She transforms by taping down her breasts, shaving her head, and studying the masculine performances of today’s most famous male entertainers! GET READY TO ENTER THE WORLD OF NEW MILLENNIUM DRAG! TRIBES Entertainment Films presents a provocative and daring documentary film, M.I., A Different Kind of Girl.
Watch for film festival screenings at http://www.maleillusionistthefilm.com
DOWNLOAD THE FREE MIXTAPE NOW!
Where are all the really dope female emcees? was the sparking question that ignited this Spring 2012 edition of TRIBES Magazine. While it became apparent immediately that some purveyors of pop music and commercial hip hop may want us to believe that there aren’t many worthwhile women out there rapping today, make no mistake! Women have not fled the Hip Hop game.
They are out there rapping for their lives and, if the eager response to TRIBES Magazine’s search for the most talented female rappers on the indie scene is any indication, they are steady on the grind and very much a part of Hip Hop’s future. Nearly two-dozen artist submissions and fifty tracks later, TRIBES has compiled a Top 5 from the nominations. From shoe fetishes to paper stacking, loving their children to sexing their men, being independent and maintaining their faith in a higher power, these women rap about life, their dreams and the communities that gave rhythm to their flows and taught them about love. Not marginalized figures or victims raging against the power machine, these ladies are perfectly confident in their right to rap and cleat about their place in a seat at the Hip Hop table.
Step outside of the mainstream box and meet several female emcees beating the heart of Hip Hop from the underground. Read the reviews now in the TRIBES Magazine Spring 2012 issue!
Women’s History Month 2012 – Cover Story
ON HER DIVA
Exclusive interview with TRIBES Magazine
By Gabriel Rich
Photos by Emanuel Cole
SHELLY B is not one to take her work as a Hip Hop emcee lightly. The Raleigh native has worked far too hard to gain her status as a pioneer in both the Triangle Hip Hop scene and nationally. Strong, dedicated to her craft and on a mission, Shelly B.’s versatility is what sets her apart from the rest of the pack. You have rappers that can entertain but aren’t lyricist and there are wordsmiths that can fashion a rhyme but can’t entertain. Neither is a problem for Shelly B. She’s more than capable of giving you something for both your mind and your body and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that knows her. After all, Shelly B’s been in the game long enough to know about pleasing fans.
Shelly B. represents a number of firsts for female rappers in North Carolina. She was the first female rapper from the state to be featured in the Source Magazine’s “Unsigned Hype.” Shelly B. was also the first female artist to make it on Allhiphop.com’s “Breeding Ground” section. The winner of numerous awards in her home state, Shelly B. is a leader in NC Hip Hop and a leader among Indie artists on the Hip Hop scene. Challenge her to a battle and she’ll clean her claws on you just to let you know why she is who she is. TRIBES Magazine interviewed Shelly B during her photo shoot for the TRIBES Magazine Spring 2012 Women in Hip Hop edition.
TRIBES: You’ve made a name for yourself in the Triangle and beyond. How are you being received now?
SHELLY B: I think I’ve always gotten love from this area. It was a little tough when I first started, because at that point in time, the idea of a female emcee was foreign to the entire industry, let alone
the local industry. There weren’t very many females in this area grinding and going to the studio. So in the beginning, I had to fight for my respect; for a couple of years. But when I started putting myself out there, I had that determination to be known and make sure everybody knew who Shelly B was. I started doing every talent show and open mic I could find.
I started calling up promoters. I called the radio station until they put me on. I got my actual start on the Larry Pickett Show, which was like a local talent show that was on TV in the Raleigh area.
That’s where a lot of people know me from. So I always say that’s where I got my start. After I made my appearance on that show, I started getting my name out there and the respect just grew.
TRIBES: How would you rate the Hip Hop scene in the Triangle and the Carolinas?
SHELLY B: I think with anything, growth is going to get it where it needs to be, to its ultimate destination. There definitely needs to be more growth and a bit more unity here but the talent here is out of this world as far as singers, rappers, producers…just entertainment professionals, period. This is one of the most talented markets that I know of. I think that with people getting a bit more in touch with the business side of it, coming together, unity and all that good stuff, we’ll be alright. But we’re getting there. Carolina’s got next…No. We got now! [laughs] READ MORE NOW.
TraMaí Entertainment is hosting the 3rd Annual California Music Industry Summit (CMIS) at The Hilton Hotel in Oakland on June 8 –9, 2012. Conference Kickoff @ The Stork 2330 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 6pm-9pm Thursday June 7, 2012.
Components of the 2012 California Music Industry Summit will include thought-Provoking Panels; Informative Workshops; Exclusive, One-on-One Mentoring; Intensive Demo Listening Sessions; Vocal Critique; Music Video Preview; Live Performance Events. More Special Features To Be Announced.
If you are a musician, have a music industry related business or want to get into the business you should register to attend this summit. Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in this summit.
Registration badges are required for access to California Music Industry Summit. Register NOW @ http://cmis2012.eventbrite.com till April 27, 2012 and get $100 off the standard price of $199, use code “specialoffer2012” .
TRIBES Magazine is an official media sponsor of this event.
More info: http://www.californismusicindustrysummit.com
Article from snapjudgment.org
So you’ve listened to some SNAP JUDGMENT shows, you’re inspired and excited, and you’re ready to tell your story. And we’re standing on the sidelines, rooting for you and blasting our air horns. We want to help you make the best content possible, so we put together the Snap Judgment Guide to Storytelling to get you all shined up and broadcast-ready.
First and foremost: is your story really a story? There’s a place for musings, essays and hard-hitting investigative journalism. But it’s not here. We’re about raw, primal narrative. Forget about irony, satire and your thesis. Instead, go back to elementary school—where you were taught that stories should have a beginning, a middle and an end. You’ve got your setting. You’ve got your characters. And you’ve got your climax.
Conflict is what Snap Judgment is all about. We can’t stress that enough. That moment where you’re tied to a chair and the room is filling up with water, the moment where you’re trying on her dress and you hear the sound of your wife’s footsteps signaling impending doom… that left, that right, jump! That’s the kind of moment every good story needs. Try to identify that one moment within your story. Is there something important at stake? If the answer is no, then your story is probably not for us. READ MORE NOW!
Visit SNAPJUDGMENT.ORG
SHA-ROCK: THE FIRST FEMALE EMCEE
Words by Dialo Askia
Sha-Rock was the first female MC. She rocked with the Funky Four Plus One More in an era where the competition was ‘furious’. These were the days of live battles. There were no second takes if you made a mistake. The Funky Four Plus One More had routines that flowed like synchronized swimmers; but it was the crowd that was holding their breath in anticipation. These weren’t the three-minute, round battles to crown a victor, of today. Back then, they battled with shows.
The group, initially known as the Funky Four, formed in 1976. These were the beginnings of Hip Hop when advertisement was word-of-mouth and B-boys and B-girls descended upon the park to display foot and ground work to a Kool Herc break. After a lineup change, the Funky Four Plus One More was born: two deejays and five mc’s- DJ Breakout, DJ Baron, K.K. Rockwell, Keith Keith, Lil Rodney C, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and MC Sha-Rock. Their music displayed cohesiveness in the way their voices intertwined with the beat, from one mc to the next, building music like an assembly line…READ THE FULL ARTICLE NOW.
VISIT MCSHAROCKONLINE.COM
Sparked by recent events that took place in Sanford Florida, “Invisible Me” is a song by Teron James (Atlanta indie artist) that has been dedicated to everyone who has ever been affected by violence; including 17 year old Trayvon Martin! What do you think? Post your comments or email: Teron.jamesonline@gmail.com
Sparked by recent events that took place in Sanford Florida, “Invisible Me” is a song by Teron James (Atlanta indie artist) that has been dedicated to everyone who has ever been affected by violence; including 17 year old Trayvon Martin! What do you think? Post your comments or email: Teron.jamesonline@gmail.com
Women’s History Month 2012 – Cover Story
ON HER DIVA
Exclusive interview with TRIBES Magazine
By Gabriel Rich
Photos by Emanuel Cole
SHELLY B is not one to take her work as a Hip Hop emcee lightly. The Raleigh native has worked far too hard to gain her status as a pioneer in both the Triangle Hip Hop scene and nationally. Strong, dedicated to her craft and on a mission, Shelly B.’s versatility is what sets her apart from the rest of the pack. You have rappers that can entertain but aren’t lyricist and there are wordsmiths that can fashion a rhyme but can’t entertain. Neither is a problem for Shelly B. She’s more than capable of giving you something for both your mind and your body and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that knows her. After all, Shelly B’s been in the game long enough to know about pleasing fans.
Shelly B. represents a number of firsts for female rappers in North Carolina. She was the first female rapper from the state to be featured in the Source Magazine’s “Unsigned Hype.” Shelly B. was also the first female artist to make it on Allhiphop.com’s “Breeding Ground” section. The winner of numerous awards in her home state, Shelly B. is a leader in NC Hip Hop and a leader among Indie artists on the Hip Hop scene. Challenge her to a battle and she’ll clean her claws on you just to let you know why she is who she is. TRIBES Magazine interviewed Shelly B during her photo shoot for the TRIBES Magazine Spring 2012 Women in Hip Hop edition.
TRIBES: You’ve made a name for yourself in the Triangle and beyond. How are you being received now?
SHELLY B: I think I’ve always gotten love from this area. It was a little tough when I first started, because at that point in time, the idea of a female emcee was foreign to the entire industry, let alone
the local industry. There weren’t very many females in this area grinding and going to the studio. So in the beginning, I had to fight for my respect; for a couple of years. But when I started putting myself out there, I had that determination to be known and make sure everybody knew who Shelly B was. I started doing every talent show and open mic I could find.
I started calling up promoters. I called the radio station until they put me on. I got my actual start on the Larry Pickett Show, which was like a local talent show that was on TV in the Raleigh area.
That’s where a lot of people know me from. So I always say that’s where I got my start. After I made my appearance on that show, I started getting my name out there and the respect just grew.
TRIBES: How would you rate the Hip Hop scene in the Triangle and the Carolinas?
SHELLY B: I think with anything, growth is going to get it where it needs to be, to its ultimate destination. There definitely needs to be more growth and a bit more unity here but the talent here is out of this world as far as singers, rappers, producers…just entertainment professionals, period. This is one of the most talented markets that I know of. I think that with people getting a bit more in touch with the business side of it, coming together, unity and all that good stuff, we’ll be alright. But we’re getting there. Carolina’s got next…No. We got now! [laughs] READ MORE NOW.
Written by David B. Bohl of slowdownfast.com
How do you define a successful life? Is it by how much money or stuff you have amassed, or is it by the legacy you leave behind? All too often we equate a successful life with material possessions. Yet, there are millions of people out there who lead successful, fulfilled lives who may be of modest means. They may not be rich in the financial sense, but they are rich in life and values.
So what are the things we should strive for to make our lives successful and have a positive impact on those around us? Here is a list of traits that I think defines what true success in life is all about. Does your list differ?
Sincerity. Be sincere in your actions. Don’t try to deceive or impress others. Be yourself, and do what you feel is right based on your values and beliefs. You will be surprised at how people accept you when you stop trying to be someone you aren’t.
Unfeigned. Be genuine in what you do; your actions speak louder than your words. Don’t falsify or embellish events that may have happened. Don’t say one thing and do the other.
Wholehearted. Be enthusiastic about what you do. Show it. Be committed to life and everything that you set out to accomplish in life. Devote yourself to your family, friends, and community and commit yourself to being the best father, husband, wife, mother, friend, and neighbor you can be.
Honest. Be honest in your dealings with yourself and with others. When others interact with you, let them see someone who is reputable, respectable and genuine. Do what you say you will do and never use fraud or deception to get ahead in life. Let ethics, morals, and honor be your compass.
Heartfelt. When you do something for someone, or they do something for you, let your thanks and emotion be openly and outwardly expressed towards them. READ THE FULL ARTICLE NOW.
Visit slowdownfast.com.
“A PIECE OF ME”
By Traci Cunningham
I operated at a lesser state of fine tuning, contriving a presentable life of relations, evaluated, and reconditioned my existing self at each triumph or failure.
I stare down at a piece of me that had chipped and fallen away years ago. I was convinced, 100%, that that piece of me was not needed, nor wanted, to move forward in my life’s plans. Yet aware of its presence, I stared in my peripheral side eye.
In an unexpected moment, an intimate look, a kindred spirit, the purest feeling of a woman’s joy a very subtle gentle whisper shook the existence of my soul.
SHA-ROCK: THE FIRST FEMALE EMCEE
Words by Dialo Askia
Sha-Rock was the first female MC. She rocked with the Funky Four Plus One More in an era where the competition was ‘furious’. These were the days of live battles. There were no second takes if you made a mistake. The Funky Four Plus One More had routines that flowed like synchronized swimmers; but it was the crowd that was holding their breath in anticipation. These weren’t the three-minute, round battles to crown a victor, of today. Back then, they battled with shows.
The group, initially known as the Funky Four, formed in 1976. These were the beginnings of Hip Hop when advertisement was word-of-mouth and B-boys and B-girls descended upon the park to display foot and ground work to a Kool Herc break. After a lineup change, the Funky Four Plus One More was born: two deejays and five mc’s- DJ Breakout, DJ Baron, K.K. Rockwell, Keith Keith, Lil Rodney C, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and MC Sha-Rock. Their music displayed cohesiveness in the way their voices intertwined with the beat, from one mc to the next, building music like an assembly line…READ THE FULL ARTICLE NOW.
VISIT MCSHAROCKONLINE.COM
YTASHA WOMACK: INTERVIEW ON POST BLACK
by DIALO ASKIA
An accurate account of a people’s history and tradition is necessary for the advancement of the people. Griots, for centuries, provided information on the land, the law, and the family. Hieroglyphics painted pictures to tell stories long before MCs wrote lyrics that projected music videos into our minds and onto the screen. Across time, such writers, illustrators, and orators are necessary to provide a voice for the generations. Author Ytasha Womack is one of today’s prominent voices, discussing African American identity in her recent book, Post Black, and giving us a glimpse into the future in her e-book, Rayla 2212.
TRIBES: What inspired you to become a writer?
YTASHA: I started off in journalism, which I didn’t really view as being a writer, in the traditional sense. Once [However], once you start telling stories, you look to tell stories in all kinds of formats whether that’s newspapers, books, film, television, etc. I just became really interested in finding the best medium to share ideas and once you get into that, I guess you become a writer.
TRIBES: What is Post Black?
YTASHA: Post Black for me takes a look at the African-American identity in the 21st century, looking at the diversity of that identity, focusing on Gen X and Gen Y for now, and then also looking at the concept of African-American identity in a post-civil rights, Obama era and the impact that it ultimately has on the personal and collective shift in identity. It’s an exploration.
Some people might view it as a lifestyle or some may see it as a statement about the end of race as we know it. I don’t think we’re quite in that zone yet. Post Black is not post-racial but it is a bridge to that period, I think. This exploration of identity facilitates that.
ART SPOTLIGHT: BEVERLY MCIVER
Words by Alana Jones
Beverly McIver’s portraits are haunting. The faces that stare from the canvas and paper are quiet and weighty, layered with emotions and an ongoing internal dialogue that speaks from each stroke of paint or pencil. Filled with the sort of insight into the conflicted heart and chattering mind of the human subject that makes art essential to our existence, McIver’s portraits speak volumes in the most subtle and quiet tones.
Also visit BEVERLYMCIVER.COM
GET ONE OF THE HOTTEST MIXTAPES OF 2012!
WARNING: Parental Advisory! Some tracks contain explicit lyrics!
Where are all the really dope female emcees? was the sparking question that ignited this Spring 2012 edition of TRIBES Magazine. While it became apparent immediately that some purveyors of pop music and commercial hip hop may want us to believe that there aren’t many worthwhile women out there rapping today, make no mistake! Women have not fled the Hip Hop game. They are out there rapping for their lives and, if the eager response to TRIBES Magazine’s search for the most talented female rappers on the indie scene is any indication, they are steady on the grind and very much a part of Hip Hop’s future. Nearly two-dozen artist submissions and fifty tracks later, TRIBES has compiled a Top 5 from the nominations. From shoe fetishes to paper stacking, loving their children to sexing their men, being independent and maintaining their faith in a higher power, these women rap about life, their dreams and the communities that gave rhythm to their flows and taught them about love. Not marginalized figures or victims raging against the power machine, these ladies are perfectly confident in their right to rap and cleat about their place in a seat at the Hip Hop table. Step outside of the mainstream box and meet 5 Female Emcees beating the heart of Hip Hop from the underground. Featuring the hot new single, “On My Diva” by NC’s Queen of Hip Hop, SHELLY B.,; KRISTEN B. and KARINA LOPEZ bring the New York flavor; southern raps’ LADY CAM from Texas, ACE REIGN representing Chocolate City, and Greensboro’s own TREZURE are also featured! DOWNLOAD FREE!
TREZURE AKA WIDOW (GREENSBORO, NC)
An emotive and dynamic emcee seasoned in the Tar Heel state, TreZure growls when she raps to announce the coming of a new Hip Hop movement.
Engaging the dungeon sound as a rebel “…rapper with a cause…,” TreZure is on a mission to create something exciting and fresh to reinvigorate fans bored with a genre stagnating in the mainstream. A pillar of the Greensboro Hip Hop and NC Indie Hip Hop scene, where she has more than paid her dues and diligently studied her craft, TreZure, aka Widow, seems ready to explode onto the main stage and give us something that will make fans genuinely want to get up and raise their hands. trezureakawidow.com
KARINA “ELEVEN” LOPEZ (NEW YORK, NY)
If you consider yourself a rap purest, you’ll love the NY flavor of Manhattan-native Karina Lopez.
True to her roots, Lopez’s sound is fresh, a little gritty and channeling an era before rap and pop music were bosom buddies. Taking on the legacy of artists like Rah Digga, Lopez is a pure lyricist, mixing short hooks and tight samples from the old skool with new jack truisms. An author, poet, writer and lyricist, Lopez has been creating since age 11 and, today, she’s on a mission, making a name for female emcees while challenging her peers to step up their rap game.
Visit 11lopez.webs.com
ACE REIGN (Washington, DC)
Equal parts emcee, philosopher, and storyteller, ACE REIGN is an artist from Washington D.C. who is unafraid to speak to and from the real world.
Earnest with a passion for tackling life’s tough questions, ACE REIGN is an urban griot reaching out to the lonely, the angry, the desperate, with a salve for their struggles; and in her own practice of personal reflection and catharsis.
Disinterested in the trappings of the material world, ACE REIGN’s lyrics deal more with humanity, communicating identity, experiences, and the pursuit of spirituality and nobler states of being. “Making music is a way to vent my thoughts and emotions…” she explains and freed from the tethers of champagne dreams, ACE REIGN’s distinctive voice
and perspective, readiness to collaborate with like-minded emcees, and depth of artistry and production in her music, will continue to generate music that connects with fans and promises to set ACE REIGN apart from the pack. REVERBNATION.COM/ACEREIGN
GET ONE OF THE HOTTEST MIXTAPES OF 2012! DOWNLOAD FREE!
WARNING: Parental Advisory! Some tracks contain explicit lyrics!
In celebration of our SPRING 2012 Issue, TRIBES Magazine presents the 2012 ALL FEMALE HIP HOP MIXTAPE, featuring some of the hottest female rappers on the scene today.
Where are all the really dope female emcees? was the sparking question that ignited this Spring 2012 edition of TRIBES Magazine. While it became apparent immediately that some purveyors of pop music and commercial hip hop may want us to believe that there aren’t many worthwhile women out there rapping today, make no mistake! Women have not fled the Hip Hop game. They are out there rapping for their lives and, if the eager response to TRIBES Magazine’s search for the most talented female rappers on the indie scene is any indication, they are steady on the grind and very much a part of Hip Hop’s future. Nearly two-dozen artist submissions and fifty tracks later, TRIBES has compiled a Top 5 from the nominations. From shoe fetishes to paper stacking, loving their children to sexing their men, being independent and maintaining their faith in a higher power, these women rap about life, their dreams and the communities that gave rhythm to their flows and taught them about love. Not marginalized figures or victims raging against the power machine, these ladies are perfectly confident in their right to rap and cleat about their place in a seat at the Hip Hop table.
Step outside of the mainstream box and meet 5 Female Emcees beating the heart of Hip Hop from the underground. Featuring the hot new single, “On My Diva” by NC’s Queen of Hip Hop, SHELLY B.,; KRISTEN B. and KARINA LOPEZ bring the New York flavor; southern raps’ LADY CAM from Texas, ACE REIGN representing Chocolate City, and Greensboro’s own TREZURE are also featured!
LADY CAM (Dallas, Texas)
Don’t let the petit frame fool you. LADY CAM’s got huge rapping chops and she is not afraid to flaunt them. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, where everything is BIG, especially the bravado, LADY CAM’s southern rap style is cocky, yet girlish and when LADY CAM spits, you’ve got to bounce. Her use of words as instrument and precise percussion is as infectious as Kanye’s or Busta’s with a country twang. A hidden treasure in the rolling wave of Southern rap, she is definitely an emcee to watch in 2012. Sure, she’ll remind you she’s a lady. Then she’ll destroy the competition in any cypher while holding her own in the male-saturated rap industry. Visit ILOVELADYCAM.COM
Learn more about TRIBES MAGAZINE’S TOP 5 FEMALE EMCEES TO WATCH!
The votes are in! Lauryn Hill is your all-time favorite female rapper, with Missy Elliott coming in 2nd and Nicki Minaj rolling in at no 3.
The poll results were mixed with old and new school favorites, along with popular independent artists, like Kin4Life, being shown some love in the TRIBES poll.
Get the full survey breakdown in the SPRING 2012 WOMEN IN HIP HOP ISSUE coming soon! Check out the results!
KRISTEN B. (Queens, NY)
She’s sexy, stylish and stacking paper on the regular!
An eighties baby from Queens, NY, Kristen B. was heavily influenced by the music and major movements in Hip Hop born in her city. A natural on the mic, Kristen B. uses her smooth raps to talk about the good life, purveying that perfect mix of penthouse and street emblematic of the NY sound, to stand as good as the best of them at cataloging the essentials of Hip Hop extravagance in the VIP room at the nightclub and the shops on Madison Avenue. Kristen B. exemplifies the glamourous days of rap’s golden age, ruled by the queens like Lil Kim and Foxy Brown. In 2012, she is more than just high-end, new-millennium, eye-candy. She brings a sleek and sexy lyricism back to Hip Hop that’s still uniquely her own and with the support of her cadre of loyal fans, this delicious sound and glitter are so ready for the video countdown, they’re sure to carry Kristen B. on to major mainstream success. Visit KRISTENBMUSIC.COM.
Learn more about TRIBES MAGAZINE’S TOP 5 FEMALE EMCEES TO WATCH!
MY FIRST SONY
I was seven years old when I met Salt and Pepa. My mom bought me an apple-red My First Sony and a cassette copy of their 1988 album, A Salt with A Deadly Pepa, for the sixteen-hour road trip to Georgia with my Aunt Carolyn and a bucket of cold fried chicken. That car ride with two princess pioneers of the Hip Hop movement and the hours I’ve spent in the years since, chanting their rhymes and living the word of female emcees like our winner, Lauryn Hill, and others like Lil Kim (the baddest b’ on Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm”), Queen Latifah (“Who you callin’ a bitch!?”), and my personal all-time favorite, Rah Digga, gave me something very special that carried me through the insecurities of adolescence, the difficult teenage years and on into the present.
As purposeful as everything my mother did for me then, that gift of audacious role models, speaking boldly from the margins was invaluable. Salt and Pepa and the women that picked up the mantle of Hip Hop and helped carry it onto worldwide popularity were in their very being progressive, political, feminist, and committed to opening doors not only closed for women in the music industry but for women and marginalized people in society-at-large.
We honor these iconic women and the artists that carry on their legacy in the Spring 2012: Women in Hip Hop edition of TRIBES Magazine, featuring SHELLY B and TRIBES Top 5 FEMALE EMCEES to Watch, because they were groundbreakers that did things never before done (like talking about sex on MTV in frank terms to curb the epic scourge of AIDS on the nineties). They found transcendence over sexism, racism, homophobia, and social disenfranchisement through Hip Hop, not in spite of it, and, contrary to popular notions about misogyny and rap music, they teach us that Hip Hop was never a boys club and assert that the Hip Hop community has always welcomed them and supported their art. I hope you will too.
ALANA JONES
Editor, TRIBES Magazine
GET ONE OF THE HOTTEST MIXTAPES OF 2012! DOWNLOAD FREE!
WARNING: Parental Advisory! Some tracks contain explicit lyrics!
In celebration of our coming SPRING 2012 Issue (available March 2012), TRIBES Magazine presents the 2012 ALL FEMALE HIP HOP MIXTAPE, featuring some of the hottest female rappers on the scene today.
Where are all the really dope female emcees? was the sparking question that ignited this Spring 2012 edition of TRIBES Magazine. While it became apparent immediately that some purveyors of pop music and commercial hip hop may want us to believe that there aren’t many worthwhile women out there rapping today, make no mistake! Women have not fled the Hip Hop game. They are out there rapping for their lives and, if the eager response to TRIBES Magazine’s search for the most talented female rappers on the indie scene is any indication, they are steady on the grind and very much a part of Hip Hop’s future. Nearly two-dozen artist submissions and fifty tracks later, TRIBES has compiled a Top 5 from the nominations. From shoe fetishes to paper stacking, loving their children to sexing their men, being independent and maintaining their faith in a higher power, these women rap about life, their dreams and the communities that gave rhythm to their flows and taught them about love. Not marginalized figures or victims raging against the power machine, these ladies are perfectly confident in their right to rap and cleat about their place in a seat at the Hip Hop table.
Step outside of the mainstream box and meet 5 Female Emcees beating the heart of Hip Hop from the underground. Featuring the hot new single, “On My Diva” by NC’s Queen of Hip Hop, SHELLY B.,; KRISTEN B. and KARINA LOPEZ bring the New York flavor; southern raps’ LADY CAM from Texas, ACE REIGN representing Chocolate City, and Greensboro’s own TREZURE are also featured!
WATCH FOR THE SPRING 2012 TRIBES MAGAZINE ISSUE FEATURING A SPECIAL MUSIC TRIBE FEATURE on these WOMEN IN HIP HOP!
WATCH THE QUEEN OF NORTH CAROLINA HIP HOP, SHELLY B.! Get the exclusive interview and photo shoot with TRIBES MAGAZINE for the coming SPRING 2012 issue in celebration of Women’s History Month and WOMEN IN HIP HOP! Watch for more details to the HOTTEST TRIBES issue yet – Spring 2012 TRIBES Magazine, the WOMEN IN HIP HOP ISSUE – coming March 2012.
The votes are in! Lauryn Hill is your all-time favorite female rapper, with Missy Elliott coming in 2nd and Nicki Minaj rolling in at no 3.
The poll results were mixed with old and new school favorites, along with popular independent artists, like Kin4Life, being shown some love in the TRIBES poll.
Get the full survey breakdown in the SPRING 2012 WOMEN IN HIP HOP ISSUE coming soon! Check out the results!
Shelly B., the Queen of North Carolina Hip Hop! Photo by Emanuel Cole
TRIBES Magazine presents the WOMEN IN HIP HOP issue featuring NC hip hop diva, SHELLY B. Featuring Exclusive Photos, Video and Interview!
Coming Spring 2012!
I sat at the kitchen table with my spouse, ears glued to Democracy Now on 90.7 WNCU. “Just five nations in the world are responsible for 90% of all executions- China, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.” The phone rings. It’s my mother calling simply to call out. “We’re so busy trying to keep our heads above water, we can’t focus our attention on social change.” (“Some would say that’s the point,” is my only response).
Amy Goodman continues her broadcast of the vigil and sorrowful countdown outside of the Georgia Diagnostic Prison where Troy Anthony Davis is scheduled for execution tonight, Wednesday September 21 at 7 pm while NAACP banners and Rev. Al shout “Too much doubt!” and the anti-death penalty activists cry at the horror of state-sponsored murder,death-on-schedule by lethal injection, and pockets in the crowd begging us all to “give peace a chance.” I cry too, listening to the fear and sorrow in the voices of the family, the citizens, activists, mentors, ministers, and neighbors that have become a part of the Davis family community, and all of the world citizens listening to the broadcast and praying for our collective soul. Read More Now…
The new documentary by TRIBES Entertainment films, M.I. A Different Kind of Girl, premiers in North Carolina this Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 5:00pm at the Hayti Heritage Center 2012 Film Festival in Durham. The cost is $5.00. Get more 2012 screenings!
To learn more, visit MALEILLUSIONISTTHEFILM.COM
I sat at the kitchen table with my spouse, ears glued to Democracy Now on 90.7 WNCU. “Just five nations in the world are responsible for 90% of all executions- China, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.” The phone rings. It’s my mother calling simply to call out. “We’re so busy trying to keep our heads above water, we can’t focus our attention on social change.” (“Some would say that’s the point,” is my only response).
Amy Goodman continues her broadcast of the vigil and sorrowful countdown outside of the Georgia Diagnostic Prison where Troy Anthony Davis is scheduled for execution tonight, Wednesday September 21 at 7 pm while NAACP banners and Rev. Al shout “Too much doubt!” and the anti-death penalty activists cry at the horror of state-sponsored murder,death-on-schedule by lethal injection, and pockets in the crowd begging us all to “give peace a chance.” I cry too, listening to the fear and sorrow in the voices of the family, the citizens, activists, mentors, ministers, and neighbors that have become a part of the Davis family community, and all of the world citizens listening to the broadcast and praying for our collective soul. Read More Now…
TRIBES Magazine jams with Ryan “RyMo” Moran, drummer for Slightly Stoopid, and gets the real scoop on San Diego’s most blazin’ reggae rock band, stoopidheads and decriminalizing marijuana in America. Interview by Leslie Cunningham (2010).
Leslie Cunningham (TRIBES Magazine publisher), a documentary filmmaker whose latest venture, HARLEM IN HAVANA, is already gaining international attention, spoke to the Saskatoon Star Phoenix this month about her new film project and family legacy. Read the article now.
WATCH THE HARLEM IN HAVANA FILM TEASER NOW!
TRIBES Magazine jams with Ryan “RyMo” Moran, drummer for Slightly Stoopid, and gets the real scoop on San Diego’s most blazin’ reggae rock band, stoopidheads and decriminalizing marijuana in America. Interview by Leslie Cunningham.
TRIBES 