(Note: This is the mid-countown "Halftime Report" special for the "
Femcee Letters" series, co-presented by The Official Home of the Femcees. Counting down to when Nicki Minaj's highly-anticipated debut "Pink Friday" drops on November 23, each week an open letter to a femcee will be featured here.
Dear Fans,
Well, this has truly been an exciting run! For the longest time, I had been an admirer of the femcee game. My first exposure to female hip-hop was as a 4-year old watching Queen Latifah's
segment on Sesame Street. While it put in a good word for the letter O as a youngster, little did I know the seed it planted would grow 19 years later into this excellent series! So, allow me to give a summary of how this series has gone thus far.
The first Femcee Letter of sorts came as part of my "After Further Review" series, in which I
critiqued Lola Luv's cold-turkey transition to rap as Lola Monroe. Proposing some business plans, I got my share of mainly mixed feedback on her fansite. Although my advice seems to have been shunned entirely by Ms. Melaku herself, that feedback inspired me to start writing open letters to various other femcees. So, without further ado, allow me to take you on a walk through the feedback I got for each Femcee Letter:
Because she's pretty much why femcees are a hot topic again, I chose to kick off this series with my open letter to Nicki Minaj. While praising how she's emerged from her past struggles to make it into hip-hop's A-list and numerous awards (with still no album in stores yet!) as well as her bubbly personalities, I believe I spoke for all of mainstream fans when I asked which one is the real her? (Further evidence has shown that the laid-back version we saw in Complex is closest to the real her). While attracting praise from the Hype community, her fansites have been notably neutral on my article (noting that I balance both parts here), however being particularly harsh on the three commenters (SmokinAces, x20nickel, and Nathan himself). While I could have done without the hating on my Hype brethren, I was pleased that I was simply being noticed. So it was naturally time for me to move on to the next one!
My follow-up to Foxy Brown was truly a personal experience, as I had been a fan of hers for the longest time. Nonetheless, I focused on her post-Broken Silence era, documenting the jail stint as well as her comeback attempts. I am pleased to report that my prediction about her most recent charges "since you've stayed out of trouble for the past two years, I believe you're innocent here" came true, as virtually all charges against her were dropped (leaving only one misdemeanor for which she'd face just a bit of community service.) However, feedback was subdued, with only one online source even providing feedback, but that source gave my first positive review: "Greatly written article... it touches base on it all. Thanks for that!" -
FoxBoogie.com, her top fansite. All I could do was the next logical step at that point.
The next one was to her archrival Lil' Kim, for which we all summed up best in two words (once again, they are "
What happened?"). Given the tone of that letter and its open call for her to think about her state of life and try renewing that flame she once had, it inevitably cast quite a divide. While many documented her tours, mixtape, and upcoming work on Dr. Dre's "Detox", that doesn't exactly change my mind (at this point every human, dog, cat, bird, fish, reptile, and quite possibly a few paramecia has been mentioned as having a verse on "Detox"!) In fact, quite a few people agreed with my points, most notably Booth and Hype favorite Dominique Larue (if this series is indeed extended, she's definitely getting a letter) and even the
official MTV Video Music Awards Twitter page! (so now I can say that I've gotten on MTV-at least somehow). Certainly pumped up, I thought I'd complete the trilogy in the faces of the early 2000s sex-appeal era.
As I was writing my letter to Trina, a quote from Abraham Lincoln came to mind. That fueled my whole basis in the war between my fine female aficionado side and my good music appreciator one. In the end, the latter one, simply because true artistic growth was fighting on its side (as I pointed out, that was actually her plan from the beginning.) Nonetheless, aside from a side jab by SmokinAces, I never got a single note of feedback. Slightly disheartened, I decided to move on to my best effort at the time, truly a "make-or-break" moment for the series.
Seeing that Nicki's the reason this series exists, I thought I'd remind the fans that Missy Elliott set the records she's aiming for, documenting her uber-creative music videos, superb production skills, introduction of new talent, and desire for femcee unity as all points others should strive to reach. This turned out to be the most popular entry in the Femcee Letters, piling up four site comments, 93 Twitter links, one e-mailed link, 109 shares in total, too many Facebook postings to count-and a co-sign from Missy herself. (the first such co-sign and the reason I did this series). Reaffirmed in my confidence, I decided to go on.
For Eve, I documented her climb to mainstream consciousness (when my 11-year-old brother knows who she is, that's how you know she's crossed over!) Nonetheless, it seems no feedback resulted, though I don't blame her. After all, she's still working on her comeback (hope the 1-11-11 date stands). At that point, I decided to turn to the streets.
Because of Remy Ma's current incarceration, I sent the next Femcee Letter as a piece of fan mail to Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Pointing out how she never aimed to be the top femcee so much as strive for the top spot period, I also chronicled the support she always got and how we're all looking forward to her release. Though no feedback resulted initially, later on I got a comment by another notable femcee site I'm considering doing a co-partnership with now. The mod from that site simply said "Man, this is deep. I loved it and I can't wait for Rem to reclaim her throne." Neither can we, sir. My attention shifted right away to her (seemingly) lone femcee supporter.
The letter to Shawnna was the one which I arguably put my most effort of any behind. Of course, living less than 100 miles away, you can't help but feel inspired! At this point, I've forgotten how much Twitter feedback I got, because her post to my wall on Facebook says it all:
"Well I can surely say that not too many times in my life that I have been speechless...... Well this is one of them! I don't think that thank you is even enough to say. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. For example I was just on the phone with Uncle Face (yes the original, one and only Scarface...) and we were discussing the state of hip hop today. And in all honesty we both had to admit that we are unsure if the fans still appreciate content and growth in music or are they more concerned with "swag"? Now a days if you have this "swag" potential it seems like you don't have to have anything else including talent! And it makes artists such as he and I a little bit nervous when it comes to releasing a project because of how personal it is to us. But anyway I could go on and on....... Just wanted to let you know personally that the letter to me really meant a lot in the most sincere form I am saying....... Thank you."
No problem Shawnna! It's our pleasure to support true talent (that's why we exist). Feeling in a hometown state of mind, I moved just a bit south for the follow-up.
As someone who was a kid during hip-hop's golden era, my letter to Da Brat was equally inspired. Documenting her earlier rise as one who brought that gangsta sass from a female point of view, I later pointed out how her sex-driven era (though it was still better than many other femcees') left her down, but certainly not out, as she plans to one day return. Again minimal feedback resulted, so that's where I'm left standing.
Where do you want me to go next? Should I stick by the mainstream road for now (if that was the choice, Jacki-O would be next, followed by the Crime Mob females and how their paths meandered, and then very likely the Unladylike duo)? Or should I go right into the old-school vibe? (MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Yo-Yo, Roxanne Shante, and Lady of Rage would be obvious choices). And when "Pink Friday" finally does drop, should I just decide to end the series right there or should it become a permanent part of the Hype legacy? (a la
Mystery Booty of the Week and
Your Favorite Rapper is Poor). The choice is yours-whichever you choose, I will continue to stand up for true talent and skills throughout!
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to write another open letter following whichever route you want me to go. Thanks for your time over the past few weeks, and buckle up, because I'm about to go full-throttle for the next part of the series!
Sincerely,
Burmy
For more information, the
Official Home of the Femcees can be found on Twitter
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