
about competition, about insulting others’ skills and coming
out on top. The word on Invincible and her name has come in
with her 2008 album ShapeShifters, and the word is
that the name isn’t even tough enough for this fierce MC.
Invincible learned English by listening to hip hop at age 7
and began writing rhymes at 9. Living in Detroit and
putting time into community building in the city, her ethos
resembles none so much as Public Enemy, calling out those in
power, and pointing to the poverty sinking the city. Her
grassroots efforts even extend to making and marketing her
own album. By selling screenprinted vouchers for the album
before it was recorded and printed, she was able to finance
ShapeShifters. She says on the album, "If you want
good music, you gotta support it."
As for the other ladies on the bill with Jean Grae and Invincible: I’ve heard Eyeris freestyle on KOOP and she has a raw talent that’ll build with time, so you’ll want to see her while she’s honing her craft; an "I saw her when..." show, if you will. If the other two ladies are worthy enough to be on a bill with the first three then this show is worth going to, and I hope you can.
- Leah Manners
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