THE FEMCEE DEBATE: BEYOND MS. MINAJ…
So I haven’t been devoting as much time as I’d like to here, and for that I must sincerely apologize to all my followers. Please forgive me and thanks for your patience. However, having just picked up a few new writing gigs and having done my first story at Examiner.com on a certain someone (see below), I felt it necessary to do a short posting on the above mentioned topic. And away we go….
There’s no denying that Nicki Minaj is the hottest and most sought after femcee in the game right now. But of course, there’s been great debate on the overall status of female emcees over the past few years. I must admit, I’m not a big fan of Ms. Minaj, but just like Jigga & Mary said WAAAAAAY back in ’96, ya can’t knock the hustle this young lady is apparently displaying at the current time. However, I’d like to either introduce you (or refresh your memory) about some other femcees that are really doing it these days, even if they’re not nearly as popular at Nicki. Face it, what active femcee is right now? (1….2….3….4….5….)EXACTLY! But the ladies I’m gonna highlight deserve some big time recognition, so get out your pen & paper.
This is Jean Grae. She’s been in the game for a minute and is considered by many to still be pretty underground. But let’s look at her resume, shall we? Albums include Attack of the Attacking Things (2002), This Week (2004), The Orchestral Files (2007), and Jeanius (2008). She’s currently signed to Kweli’s Blacksmith label, has worked with him, Little Brother, 9th Wonder, Jazzy Jeff, and a gang of other people and is constantly touring. An essential track from Jean? I’ll go with “Mean” from The Orchestral Files. It’s a great display of just how lyrical she is. Trust me, she’s a MONSTER, and can probably destroy many a rapper in her wake, male or female!
This is Tiye Phoenix. Her latest solo effort was 2009′s Half Woman Half Amazin’. She performed at the 2010 SXSW Music Festival down in Austin, TX to many a music fan (did I mention it’s one of the biggest and most popular festivals of all time???) She was also a part of the underground hip hop super group Polyrhythm Addicts. She’s also a classically-trained pianist. And she was also featured on 2010′s Hipnott Records Takeover Volume 1. Essential track from Tiye? Check out “TIYEtanium“. To put it plainly, it’s two minutes and five seconds of straight spittin’. She’s nothing to play with!
Last, but by NO means least, this is Mae Day. She’s from Detroit, so ya know I had to highlight the hometown femcee! I first heard of her in a local Detroit newspaper and decided to check her out myself, and was THOROUGHLY impressed! Her first offering was 2008′s Something’s Gotta Give, which contained some of the best lyrics I’d heard in a very, VERY long time (no BS!) And most recently she put together a mixtape/tribute to Sade entitled Cherish the Day, where she flowed over some of the legendary singers’ biggest hits. How ill is that? On top of all that, she’s connected to some of the greatest producers out of the D, and Mae has an extremely bright future.If I had to pick an essential track from Mae for you to check out, I’d probably direct you to “Cold Season” off Something’s Gotta Give. Don’t sleep. Don’t you dare…
It is true that these femcees will probably never reach the heights of fame, stardom and popularity that Ms. Minaj has, on a mainstream level, at least. But hey, that’s no reason to not check them out and give them at least some kind of shine. Jean & Tiye have paid all kinds of dues in this game, and Mae is very much a talented MC that’s still fairly new, but has proven that she can flow with the best of ‘em.
Again, this is just me giving you information and hoping you’ll do the right thing with it. Of course, these are not the ONLY talented, gifted and grinding female MCs out there. It’s just that ya gotta do a little searching. And you’re not afraid of a little hard work… are you? 
Until next time, thanks for following and take care!
Your mention of these artist has actually made me want to rethink my dislike of hip hop. I used to be an advid fan but the last couple of years have been disappointing. Your insightful knowledge of artist who are ACTUALLY talented is Amazing!!
THANK YOU! These women are EXTREMELY talented and deserve many more accolades than they get. And thanks for following and commenting!
WHAT ABOUT IDA DIVINE?
Hi Anonymous! Haven't heard of her truthfully, but I'll check her out. Thanks for the heads up!
MC Lyte's still puttin out crack.