The Fembassy

By: Glennisha Morgan

In the documentary Roxanne mentioned that it was her 1st time touring with all females. Was it your first time too?

Usually my performance demographic has been women or female oriented events. I’m accustomed to it.

What was your experience like touring with all females?

It was the same as always. The gender wasn’t the primary focus for me. I’m accustomed to doing tours and events that support women. For this particular experience it seemed more genuine than industry encouraged. It was more personal.

What was your experience like meeting Roxanne Shante for the first time?

Some people misquote terms and will say that I’m a legend. I consider myself to be a veteran. I consider somebody of Roxanne’s stature to be a legend/icon because she was there during the pioneer stages. That’s the era that inspired artists like me to come into the game. I felt it was an honor to have met her and work with her especially so closely. It was a life altering and cool experience. It helped me to realize that I’m not getting it all right but, I’m not getting it all wrong either with the choices that I made to do this professionally. That was one of the fruits of my labor to meet someone who had such a profound impact on the female presence specifically in Hip Hop internationally. I just felt honored and humble to be a part of that tour and experience.

In your experience what’s the difference between touring overseas vs. in the U.S.?

Work is work from a business and entrepreneur standpoint. They appreciate traditional Hip Hop more overseas because the market is saturated in the states. I think it’s primarily because it’s the birthplace of Hip Hop. We’re in the information age now so with the click of a mouse you can easily put up a page or social network and call yourself an artist. People generally can do that now but, before you had to own your craft before you could be booked or considered to be a serious artist. I think they’re still in that era overseas more than in the states because of the saturation and the information age.

Do you have any rituals or specific things that you do to prepare for touring? If so, what are they?

Physically I try to keep myself healthy. I make sure that I have adequate rest and the proper diet and nutrition. No drugs or alcohol or anything like that. I make sure that I’m alert and focused. I have to have a sound and supportive group of people that I’m traveling with. That’s the most important thing to me. The team of people need to get along and be professional.

The one thing that stood out to me with this particular tour is that everyone was extremely professional and nobody had their guards up like I normally have seen. It totally was not industry. It was about artist getting together and being supportive from a genuine place. That’s what I cherish most about it. That’s one thing that has left a lasting mark on my life.

What advice would you give to upcoming artists about touring?

First as far as being an entrepreneur overall I would just advise people to just study the industry that you’re trying to become a part of or making a mark in. Assemble a tight team of people that are knowledgeable or skilled to implement what your vision is if you’re an artist. Make sure that you know what you want and make sure that you’re a skilled professional. Make sure that this is really what you want and you’re born to do it because it’s not for everybody. People think it’s just about grabbing the mic or linking up with the right social group or network.  It’s more about the passion, the purpose, and the voice that you’re supposed to be representing internationally.

That’s true. A lot of people are just in it for fame and money. They’re not in it for the love or for the art.

They’re not looking at it for the power that it potentially could be for. You’re a voice for a whole nation of people. That means that you’re a leader if you’re in a position like this. Responsibility is a lot greater when you’re in a position like this. Where are you leading people? Your responsibility is a lot greater when you’re in the forefront like that. Whether you’re in a mainstream platform or underground /grassroots you’re drawing the attention of a certain demographic of people. They’re looking at your for some sort of direction, guidance, or standard. I think some people are at the forefront in the industry and are extremely successful but, they are soul searching themselves. Some people are also not as transparent or honest with their audience about who they are spiritually.

I agree. I talk to a lot of people. Sometimes in reference to certain projects some people tell me, “Oh. Well that wasn’t the real me but, this next one is. Or there were other people that wanted me to go in a certain direction.”

See that’s the difference between somebody being trained to do it and somebody just being born with this being their life’s work. With Hip Hop I know what my position is. It’s like you’re just in the moment of expressing who you were created to be and evolving all the time. It’s your interpretation of what your experiences are all the time. You can’t manufacture that or pretend to be that. You just have to be it naturally.

Did the tour play a role in inspiring, influencing, and or supporting you in any new endeavors?

First and foremost God is where I get all my inspiration from. People that the spirit moves through inspire or touch me to be more who I am or who I was created to be. For instance, interacting with Eternia on a spiritual level. I’m a born-again Christian and she is too. We got a chance to really bond and fellowship on that level. From the standpoint of talking to Invincible about creative things, we exposed some of our different methods of creating and ideas. Normally I know I would keep my creative process to myself just because of the business aspect of it and the competitiveness of the industry. I totally abandoned those rules while interacting with them specifically on the road.

I really feel confident in terms of my approach now. It was so many different things that I needed to just filter. It was so much going on at one time. It’s a slow process and now I’m digesting it all. I know it definitely has affected my writing. It made me have more responsibility to know that I’m not in it by myself. I’m not just speaking for the people that I know I have a voice for. I’m also speaking for my fellow musical comrades. I might be a representative of what they can’t articulate artistically. I might be the person that can get their point out and vice versa. Those roles interchange with the scheme of all the different women or artists that are on the same page or flowing with the same energy. It could be a bigger cause for us all to move the music forward and get the truth out. I saw like a glimpse of it before but, this opened up a whole flood gate for it. I also realized that I wasn’t in this struggle by myself too.

That’s good to know. I’m sure that was comforting.

Yes! It’s liberating and it’s definitely inspiring because there is strength in numbers. When you have people that wish the very best for you and are in a position to help challenge you to grow you’re in a good spot. Everything else is just a part of the process of getting there.

Are you currently working on a new project(s)?

Yes. I’m currently working on a new project. It’s untitled. I have about 6 or 7 songs that I’m comfortable with. I also have a few collaborations. The most recent thing that I have out is a collaboration that I did with DJ Statik for his project, “Pre-Game”. The song is called, “Do What I Believe”. I have a song for Ill Vibe Collective’s project with Invincible and Finale called “Certified” that DJ Statik produced. He’s also my tour DJ. For the tour that we did with Invincible, Roxanne Shante, and them DJ Shortee did that. That is really cool. I have plans on doing some stuff with her and her husband. I just have to make the time because I also work with at risk youth. So between that and live performances it’s a lot. Plus I like to take my time at home in between projects. So if you’ve been studying my releases it’s usually like a 4 or 5 year hiatus between each project. That’s because I need to take time off to filter what I experience and then put it down to music. So sometimes it takes a while and then I need to get the right music too.

That’s good that there are artists like you that actually take their time because it’s not just about dropping an album every year. How much effort, time, and passion are you really putting into it if you’re rushing?

Right. That’s just like with the mixtape circuit. I mean to what end are you putting out this material? Is it just for the sake of the quantity as opposed to the quality? That’s how I see it.

Was there anything that you learned from the younger artists during the tour?

Yes. I don’t think it’s an issue of age though. I think it’s about maturity. I’m always open to different perspectives and approaches to personal empowerment. So something was to be learned and shared from everybody that was there. Everybody that was there had an open mind and willingness to receive it. That’s always the case with me. I’m always surrounded by different people that come from various backgrounds, religions, beliefs, ethnicities, and whatever. It’s like a montage of different perspectives that I like to surround myself with. I think it makes me well rounded and socially it helps me attempt to relate from an honest place with people.

During the documentary while at the radio station there was a huge discussion about being a female emcee. How do you feel about being labeled as a “female emcee” vs. just being called an “emcee”?

I really don’t even have a comment for that because that question is so redundant that I just don’t have any energy for it.

As we all know it’s a bit harder for female emcees to succeed in the industry but, I think everyone on the tour has been successful in their own right. What inspires you to keep doing what you’re doing?

The most high God. This is my life’s work. It’s not about monetary gain or prestige. It’s about me getting the truth out through my experiences and life to help somebody else. That’s just what it’s about for me. I think I’m always going to be doing this. This is what I do. My life should be a testament to that now for people who really follow my work. Those that don’t I guess they can Google me. I don’t know. Or Twitter.

What advice would you give to upcoming artists as far as being successful and building their own brand?

To reiterate what I stated earlier, to show themselves approved and knowing their industry. I can’t stress enough to have a knowledgeable team of people to help them implement that plan that they have. Whatever it happens to be. Just be true to yourself and have some sort of foundation spiritually. You’re really going to need it in this industry.

THE REVIVAL from EMERGENCE Media on Vimeo.