The Fembassy

By: Glennisha Morgan

She’s been around for 12 years but, unless your ears are to the streets you probably don’t know who she is. Rasheeda, known to some as the “Underground Queen” has independently taken the music industry by storm. With 5 albums out, a mixtape, and a recent nomination for “Best Female Hip Hop Artist” by BET Rasheeda is a force to be reckoned with. The Fembassy had a chance to catch up with the Atlanta bred emcee and discuss her experience as an independent artist, supporting women in Hip Hop, staying consistent, and her current projects.

You were formerly in the group Da Kaperz. You went on to pursue your solo career. How was that transition for you?

It had its advantages and disadvantages. When you’re in a group you’re used to your group members being right there and just the fun of experiencing the business together and growing together. Those are some of the great parts about it. I did step into a place where I was solely creating. It wasn’t just put a verse on this song. It was like create the records and get up here and do your thing by yourself. Of course the good side is not having to split your money anymore. You’re making your money and able to do your own thing. So it has its good sides and bad sides. Overall I know it was what was meant but, I wouldn’t change the experience of starting that way for anything.

You’ve been independent for a long time. What has your experience been as an independent artist and how do you manage to stay afloat?

It’s been a work in progress. I guess being signed with a major label. Understanding and learning a lot of different things that you should and can’t do with a record company. It’s about knowing the business and investing in the right things. You have to know when to do certain things and when not to. A lot of it in the business is about timing. It’s about doing things in a manner to where it makes a lot of sense.

When you’re independent and you’ve grown to have a fan base and you have music that people want to hear then they go out and buy that music. So that helps you stay afloat. When you actually own your music, your album may be $12 and you’ll get 8 of those dollars. It’s not like when you’re with a major record company and you don’t see that money.

So as far as being afloat on the financial side when you have an artist who is able to sell and is out there doing the things that need to be done you can function and do even better than artists on a major label. You don’t have to go out and sell 1 million, 2 million, and 3 million units to see any money. You can sell 40k or 50k and have a nice check, a real nice check. That’s just on album sells. You have single sales, ringtones, callback tunes, wallpaper, and then the publishing aspect as well. That’s one thing over here at DLo we’ve been able to step into. We’re able to get songs placed in movies, on television, and on video games. That’s how a lot of these major record companies stay afloat. Jive Records started off doing publishing. That’s really money that never goes anywhere. So we’ve been able to learn the ends and out of the business. Let’s get into publishing, get songs placed, and make this money.  That’s how we’re able to make things continue to go.

What advice would you give to any new artists pursuing the independent route?

I would tell them to first practice patience and develop a thick skin. The business is very fickle and funny. One minute you’re hot and the next minute you’re not. If you can get to the point where people think you are hot you have to grind. Nothing just comes to you. You have to work for everything. The business is getting more and more complicated so you have to really work. Get hot in your area and do mixtapes. Grab a cam corder and get visual so that you can develop that fan base. So you can know if it’s something that you can really pursue or if it’s just that you and your homies think you are hot. That’s as real as it gets.

You recently dropped your mixtape, “Boss Bitch Music”. What is an average day like in the life of a “Boss Bitch”?

Boss bitches are women in broad and vast places of the world. We have the single moms out here holding it down and representing doing their thing. A boss bitch is a woman who is empowering, doing what she needs to do, and taking care of her own. She’s a leader who is not scared to stand up for what she believes in. She’s independent. She comes in many different shapes, sizes, forms, and different ways. As far as myself I’m just putting it to the forefront to be like, “Hey homegirl just in case you haven’t thought about it. You are a boss chick. You are empowering, sexy, independent, strong, and out here doing your thing. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re rich. It means that you’re in control and you’re taking control of your life and where you’re headed.

A day in the life of someone like me is I get up and I go to the gym. On the weekends I’m gone and traveling most of the time. During the weekday it’s a little more structured because I’m a business woman as well. People might not know that but, I do other things a well. I’m up and in the gym in the morning working out. Once I’m finished with that I have tons of emails to answer. I’m doing interviews. Most of the time I’m doing those during the week. I’m in the studio. I’m writing songs. I’m doing my regular woman things. Running errands, making things happen, setting up for photo

shoots, having meetings, and trying to put things in perspective for the next move. I started on my next album. So I’m talking to producers, getting songs together, getting the whole format of what I’m doing with this album, and just writing alone and going in and recording is enough. I’m also working on getting more songs placed in movies. I have shows coming up and a lot of different things going on.

It’s just taking control and being focused. You live one time. I want to have a life so when I’m older I can look back and be proud. Or my son can be like my mom was really holding it down and doing her thing.

You’re latest mixtape, “Boss Bitch Music” features several other female emcees like Diamond, Gangsta Boo, and Lola Monroe. Can I say that you’re a supporter of this new female Hip Hop movement?

Yes. I wouldn’t say new. We’ve been around but, just a little on the pause note for a minute. I think that comes from not just us as artists but, the game being in a place where it isn’t a fair field. At this point now it’s like let’s throw a little sex appeal in it and some extra sauce in this pot of spaghetti. It’s so needed. I support women who get out here and do their thing, who are real, and are hard hustling females trying to make a name for themselves. I definitely support that. So anytime I’m working on something and someone calls me like hey I need you. I’m there for them and I get that in return. We need to open up and be more receptive to one another and jump on records and do stuff. That’s what the fellas do. Say there are 5 songs out and then there is a remix to each one of the 5 songs. You’ll damn near hear the same people on the remixes because they are all messing with each other like that. Showing love and getting out there. Females need to do the same thing. Now people want to hear what we have to say. There needs to be a female voice for us who is out here really holding it down and doing their thing. I think more so the women are ready for it. I think they are a lot more receptive. With the consumers wanting it now, radio, the djs, and the record companies are like we need to be more receptive with the female movement.

You’re an artist who is definitely in your own lane. With the industry and trends constantly changing how do you manage to remain the same or consistent?

I just stay true to myself. The thing is staying consistent. I keep music out there whether it’s on a scale where everybody hears it, mixtapes floating in the streets, or songs on the radio. I keep myself out there. That’s the main thing. Just staying out there and staying true to myself. Also, staying focused. There are a lot of things that I want to accomplish. There a lot of things that I have yet to do that I know what I want to do and grab and hold onto. So I’m always working on the next thing.

I put out “Boss Bitch Music” and now it’s time for the album. Don’t forget I dropped an album in August of 09 already. Now I’m dropping the next album. So it’s just always goals that I want to accomplish. One thing I know is hard work doesn’t go unseen. It takes time for people to come into your world as an artist. I think right now people are like okay Rasheeda isn’t playing (laughs). So I just have to keep going and stay focused and consistent.

You’re a solo artist but, you’re also in the group Peach Candy w/ Kandi Buruss. Can you tell us what’s going on with Peach Candy right now?

Kandi and I stay doing music together. Of course she’s on “Boss Bitch Music” and she was on my last album. I was on her single with Rick Ross. We’ve just been so busy. Between me doing my thing and her with Housewives of Atlanta we haven’t been able to really go in and get the whole Peach Candy album together like we want to. That is something that we’ve been talking about though. We want to get something out in this year or sometime in 2011 for sure. It’s in demand. We’ve recorded so many songs but, we know we need to update everything. That’s something that we are looking forward to dropping.

Where can people check you out and purchase your music?

Please go to Itunes. Just type in Rasheeda and it will pull up all of my albums. Make sure you follow me on Twitter. I’m @RasheedaGAPeach . Definitely go to my Youtube page, which is doing extremely well right now. It has all of the videos that I’ve shot. It’s Youtube.com/DLO117.