Click here to listen to a podcast of highlights from my Venus Sings Radio interview with 5th Elament.
KINGSTON, RI - Where are the women in hip hop? It is a common question and refrain at live hip hop shows, locally and globally. But more varied has been the cause for this absence and the response to it.
Women viewed as non-players in the rap game is common, as is the emulation of women who have taken on hypersexual caricatures to maintain attention - sometimes over artistic development and advancement. Women who have devoted significant time to showing off their skills in wordplay, metaphors, and imagery - they are often mocked for being manly or unfeminine, and, even when women are included, concert promoters, executives, and even some attendees, underestimate and undervalue the selling power of such acts.
That is the scene you have to be aware of if you choose to come out as a woman in hip hop, especially as a "femcee." By and by, though, these challenges have not stopped women from stepping up and demanding space in the game. One woman doing this is Kalyana Champlain, aka 5th Elament - my co-founder and partner in Isis Storm, my colleague at WRIU, my on-stage performance leader, and my friend of many years.
5th Elament is releasing a new album called Thru the Muck, a compilation of songs that speak to her movements through hip hop, and her journey through personal loss, inner demonhood, spiritual transformation and ongoing recovery. And even though I am her friend and partner, I know there is always room to learn more. To that end, I invited 5th to join me on WRIU on Saturday, August 28, 2010 for a surprise quick visit to talk about Thru the Muck and how she's getting along as a femcee.
Click here to listen to a podcast of highlights from my Venus Sings Radio interview with 5th Elament.
Learn more about her journey at www.thruthemuck.com or on www.IsisStorm.com. Get details on her album at www.5thElament.com.
Coming soon to VenusSings.com: a listing of all the songs I played on the August 28 edition of Venus Sings Radio. In the interim, Listen to Venus Sings Radio on the 4th Saturday of every month at www.wriu.org or at 90.3 FM in and around RI.
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