"Hip Hop Was Born Here" Queens of the Mic

ID	13195073
Movie Name	"Hip Hop Was Born Here" Queens of the Mic
Release Name	hip.hop.was.born.here.s01e04.1080p.WEB.H264-SCENE
Year	2025
Kind	tv
Language	English
IMDB ID	37459665
Format	srt

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1 00:00:06,963 --> 00:00:11,663 Roxanne Shanté, you are one of the queens. 2 00:00:11,750 --> 00:00:12,838 -Yes. -You're one 3 00:00:12,925 --> 00:00:14,623 of the true cornerstones. 4 00:00:14,710 --> 00:00:16,320 What is the... 5 00:00:16,407 --> 00:00:19,584 the women's movement in hip hop now and today? 6 00:00:19,671 --> 00:00:24,154 You know, when I look at it now, it's an honor for me 7 00:00:24,241 --> 00:00:25,720 to see my hip hop sisters sign these deals, 8 00:00:25,721 --> 00:00:27,984 knowing that they had the say-so. 9 00:00:28,071 --> 00:00:29,120 Seeing them doing commercials, 10 00:00:29,203 --> 00:00:30,943 knowing that they made those decisions, 11 00:00:31,031 --> 00:00:33,903 seeing them have babies and not having to hide it. 12 00:00:33,990 --> 00:00:36,036 We used to have to hide it, so to see my sisters 13 00:00:36,123 --> 00:00:38,821 out there doing they rhymes and letting 'em know, 14 00:00:38,908 --> 00:00:41,779 like, look, this is continuing on to the next generation 15 00:00:41,780 --> 00:00:43,695 is truly an honor for me. -Yeah. 16 00:00:43,782 --> 00:00:45,915 And we are giving everything out here. 17 00:00:46,002 --> 00:00:48,570 So, now when I sit back and I see the place 18 00:00:48,700 --> 00:00:50,180 for women in hip hop now, 19 00:00:50,267 --> 00:00:52,138 they are just where they're supposed to be... 20 00:00:52,139 --> 00:00:54,271 on fucking time. 21 00:00:58,797 --> 00:01:00,843 Hip hop is everywhere... 22 00:01:00,930 --> 00:01:03,192 every corner of the globe. 23 00:01:03,193 --> 00:01:05,977 To understand the power of hip hop today, 24 00:01:05,978 --> 00:01:08,372 you have to go back to where it all started. 25 00:01:08,459 --> 00:01:10,070 ♪ Ain't no love... ♪ 26 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,073 ...my hometown, New York City. 27 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,597 Because listen, when I tell you hip hop was born here. 28 00:01:16,598 --> 00:01:19,688 ♪ ...in the heart of town 29 00:01:19,775 --> 00:01:22,125 ♪ Ain't no love ♪ 30 00:01:23,822 --> 00:01:27,043 Can you say that rap is a boys thing? 31 00:01:27,130 --> 00:01:28,740 Because there aren't much girl rappers. 32 00:01:28,827 --> 00:01:31,008 -What's your opinion on that? -Well, you got girl rappers, 33 00:01:31,091 --> 00:01:32,569 -It's just that, you know... -Not many, not many. 34 00:01:32,570 --> 00:01:34,359 -Well, that's just... -Most of them are boys. 35 00:01:34,442 --> 00:01:36,317 You know, it's inevitable, just like anything else. 36 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,836 You know, it takes time for you to get these things. 37 00:01:38,837 --> 00:01:41,884 You know, female rappers will be, you know, they're out there. 38 00:01:42,014 --> 00:01:44,278 Eventually, there'll be a big, successful group. 39 00:01:50,936 --> 00:01:52,590 Hip hop's early years 40 00:01:52,677 --> 00:01:54,810 were about an underground New York City art form 41 00:01:54,897 --> 00:01:57,378 pushing to break through. 42 00:01:57,465 --> 00:02:00,685 -Who that... -Oh, no, girls? 43 00:02:00,772 --> 00:02:04,124 At the very same time, inside of hip hop itself, 44 00:02:04,254 --> 00:02:06,952 there was another set of voices fighting to be heard. 45 00:02:07,039 --> 00:02:09,867 ♪ We have to come to an agreement who's gonna survive ♪ 46 00:02:09,868 --> 00:02:12,393 ♪ The Cold Crush four or the Fantastic Five ♪ 47 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,004 In a genre dominated by men, 48 00:02:15,091 --> 00:02:17,311 women in hip hop faced even longer odds. 49 00:02:17,398 --> 00:02:20,792 It's not male-dominated anymore. It's co-ed. 50 00:02:20,879 --> 00:02:22,446 To truly understand 51 00:02:22,533 --> 00:02:25,101 the path women in the game have traveled, 52 00:02:25,188 --> 00:02:29,845 to capture how they've gone from overlooked and ignored 53 00:02:29,932 --> 00:02:31,499 to dominating the genre 54 00:02:31,586 --> 00:02:34,327 and pushing the culture to all-new heights... 55 00:02:34,328 --> 00:02:35,463 All the girls doing they thing right now. 56 00:02:35,546 --> 00:02:37,809 This has been the year of women rappers. 57 00:02:37,896 --> 00:02:39,594 You carrying the torch for us right now. 58 00:02:41,378 --> 00:02:43,554 ...you gotta start that journey in New York, 59 00:02:43,641 --> 00:02:47,558 a city where generations of female voices 60 00:02:47,645 --> 00:02:50,431 have been at the forefront of this movement. 61 00:02:50,518 --> 00:02:51,910 From Sha-Rock 62 00:02:51,997 --> 00:02:55,566 to hip hop's first music mogul, Sylvia Robinson, 63 00:02:55,653 --> 00:02:57,394 to Salt-N-Pepa 64 00:02:57,481 --> 00:02:59,135 to those reinventing the art form today. 65 00:02:59,222 --> 00:03:00,745 Woosah. 66 00:03:00,832 --> 00:03:03,270 And who better to speak to 67 00:03:03,357 --> 00:03:04,967 than one of those hip hop pioneers, 68 00:03:05,097 --> 00:03:07,448 an artist who was one of the first to break through 69 00:03:07,535 --> 00:03:10,059 in those early days... Queens native, 70 00:03:10,146 --> 00:03:13,018 my sis, Roxanne Shanté? 71 00:03:16,500 --> 00:03:19,286 -Roxanne Shanté. -Please believe it, baby. 72 00:03:21,592 --> 00:03:24,987 Roxanne Shanté's impact on hip hop is undisputed. 73 00:03:25,074 --> 00:03:28,381 You don't win a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by accident. 74 00:03:28,382 --> 00:03:30,601 ♪ You started talkin' Pig Latin, didn't make no sense ♪ 75 00:03:30,688 --> 00:03:32,008 ♪ You thought you was cute, yeah ♪ 76 00:03:32,124 --> 00:03:33,391 ♪ You thought you was a prince ♪ 77 00:03:33,474 --> 00:03:35,519 Today I wanna talk to Roxanne 78 00:03:35,606 --> 00:03:37,173 about how she started on that path. 79 00:03:37,260 --> 00:03:38,657 ♪ I'm just the devastatin', always rockin' ♪ 80 00:03:38,740 --> 00:03:40,611 ♪ Always have the fly guys clockin' ♪ 81 00:03:40,742 --> 00:03:42,657 ♪ Everybody knows it's me, the R-O-X-A-N-N-E ♪ 82 00:03:42,744 --> 00:03:44,920 From a tough young girl 83 00:03:45,007 --> 00:03:48,750 in the Queens bridge projects to a trailblazing hip hop icon 84 00:03:48,837 --> 00:03:51,579 whose influences are still being felt to this day. 85 00:03:51,709 --> 00:03:54,537 ♪ The R-O-X-A-N-N-E ♪ 86 00:03:54,538 --> 00:03:58,586 Where I wanna start with is, you're a young lady. 87 00:03:58,716 --> 00:04:01,284 How do you get exposed to hip hop? 88 00:04:01,371 --> 00:04:03,329 I wanna say, the very first time I knew 89 00:04:03,330 --> 00:04:04,983 that there was something called hip hop, 90 00:04:05,070 --> 00:04:06,768 I might have been about 8 years old. 91 00:04:06,898 --> 00:04:08,421 Okay. 92 00:04:08,422 --> 00:04:10,119 Hearing the music in my heart, I was like, 93 00:04:10,250 --> 00:04:11,773 I know I'm-a do that. 94 00:04:11,903 --> 00:04:14,210 -So, it just clicked. -It just clicked. 95 00:04:15,951 --> 00:04:17,474 So, let's dig in. 96 00:04:17,561 --> 00:04:20,520 Describe to me as you came up in the game, 97 00:04:20,521 --> 00:04:23,698 what is it like for a young woman in hip hop? 98 00:04:23,785 --> 00:04:26,918 I remember the very first time 99 00:04:27,005 --> 00:04:32,358 they wanted to separate me from being great on a mic. 100 00:04:32,359 --> 00:04:34,491 -Tell us about it. -I was 10 years old. 101 00:04:34,578 --> 00:04:36,014 -Okay. -They said, 102 00:04:36,145 --> 00:04:38,234 "Look, there's a battle, and it's gonna be for $50." 103 00:04:38,365 --> 00:04:40,367 My mom was on a fixed income, 104 00:04:40,454 --> 00:04:43,892 and I remember telling my mom, like, we could win $50. 105 00:04:43,979 --> 00:04:45,546 And I remember her cutting off the food. 106 00:04:45,633 --> 00:04:49,550 "How?" 'Cause $50... $50 was a lot of money. How?! 107 00:04:51,552 --> 00:04:54,250 -Our rent was, like, $34. -Wow. 108 00:04:54,381 --> 00:04:56,164 So, you know, you talkin' about a month's rent, literally. 109 00:04:56,165 --> 00:04:58,036 -Right. -$50 was a lot of money. 110 00:04:58,167 --> 00:04:59,211 You know what I'm saying? 111 00:04:59,342 --> 00:05:02,389 When we got there, I remember someone 112 00:05:02,476 --> 00:05:05,653 getting me a milk crate because I'm still a little girl. 113 00:05:05,740 --> 00:05:07,611 And I remember going to my mom and saying, 114 00:05:07,698 --> 00:05:10,787 "Ma, uh, can I curse?" 115 00:05:10,788 --> 00:05:13,790 And so she said, um, "I don't give a fuck what you do 116 00:05:13,791 --> 00:05:17,142 or what the fuck you say. Just win that $50." 117 00:05:19,144 --> 00:05:21,059 And I remember starting it off, 118 00:05:21,190 --> 00:05:23,714 ♪ Youse a sucker, motherfucker ♪ 119 00:05:23,801 --> 00:05:26,195 And when I said that, the crowd was like, "What?!" 120 00:05:26,326 --> 00:05:28,022 And my mother was hyped. 121 00:05:28,023 --> 00:05:31,069 She was like, "Yeah, motherfucker. Yeah!" 122 00:05:31,156 --> 00:05:34,072 And... And, um, I won that $50, 123 00:05:34,159 --> 00:05:37,161 and I became, like, notorious. 124 00:05:37,162 --> 00:05:39,294 But it got to a point where 125 00:05:39,295 --> 00:05:42,733 they wouldn't allow me to battle anymore because I was a girl. 126 00:05:42,820 --> 00:05:45,562 They would say, "The little girl with the braces, 127 00:05:45,649 --> 00:05:47,564 if she's at the door, don't let her in." 128 00:05:49,174 --> 00:05:50,480 Roxanne Shanté 129 00:05:50,611 --> 00:05:52,221 from Queens bridge projects, 130 00:05:52,308 --> 00:05:54,702 one of the first solo MCs to really get large, 131 00:05:54,832 --> 00:05:57,444 you know what I'm saying? You remember back in the days 132 00:05:57,531 --> 00:05:59,270 when you did your answer to "Roxanne"? 133 00:05:59,271 --> 00:06:00,837 Of course I remember back in the days. 134 00:06:00,838 --> 00:06:03,711 I was about 13 years old and had a hell of a mouth then, 135 00:06:03,841 --> 00:06:05,887 and I got a hell of a mouth now. 136 00:06:05,974 --> 00:06:09,717 Okay, so at some point, you really leaned into hip hop. 137 00:06:09,804 --> 00:06:11,545 -Yes. -How? Why? 138 00:06:11,632 --> 00:06:14,504 Okay, so one night, we in the projects, 139 00:06:14,591 --> 00:06:17,464 walking down the laundry, I look up, 140 00:06:17,551 --> 00:06:19,596 Marley Marl is calling me out the window. 141 00:06:19,683 --> 00:06:22,730 "Shanté, Shanté! Yo, come to my house. 142 00:06:22,817 --> 00:06:25,167 I need you to do a little freestyle for me." 143 00:06:25,297 --> 00:06:26,868 He's like, "Yo, this the beat I'm gon' put on." 144 00:06:29,824 --> 00:06:31,569 -I said, what is that? -And he was like, "Yeah," 145 00:06:31,652 --> 00:06:33,567 you heard that "Roxanne Roxanne" thing? 146 00:06:33,654 --> 00:06:35,698 I said, "Yeah." I'm just standing here. 147 00:06:35,699 --> 00:06:37,179 He said, "Put the headphones on." 148 00:06:37,309 --> 00:06:39,137 And when I put them on, I just came up with, 149 00:06:39,268 --> 00:06:41,836 ♪ Well, my name is Roxanne, and don't you know, I just... ♪ 150 00:06:41,966 --> 00:06:43,706 ♪ A-cold rock a party, and I do this show ♪ 151 00:06:43,707 --> 00:06:45,191 -Yeah. -So, I'm just telling the story 152 00:06:45,274 --> 00:06:46,101 in my mind... -Right. 153 00:06:46,231 --> 00:06:47,842 ...and just doing a freestyle. 154 00:06:47,929 --> 00:06:50,801 And I went home and just went on about my day. 155 00:06:50,888 --> 00:06:53,195 ♪ Why'd you have to make a record 'bout me? ♪ 156 00:06:53,325 --> 00:06:57,982 That night, the phone rang, like, 2:00 in the morning. 157 00:06:58,069 --> 00:06:59,858 And when I pick it up, they're like, "Yo, you on the radio!" 158 00:06:59,941 --> 00:07:01,508 "You on the radio!" Hung up. 159 00:07:01,595 --> 00:07:04,685 And I slide down the wall, and I say to myself, 160 00:07:04,772 --> 00:07:08,296 "Like, damn. I wonder what I sound like on the radio." 161 00:07:08,297 --> 00:07:09,559 You didn't have a radio. 162 00:07:09,646 --> 00:07:11,169 -Mnh-mnh. -Wow. 163 00:07:11,300 --> 00:07:13,520 But then I'm thinking, no matter what the situation, 164 00:07:13,607 --> 00:07:16,174 no matter what was going on, that's me. 165 00:07:16,305 --> 00:07:18,176 I'm the best in the world. 166 00:07:18,263 --> 00:07:20,396 -Not male, not female. -Period. 167 00:07:20,527 --> 00:07:23,573 This rap shit... the best in the world. 168 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:31,074 Support us and become VIP member to remove all ads from www.OpenSubtitles.org 169 00:07:34,671 --> 00:07:38,109 Okay, so here you are, a little kid. 170 00:07:38,196 --> 00:07:39,894 -Yes. -And you're in this world. 171 00:07:39,981 --> 00:07:42,636 -What's that like? -At first it was a lot of fun. 172 00:07:42,723 --> 00:07:44,246 But then I'm thinking, to be the best, 173 00:07:44,376 --> 00:07:45,686 you gotta beat the best. -Right, right. 174 00:07:45,769 --> 00:07:47,249 And as long as you beat the best, 175 00:07:47,336 --> 00:07:49,033 that's all it takes. -Right. 176 00:07:49,164 --> 00:07:52,559 This is nothing but a sport, whether you know it or not. 177 00:07:52,646 --> 00:07:54,865 So we're at the New Music Seminar. 178 00:07:54,952 --> 00:07:57,477 I'm going there to prove that I'm the best in the world. 179 00:07:57,564 --> 00:07:59,696 -In the world, period. -In the world. 180 00:07:59,783 --> 00:08:02,264 Put your hands together. Welcome my favorite and yours, 181 00:08:02,394 --> 00:08:04,701 "Queen of Rox," Fly Girl, Roxanne Shanté. 182 00:08:06,616 --> 00:08:09,576 They had other MCs from throughout the United States. 183 00:08:09,663 --> 00:08:12,361 They were like brackets. But when I looked up, 184 00:08:12,448 --> 00:08:16,234 it was my name on one whole row 185 00:08:16,321 --> 00:08:18,715 and all the other MCs in another row. 186 00:08:18,802 --> 00:08:20,891 I said, "So, none of them battle each other?" 187 00:08:20,978 --> 00:08:23,633 And they were like, "No." 'Cause the whole thing was, 188 00:08:23,764 --> 00:08:26,854 "One of us has to eliminate her." 189 00:08:26,984 --> 00:08:28,508 Are you kidding me? 190 00:08:28,595 --> 00:08:29,509 No. 191 00:08:29,596 --> 00:08:31,771 Good luck, ladies and gentlemen. 192 00:08:31,772 --> 00:08:35,079 Can I get a beat? 193 00:08:35,166 --> 00:08:36,911 ♪ Well, let's get it straight, put it on the line ♪ 194 00:08:36,994 --> 00:08:38,478 ♪ I had to give this sucker motherfucker ♪ 195 00:08:38,561 --> 00:08:40,389 ♪ A piece of my mind ♪ 196 00:08:40,476 --> 00:08:42,739 ♪ You see, he can't hang with me, and that is a fact, 197 00:08:42,826 --> 00:08:44,872 ♪ I told you before that he's too damn Black ♪ 198 00:08:46,526 --> 00:08:48,571 So, now I'm rhyming all day. 199 00:08:48,658 --> 00:08:51,487 Boom, he gone. Boom, he gone. Boom, he gone. 200 00:08:51,574 --> 00:08:54,272 Shanté moves on to the finals. 201 00:08:54,403 --> 00:08:56,753 So, now we get down to the last two. 202 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,756 Judges, hold your cards up. 203 00:08:59,843 --> 00:09:01,541 So, everybody's turning their cards around. 204 00:09:01,628 --> 00:09:03,281 -10. -We got a 10. 205 00:09:03,368 --> 00:09:05,283 9.9. So they was like, 206 00:09:05,370 --> 00:09:07,115 "Yo, she couldn't lose unless she got, like, a 4." 207 00:09:07,198 --> 00:09:09,117 They was like, "Yeah, so that's it. She the winner." 208 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,333 We down to the last one. 209 00:09:11,420 --> 00:09:13,422 He turned his card around. Boom. 210 00:09:13,553 --> 00:09:14,989 Gave me a 4. 211 00:09:17,469 --> 00:09:21,299 We got a 4. 212 00:09:21,386 --> 00:09:23,301 I walked out of there 213 00:09:23,388 --> 00:09:25,825 not loving hip hop anymore. 214 00:09:28,089 --> 00:09:32,136 I cried for a second, then I wanted to fight. 215 00:09:32,223 --> 00:09:34,748 -Why do you think they did that? -Well, later on, 216 00:09:34,878 --> 00:09:38,229 we go to an event, and we see Kurtis Blow. 217 00:09:38,316 --> 00:09:40,884 He was one of the judges. 218 00:09:40,971 --> 00:09:44,453 He said, "That day, we had record companies." 219 00:09:44,540 --> 00:09:48,326 We had publishing companies. We had real managers there. 220 00:09:48,457 --> 00:09:50,459 And we couldn't let the best in the world 221 00:09:50,546 --> 00:09:52,287 be a young Black girl. 222 00:09:52,374 --> 00:09:53,510 They would not have respected hip hop. 223 00:09:53,593 --> 00:09:55,290 "They would not have accepted us." 224 00:09:55,377 --> 00:09:58,727 He said, "You won that day. You were the best." 225 00:09:58,728 --> 00:10:00,556 He said, "But I couldn't let you be the best 226 00:10:00,643 --> 00:10:02,471 'cause it wasn't the best for hip hop." 227 00:10:02,602 --> 00:10:05,256 Wow. You know, 228 00:10:05,343 --> 00:10:07,607 that was an emotional, tough moment for a young girl, 229 00:10:07,694 --> 00:10:10,044 but it ended up... 230 00:10:10,131 --> 00:10:12,481 strengthening and... and lifting up women in the future. 231 00:10:12,612 --> 00:10:14,222 Yes. Absolutely. 232 00:10:14,309 --> 00:10:17,573 ♪ Now throw your hands in the air ♪ 233 00:10:17,704 --> 00:10:19,967 ♪ Let me hear you say, "Oh, yeah" ♪ 234 00:10:20,054 --> 00:10:22,578 Oh, yeah! 235 00:10:24,841 --> 00:10:26,499 Sometimes you gotta have somebody 236 00:10:26,582 --> 00:10:27,714 that can start something. 237 00:10:27,801 --> 00:10:29,758 It's like the match, and then, boom. 238 00:10:29,759 --> 00:10:32,544 Roxanne Shanté live on stage. Give it up! 239 00:10:32,632 --> 00:10:34,376 Without me, there wouldn't have been no airplay. 240 00:10:34,459 --> 00:10:35,939 And so they should thank me, 241 00:10:36,070 --> 00:10:37,941 send me royalty checks for Mother's Day. 242 00:10:38,028 --> 00:10:41,465 But Roxanne had the floor kind of laid out a little bit. 243 00:10:42,990 --> 00:10:44,599 ♪ She's the joint ♪ 244 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:46,602 There was Sha-Rock. 245 00:10:46,733 --> 00:10:49,038 -There was Lisa Lee. -♪ Say ho! ♪ 246 00:10:49,039 --> 00:10:52,434 There was Debbie D. There was Pebblee Poo. 247 00:10:52,564 --> 00:10:55,611 These artists 248 00:10:55,698 --> 00:10:58,048 were paving the way for women, 249 00:10:58,135 --> 00:11:00,050 and it was extremely hard for them. 250 00:11:01,312 --> 00:11:02,487 ♪ She's the joint ♪ 251 00:11:02,574 --> 00:11:04,185 - ♪ Ladies - ♪ Yeah ♪ 252 00:11:04,315 --> 00:11:05,752 ♪ 1980, duh-duh-duh ♪ 253 00:11:05,839 --> 00:11:07,927 ♪ Watch out for the fellas ♪ 254 00:11:07,928 --> 00:11:09,669 ♪ Yeah, that'll drive you crazy ♪ 255 00:11:09,756 --> 00:11:11,626 ♪ Duh-duh-duh, a look out ♪ 256 00:11:11,627 --> 00:11:13,281 Hip hop was a boys club. 257 00:11:13,368 --> 00:11:14,848 ♪ Do it, huh-huh ♪ 258 00:11:14,935 --> 00:11:16,632 All the label owners were basically men. 259 00:11:16,719 --> 00:11:18,112 ♪ Get funky ♪ 260 00:11:18,199 --> 00:11:19,504 Most of the A&R people were men. 261 00:11:19,591 --> 00:11:22,116 So, the records were being made 262 00:11:22,203 --> 00:11:25,423 with an eye toward what a man wants. 263 00:11:25,510 --> 00:11:27,255 It was almost felt like they had to be surrounded 264 00:11:27,338 --> 00:11:31,473 by a whole bunch of dudes in order to break through. 265 00:11:31,603 --> 00:11:34,432 You guys don't belong in here. 266 00:11:34,519 --> 00:11:37,392 Hip hop's always been macho, 267 00:11:37,479 --> 00:11:40,089 so women had an uphill battle 268 00:11:40,090 --> 00:11:43,833 in just getting the respect from the community. 269 00:11:43,964 --> 00:11:47,663 We commemorate women in hip hop of that time 270 00:11:47,750 --> 00:11:49,709 because what they did was so important, 271 00:11:49,796 --> 00:11:52,014 but their names aren't as familiar. 272 00:11:52,015 --> 00:11:54,538 ♪ You know, she's the joint 273 00:11:54,539 --> 00:11:56,367 Now we fast forward. 274 00:11:56,454 --> 00:12:01,372 What is the women's movement in hip hop now and today? 275 00:12:01,459 --> 00:12:04,071 Female rappers are the best. 276 00:12:04,158 --> 00:12:05,507 Dominating. 277 00:12:05,594 --> 00:12:07,596 -Running shit. -Took over. 278 00:12:07,727 --> 00:12:10,381 Every queen gets a chance to reign. 279 00:12:10,468 --> 00:12:12,862 So, to see my sisters out there doing they rhymes 280 00:12:12,949 --> 00:12:15,343 and letting 'em know like, look, this is continuing on 281 00:12:15,430 --> 00:12:19,086 to the next generation, is truly an honor for me. 282 00:12:19,216 --> 00:12:20,304 One word. 283 00:12:20,391 --> 00:12:22,219 -Yes. -Legacy. 284 00:12:22,306 --> 00:12:26,441 I gave birth to most of them MCs. That's my legacy. 285 00:12:26,528 --> 00:12:29,444 -That works. -Still pushing 'em out. Mm! 286 00:12:29,531 --> 00:12:31,228 There you go. That's the spirit. 287 00:12:34,057 --> 00:12:34,971 That's the spirit. 288 00:12:35,058 --> 00:12:38,800 I thank the Recording Academy... 289 00:12:38,801 --> 00:12:41,978 for checking everything off my list. 290 00:12:42,065 --> 00:12:43,284 Thank you. 291 00:12:47,505 --> 00:12:50,421 Roxanne Shanté helped crack the door open 292 00:12:50,508 --> 00:12:53,207 for women in hip hop. 293 00:12:53,294 --> 00:12:55,252 Now I'm headed to meet a woman from Brooklyn 294 00:12:55,339 --> 00:12:58,342 who kicked the door off the hinges... 295 00:12:58,429 --> 00:13:00,083 Cheryl James, 296 00:13:00,214 --> 00:13:01,650 or as you may know her better, 297 00:13:01,737 --> 00:13:05,044 "Salt" from Salt-N-Pepa. 298 00:13:05,045 --> 00:13:07,263 Our first guests have virtually revolutionized 299 00:13:07,264 --> 00:13:09,875 the rap field as the first female crew 300 00:13:09,876 --> 00:13:11,312 to become major stars. 301 00:13:13,488 --> 00:13:15,664 ♪ I am down ♪ 302 00:13:15,751 --> 00:13:17,752 Born in Brooklyn, NYC, 303 00:13:17,753 --> 00:13:19,799 Salt dug in on her musical aspirations 304 00:13:19,929 --> 00:13:22,192 while in community college by teaming up 305 00:13:22,323 --> 00:13:25,891 with Pepa and Spinderella to form a trio unlike anything 306 00:13:25,892 --> 00:13:28,284 the hip hop community has seen before. 307 00:13:28,285 --> 00:13:30,940 ♪ ...Pepa, everybody's in the house ♪ 308 00:13:32,681 --> 00:13:34,074 They call 'em 309 00:13:34,161 --> 00:13:37,033 the First Ladies of Rap for a reason. 310 00:13:37,164 --> 00:13:38,905 Salt-N-Pepa were the first all-female group 311 00:13:38,992 --> 00:13:42,647 to go gold and platinum... -Thank you. 312 00:13:42,734 --> 00:13:45,172 ...and the first female rap group to win a Grammy... 313 00:13:45,302 --> 00:13:47,304 To our fans, we love you. We love you. 314 00:13:47,391 --> 00:13:50,960 ...selling more than 15 million albums worldwide in the process. 315 00:13:51,047 --> 00:13:53,135 We're happy to be a hit over here in Europe again. 316 00:13:53,136 --> 00:13:55,008 Roxanne Shanté 317 00:13:55,138 --> 00:13:56,923 and the other early female pioneers 318 00:13:57,010 --> 00:13:58,272 laid the groundwork. 319 00:13:58,402 --> 00:13:59,795 Hi! What's up? 320 00:13:59,926 --> 00:14:01,884 Then Salt-N-Pepa used that ground 321 00:14:01,971 --> 00:14:04,713 to launch hip hop into the stratosphere. 322 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:06,235 Rap is a male-dominated field, 323 00:14:06,236 --> 00:14:08,064 but we're just like one of the fellas now. 324 00:14:09,544 --> 00:14:12,763 What was the first exposure you had to hip hop? 325 00:14:12,764 --> 00:14:15,289 -The first thing I remember... -Okay. 326 00:14:15,376 --> 00:14:17,334 ...I lived in Bushwick, Brooklyn, 327 00:14:17,421 --> 00:14:19,297 and we started hearing music coming from the park. 328 00:14:19,380 --> 00:14:22,644 Obviously, we were like, eyes wide open. 329 00:14:22,731 --> 00:14:25,212 Like, what's that? 330 00:14:25,342 --> 00:14:27,867 At night, I would sneak out. 331 00:14:27,954 --> 00:14:32,523 I just remember being enamored by what I was experiencing. 332 00:14:32,610 --> 00:14:35,352 And that's what made me really start thinking about, like, 333 00:14:35,439 --> 00:14:37,572 wanting to be an artist. 334 00:14:37,659 --> 00:14:39,443 Then I met Hurby. 335 00:14:39,574 --> 00:14:42,664 -This is Salt. This is Pepa. -That's Debbie D right here. 336 00:14:42,794 --> 00:14:46,015 We were dating, and he was also a producer. 337 00:14:46,102 --> 00:14:47,407 Mm-hmm. 338 00:14:47,408 --> 00:14:49,453 And he was putting together a girl group, 339 00:14:49,540 --> 00:14:51,150 and the first time I got on the mic, 340 00:14:51,151 --> 00:14:53,414 I just knew it was my destiny. 341 00:14:53,544 --> 00:14:56,678 ♪ I do, Salt-N-Pepa's in the house ♪ 342 00:14:56,765 --> 00:14:59,115 ♪ Turning it out, turning it out, oh... ♪ 343 00:14:59,202 --> 00:15:01,204 -As a young woman, right? -Mm-hmm. 344 00:15:01,291 --> 00:15:03,640 Like, as you kinda moved into the business, 345 00:15:03,641 --> 00:15:05,992 explain to me what it felt like for you. 346 00:15:06,122 --> 00:15:08,036 Like, really. 347 00:15:08,037 --> 00:15:10,344 I haven't been doing this in a while. 348 00:15:10,431 --> 00:15:14,303 It felt scary. It felt exciting. 349 00:15:14,304 --> 00:15:17,873 It felt like, man, can we really live up to, like, 350 00:15:18,004 --> 00:15:19,701 this thing that we're building 351 00:15:19,831 --> 00:15:21,442 that's taking off so fast for us? 352 00:15:21,529 --> 00:15:25,228 Got it going on. Yeah. 353 00:15:25,315 --> 00:15:27,578 It was just like, get these records done, 354 00:15:27,665 --> 00:15:28,928 put this show together, 355 00:15:29,015 --> 00:15:31,451 rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. 356 00:15:31,452 --> 00:15:34,803 But even if I was scared, I had to be brave. 357 00:15:34,890 --> 00:15:36,587 And there was a lot of times 358 00:15:36,674 --> 00:15:39,067 we was literally shaking in our boots, you know? 359 00:15:39,068 --> 00:15:42,245 So, where did that come from, that aggressive spirit 360 00:15:42,332 --> 00:15:45,945 to get out there and go at this hip hop thing? 361 00:15:46,075 --> 00:15:49,513 ♪ Hey, yeah, I wanna shoop, baby, shoop ♪ 362 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:51,951 We run up against a lot of criticism. 363 00:15:52,038 --> 00:15:53,822 The people have a lot of opinions 364 00:15:53,909 --> 00:15:56,259 about what we should do. We always do what we wanna do. 365 00:15:56,346 --> 00:15:59,436 On the road, you know, with sound checks and stuff, 366 00:15:59,523 --> 00:16:01,872 you know, girls not supposed to know about that technical stuff. 367 00:16:01,873 --> 00:16:03,265 So, of course, they're not gonna listen to you 368 00:16:03,266 --> 00:16:05,747 when you're going, "Give me some more bass!" 369 00:16:05,834 --> 00:16:07,269 It's about time, you know, 370 00:16:07,270 --> 00:16:09,359 the girls get a chance to flip this script. 371 00:16:09,446 --> 00:16:11,753 ♪ Packed and you're stacked, 'specially in the back ♪ 372 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,190 ♪ Brother, wanna thank your mother for a butt like that ♪ 373 00:16:14,321 --> 00:16:17,977 We saw Roxanne Shanté do it, so we knew it could be done. 374 00:16:18,064 --> 00:16:20,718 But we always knew that we were different. 375 00:16:20,849 --> 00:16:22,894 We always say we brought fun, fashion, 376 00:16:22,982 --> 00:16:24,853 and femininity to hip hop. 377 00:16:24,940 --> 00:16:27,551 We wasn't afraid to be sexy and dress a certain way 378 00:16:27,682 --> 00:16:28,992 and, like, really embrace our femininity. 379 00:16:29,075 --> 00:16:30,511 Right. 380 00:16:30,598 --> 00:16:31,947 Step off, honey. 381 00:16:32,078 --> 00:16:35,298 And also embrace our commercial success. 382 00:16:35,429 --> 00:16:39,606 ♪ Shoop ♪ 383 00:16:39,607 --> 00:16:40,956 We've been on the road like crazy. 384 00:16:41,043 --> 00:16:42,478 We've been busy, busy, busy. 385 00:16:42,479 --> 00:16:45,482 ♪ Ah, push it 386 00:16:45,569 --> 00:16:47,876 In '88, you had three hits in a row. 387 00:16:47,963 --> 00:16:49,878 Now again, three hits in a row. 388 00:16:49,965 --> 00:16:51,835 This is like a special Salt-N-Pepa recipe. 389 00:16:53,925 --> 00:16:56,145 Give it up, America, for Salt-N-Pepa. 390 00:16:58,104 --> 00:17:00,889 What you do know and what everybody does know... 391 00:17:00,976 --> 00:17:03,674 as impactful as any female superstar is right now, 392 00:17:03,761 --> 00:17:07,330 Salt-N-Pepa were at the same huge, high level. 393 00:17:07,417 --> 00:17:09,941 -Salt-N-Pepa were the first. -Mm-hmm. 394 00:17:10,072 --> 00:17:12,031 What did that feel like? 395 00:17:12,161 --> 00:17:15,338 The train ride... it just took off and kept going. 396 00:17:15,469 --> 00:17:16,947 ♪ Push it real good ♪ 397 00:17:16,948 --> 00:17:19,386 There was no turning back. 398 00:17:19,516 --> 00:17:22,128 -"None of Your Business," Salt... -Salt-N-Pepa. 399 00:17:22,215 --> 00:17:25,261 We love you! We love you! 400 00:17:25,348 --> 00:17:26,875 When I was young, I didn't know what 401 00:17:26,958 --> 00:17:28,959 I wanted to do with my life. Next thing, 402 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,963 I'm all over the globe picking up plaques. 403 00:17:32,051 --> 00:17:34,444 -What y'all doing in Russia? -I don't know. 404 00:17:34,531 --> 00:17:37,230 I would look in the mirror sometimes and be like, 405 00:17:37,317 --> 00:17:41,320 what the heck? Like, they know me in Japan. 406 00:17:41,321 --> 00:17:43,583 They don't even speak English, and they rapping 407 00:17:43,584 --> 00:17:46,239 your songs word for word. 408 00:17:46,326 --> 00:17:48,370 And I'm Cheryl from Brooklyn, you know? 409 00:17:48,371 --> 00:17:49,894 -Yeah. -I was like, 410 00:17:49,981 --> 00:17:51,200 how did that happen to you? 411 00:17:51,331 --> 00:17:53,811 You're like the salt and pepper on your table. 412 00:17:53,898 --> 00:17:55,682 Hands up! 413 00:17:59,252 --> 00:18:00,600 Salt-N-Pepa were the first female artists 414 00:18:00,601 --> 00:18:04,518 that really achieved mainstream success... 415 00:18:04,605 --> 00:18:09,043 success that the earlier pioneers couldn't achieve. 416 00:18:09,044 --> 00:18:12,221 Because back then, there was a ceiling. 417 00:18:12,308 --> 00:18:15,615 There was definitely a cap on the expressive nature 418 00:18:15,616 --> 00:18:18,923 of what a woman could say in the '80s into the '90s, 419 00:18:19,010 --> 00:18:21,274 Salt-N-Pepa really articulates 420 00:18:21,404 --> 00:18:24,058 not records that are made to appeal to men, 421 00:18:24,059 --> 00:18:25,842 but records that reflect female artists. 422 00:18:25,843 --> 00:18:28,280 ♪ Spinderella, cut it up one time ♪ 423 00:18:28,281 --> 00:18:29,847 We just dress the way we wanna dress, 424 00:18:29,934 --> 00:18:31,936 say what we wanna say. 425 00:18:32,023 --> 00:18:33,551 Salt-N-Pepa changed the game. 426 00:18:33,634 --> 00:18:36,376 They were very, very big on women empowerment, 427 00:18:36,463 --> 00:18:38,291 independence for women. 428 00:18:38,378 --> 00:18:41,076 ♪ Come on, let's talk about sex, baby ♪ 429 00:18:41,207 --> 00:18:43,339 ♪ Let's talk about you and me ♪ 430 00:18:43,470 --> 00:18:45,345 After that, that's when things started to change. 431 00:18:45,428 --> 00:18:49,693 Female rappers do not have to be overly masculine in your lyrics. 432 00:18:49,780 --> 00:18:53,262 You could talk about stilettos, pumps in the clubs. 433 00:18:53,393 --> 00:18:55,525 - ♪ About sex - OSORIO: Over the last 434 00:18:55,612 --> 00:18:58,049 30-something years, we have this influx 435 00:18:58,180 --> 00:19:00,051 of female artists 436 00:19:00,139 --> 00:19:03,359 just coming in and dominating. 437 00:19:03,446 --> 00:19:05,753 Move over, men. The females are rapping back. 438 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:10,060 Is that it or keep going? 439 00:19:10,061 --> 00:19:11,975 Okay, so one last word is tell me 440 00:19:11,976 --> 00:19:15,284 what it means to you... legacy. 441 00:19:15,415 --> 00:19:18,157 I want my legacy to be someone 442 00:19:18,287 --> 00:19:21,725 who inspired female rappers to dream big 443 00:19:21,812 --> 00:19:24,032 and go for it. 444 00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:25,559 As you see these new female artists 445 00:19:25,642 --> 00:19:28,254 out there rocking, what are you feeling? 446 00:19:28,341 --> 00:19:33,172 -What are you connecting with? -Young women now are bossing up. 447 00:19:33,302 --> 00:19:35,870 -They just seem unapologetic. -And you like that? 448 00:19:35,957 --> 00:19:39,047 -I relate to it. Yeah. -All right, Salt. 449 00:19:39,134 --> 00:19:41,266 -Thank you. -Rap's first female superstar. 450 00:19:41,267 --> 00:19:42,703 -Yeah. -Appreciate you, baby. 451 00:19:42,833 --> 00:19:44,400 -Thank you. -No doubt. 452 00:19:44,487 --> 00:19:47,141 They used to be like, "Oh, yeah, Salt-N-Pepa. 453 00:19:47,142 --> 00:19:49,366 Cute little girl rap group. They'll come and they'll go." 454 00:19:49,449 --> 00:19:52,495 But we just set out to prove different. 455 00:19:52,582 --> 00:19:55,237 What's up, everybody? My name is Lady London. 456 00:19:55,324 --> 00:19:57,892 I am a rapper, songwriter, author, poet, 457 00:19:57,979 --> 00:20:03,027 taste maker, curator, and the Aristotle of bravado, 458 00:20:03,114 --> 00:20:06,640 easily one of the best rappers of the 21st century. 459 00:20:09,469 --> 00:20:11,384 Being a hip hop superstar looks 460 00:20:11,514 --> 00:20:14,909 very different today than it did in the early years. 461 00:20:14,996 --> 00:20:17,955 I'm headed to speak to someone who embodies that evolution... 462 00:20:18,086 --> 00:20:20,088 a student of the art form who honors 463 00:20:20,175 --> 00:20:22,221 those who came before, and at the same time 464 00:20:22,308 --> 00:20:25,093 is unapologetic about getting what's hers. 465 00:20:25,180 --> 00:20:28,531 She goes by the name Lady London. 466 00:20:28,618 --> 00:20:31,317 -Lady London. -What up, I? 467 00:20:31,404 --> 00:20:33,143 What up? I'm outside. Come on. Let's roll. 468 00:20:33,144 --> 00:20:35,016 What up? What up? 469 00:20:35,146 --> 00:20:36,195 Here, let me give you a hand. Let me give you a hand. 470 00:20:36,278 --> 00:20:38,062 -Come on in. -Thank you. Thank you. 471 00:20:39,542 --> 00:20:41,718 Born in the Bronx and raised 472 00:20:41,805 --> 00:20:44,199 in her grandmother's house across the Hudson in New Jersey, 473 00:20:44,286 --> 00:20:47,463 Lady London's artistic roots were deep from the start, 474 00:20:47,550 --> 00:20:50,118 with her uncle, producer/rapper Chino XL, 475 00:20:50,205 --> 00:20:53,034 filling the house with his legendary hip hop peers 476 00:20:53,164 --> 00:20:56,255 such as my man 2Pac and Naughty by Nature. 477 00:20:56,385 --> 00:20:58,822 Nigga, are you dumb? Are you stupid? 478 00:20:58,909 --> 00:21:02,086 Do you know what type of bitch I am? Yeah. This Lady, baby. 479 00:21:02,173 --> 00:21:05,394 That's Boss Lady for those who don't know. Ha ha. 480 00:21:05,481 --> 00:21:07,440 While working towards a career as a surgeon, 481 00:21:07,570 --> 00:21:10,921 she exploded on the scene by posting videos of herself 482 00:21:11,008 --> 00:21:12,836 doing spoken word in the car. 483 00:21:12,967 --> 00:21:14,712 And I'm never insecure 'cause I'm labeled a boss. 484 00:21:14,795 --> 00:21:16,579 I take my lessons to the jaw 485 00:21:16,666 --> 00:21:18,106 'cause they was never a loss, you heard? 486 00:21:18,189 --> 00:21:19,495 But Lady London proved 487 00:21:19,582 --> 00:21:21,758 to be more than a viral sensation. 488 00:21:21,845 --> 00:21:25,284 She displayed the talent to last and a message worth hearing. 489 00:21:25,371 --> 00:21:27,459 And now she's on her way 490 00:21:27,460 --> 00:21:29,330 to becoming hip hop's next female superstar. 491 00:21:34,380 --> 00:21:36,598 So, when does hip hop come into the picture? 492 00:21:36,599 --> 00:21:38,383 What... What did you hear? 493 00:21:38,384 --> 00:21:40,516 How were you exposed to hip hop culture? 494 00:21:40,603 --> 00:21:42,910 Three years old, I was rapping "Crush on You." 495 00:21:44,607 --> 00:21:46,696 -Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Biggie. -Yeah. 496 00:21:46,783 --> 00:21:49,046 -Absolutely. Kim's verse. -Yeah, Lil' Kim. Oh, really? 497 00:21:49,133 --> 00:21:50,874 Kim's verse. Yeah. 498 00:21:51,005 --> 00:21:52,965 ♪ Lil' Kim, the Queen Bee, so you best take heed ♪ 499 00:21:53,050 --> 00:21:55,835 -♪ Shall I proceed? -♪ Yes, indeed ♪ 500 00:21:55,836 --> 00:21:58,491 What did hearing Lil' Kim as a child mean to you? 501 00:21:58,578 --> 00:22:01,014 Everything. Like, hearing a girl 502 00:22:01,015 --> 00:22:02,669 do it on that level was really dope. 503 00:22:02,799 --> 00:22:04,887 ♪ I'm not the one you sleep with, to eat quick ♪ 504 00:22:04,888 --> 00:22:07,238 ♪ Want a cheap trick? Better go down to Freaknik ♪ 505 00:22:07,369 --> 00:22:09,153 -Yeah. -So, she really inspired you? 506 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:10,329 -Yeah. -And made you feel 507 00:22:10,416 --> 00:22:12,243 empowered as a woman? -Absolutely. 508 00:22:14,115 --> 00:22:17,858 When did you go from music fan, you know, 509 00:22:17,945 --> 00:22:20,774 to, like, all of a sudden, "Now I actually wanna create"? 510 00:22:22,645 --> 00:22:25,082 Probably around 11 years old, I started writing. 511 00:22:25,213 --> 00:22:27,737 I was doing poetry online in 2018, 512 00:22:27,868 --> 00:22:29,700 but I was talking slick, and it kind of sounded like 513 00:22:29,783 --> 00:22:31,397 it could be a rap if you put a beat behind it. 514 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:33,352 He gave me what I wanted the most, 515 00:22:33,439 --> 00:22:35,183 and I don't believe in love, but you cutting it close. 516 00:22:35,266 --> 00:22:36,881 I'm holding up some shoes like the silver or gold. 517 00:22:36,964 --> 00:22:38,143 He said, "I never make you choose. 518 00:22:38,226 --> 00:22:39,836 I'm-a get you them both." 519 00:22:39,923 --> 00:22:43,318 I posted it. It went 8.7 million views. 520 00:22:43,405 --> 00:22:45,842 -Oh, wow. -It went crazy. 521 00:22:45,929 --> 00:22:48,149 Labels was calling me next week. "We wanna sign you." 522 00:22:48,279 --> 00:22:49,498 I'm like, "I don't do music." 523 00:22:49,585 --> 00:22:51,718 They're like, "No, this freestyle is crazy." 524 00:22:51,805 --> 00:22:53,763 I'm like, freestyle? To me, it's just poetry. 525 00:22:53,850 --> 00:22:54,986 That's... That's really wild. 526 00:22:56,636 --> 00:22:58,159 Ha ha! 527 00:22:58,289 --> 00:23:01,249 They did sign me. So I said, okay. 528 00:23:01,336 --> 00:23:03,077 My goal was to just be the best. 529 00:23:03,164 --> 00:23:04,861 I didn't care about being the best woman. 530 00:23:04,948 --> 00:23:07,255 I wanted to be the best. Like, men need to come in here 531 00:23:07,342 --> 00:23:08,690 and be like, "I don't wanna go toe to toe with her." 532 00:23:08,691 --> 00:23:10,476 -We don't want no problem. -"I don't want 533 00:23:10,563 --> 00:23:12,003 no problems with her. She talk too crazy for me. 534 00:23:12,086 --> 00:23:14,522 -I don't want that." -That was the spirit. 535 00:23:14,523 --> 00:23:16,003 -That was the energy. -Yeah. Yeah. 536 00:23:16,090 --> 00:23:18,832 Do you do things outside of music? 537 00:23:18,919 --> 00:23:21,007 So, education, first and foremost. 538 00:23:23,314 --> 00:23:24,925 I have three degrees. 539 00:23:25,055 --> 00:23:28,145 My BS are in sports medicine and chemistry, double major. 540 00:23:28,232 --> 00:23:31,147 Then I went on to USC and got my master's in global medicine 541 00:23:31,148 --> 00:23:33,411 and international health policy. 542 00:23:33,412 --> 00:23:35,109 I'm a business. I'm bigger than an artist. 543 00:23:35,196 --> 00:23:37,067 I'm a brand. I'm a business, so... 544 00:23:37,154 --> 00:23:39,030 Can I say something about that? Being an artist is big. 545 00:23:39,113 --> 00:23:40,940 -It's huge. -Mm-hmm. 546 00:23:40,941 --> 00:23:44,901 The only reason I say that is because I want artists 547 00:23:44,988 --> 00:23:46,468 to be proud to be artists. 548 00:23:46,555 --> 00:23:48,383 -Absolutely. -That being said, 549 00:23:48,470 --> 00:23:49,992 I also don't think they should limit themselves. 550 00:23:49,993 --> 00:23:51,517 -Right. -I agree with that. 551 00:23:51,604 --> 00:23:53,214 Right, which is why semantics is there. 552 00:23:53,344 --> 00:23:55,128 I said I'm more than an artist, not bigger than an artist. 553 00:23:55,129 --> 00:23:56,609 -Okay. -I'm more than, 554 00:23:56,696 --> 00:23:58,310 meaning I'm multifaceted. More than a woman. 555 00:23:58,393 --> 00:23:59,572 -Always late. -♪ More than a woman ♪ 556 00:23:59,655 --> 00:24:04,921 Right? Exactly. 557 00:24:10,927 --> 00:24:13,147 Here. I'll give you a little assistance. 558 00:24:13,234 --> 00:24:14,975 -I appreciate it. -All right. 559 00:24:15,062 --> 00:24:16,850 You know what I mean? It's the least I could do. 560 00:24:16,933 --> 00:24:18,504 -Yeah, I appreciate that. -You know what I'm sayin'? 561 00:24:18,587 --> 00:24:21,634 -Chivalry ain't dead, huh? -Ah, shit's on life support. 562 00:24:21,721 --> 00:24:23,026 Barely breathin'. 563 00:24:26,813 --> 00:24:29,076 -So, you was born where? -The Bronx. 564 00:24:29,163 --> 00:24:33,428 -Boogie Down. -Yeah, hip hop. 565 00:24:33,515 --> 00:24:35,778 My grandma came to this country from Jamaica, 566 00:24:35,865 --> 00:24:37,523 had a small apartment, her and my grandfather 567 00:24:37,606 --> 00:24:40,174 on Tremont Avenue. -Tremont Avenue. 568 00:24:40,261 --> 00:24:41,701 And she bought a house in East Orange, New Jersey. 569 00:24:41,784 --> 00:24:43,219 Uh-huh. 570 00:24:43,220 --> 00:24:48,268 And that's where I spent majority of my life, childhood. 571 00:24:48,269 --> 00:24:50,184 -East Orange? -Yeah. 572 00:24:50,271 --> 00:24:51,446 And what does it feel like, 573 00:24:51,577 --> 00:24:53,840 like, now that you look back on it? 574 00:24:57,017 --> 00:24:59,236 My grandma's house was like the Mecca. 575 00:24:59,323 --> 00:25:01,108 I just remember hip hop just being around 576 00:25:01,238 --> 00:25:02,849 and exposed to at real young. 577 00:25:02,936 --> 00:25:06,373 Clark Kent, Clue, Pac, Naughty by Nature. 578 00:25:06,374 --> 00:25:07,984 Knew everybody when I was a kid. 579 00:25:08,071 --> 00:25:10,900 And it was your destiny then. 580 00:25:10,987 --> 00:25:13,511 -Yeah. -You feel or you know? 581 00:25:13,512 --> 00:25:15,557 I know, 'cause I tried to run from it. 582 00:25:15,644 --> 00:25:18,386 There's been so many times I tried to, like, 583 00:25:18,473 --> 00:25:20,997 I don't wanna do this no more. I can't do this no more. 584 00:25:21,084 --> 00:25:22,346 But you can't quit. 585 00:25:22,433 --> 00:25:24,827 Spend so many days, 586 00:25:24,914 --> 00:25:26,746 especially early on in my career, where I was like, 587 00:25:26,829 --> 00:25:28,527 I don't really wanna see tomorrow. 588 00:25:28,657 --> 00:25:30,790 But I'm saying this to anybody who has 589 00:25:30,877 --> 00:25:33,619 to be full of strength all the time. 590 00:25:33,706 --> 00:25:38,319 You are necessary, and fight the good fight. 591 00:25:38,449 --> 00:25:42,497 The music industry is difficult. I don't think a lot of people 592 00:25:42,584 --> 00:25:44,891 even talk about how hard it really is. 593 00:25:44,978 --> 00:25:46,806 It's a dark industry. You gotta know yourself. 594 00:25:46,936 --> 00:25:48,551 So, let's talk about that. You a young lady... 595 00:25:48,634 --> 00:25:49,591 -Yeah. -...in the... in the music game. 596 00:25:49,678 --> 00:25:51,071 Uh-huh. 597 00:25:51,158 --> 00:25:52,941 What's hard about it? Tell me about that. 598 00:25:52,942 --> 00:25:55,249 When I was first starting off, producers would try to, 599 00:25:55,336 --> 00:25:59,122 like, talk to me, like... intimately in a session, 600 00:25:59,253 --> 00:26:00,733 and I'd be, like, so uncomfortable. 601 00:26:00,863 --> 00:26:02,390 But I knew I had to, like, get the work done. 602 00:26:02,473 --> 00:26:04,344 So, I started, like, wearing oversized clothes 603 00:26:04,345 --> 00:26:06,826 and kind of dumbing down my image. 604 00:26:06,913 --> 00:26:09,001 It was a little bit defeating and discouraging 605 00:26:09,002 --> 00:26:11,570 because I was so, like, naive and a little bit young going in. 606 00:26:11,700 --> 00:26:13,833 But instead of being so scary, one day, 607 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:16,574 I was like, we can set some ground rules here. 608 00:26:16,575 --> 00:26:18,140 And if it's not a working relationship, then it's not 609 00:26:18,141 --> 00:26:20,316 a working relationship. -Yeah. 610 00:26:20,317 --> 00:26:22,276 Once word got around, everybody was like, 611 00:26:22,363 --> 00:26:23,930 "Okay, she don't play that." 612 00:26:24,017 --> 00:26:26,933 I agree with that, because, you know, you either 613 00:26:27,063 --> 00:26:28,674 change the environment 614 00:26:28,761 --> 00:26:30,632 or change how you feel about the environment. 615 00:26:30,719 --> 00:26:32,155 Mm-hmm. I don't tolerate anything. 616 00:26:32,242 --> 00:26:34,767 I know I got that schoolgirl vibe, this cute girl smile, 617 00:26:34,854 --> 00:26:37,073 these dimples and good credentials 618 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:38,557 keep my 10 toes down, but I come from a dark place. 619 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:40,381 I'm really dangerous now. 620 00:26:40,468 --> 00:26:42,338 So, okay, one word. 621 00:26:42,339 --> 00:26:44,428 -Legacy. -Legacy. 622 00:26:44,515 --> 00:26:46,866 What does legacy mean to you? 623 00:26:46,996 --> 00:26:49,477 Like, what do you... what do you want your legacy to be? 624 00:26:49,564 --> 00:26:52,785 Legacy to me is transcending a generation. 625 00:26:52,872 --> 00:26:54,743 -Mm-hmm. -Being able to impact 626 00:26:54,830 --> 00:26:57,006 not only your generation, but the generation before you 627 00:26:57,093 --> 00:26:58,834 and the generation after you. 628 00:26:58,965 --> 00:27:02,533 I wanna speak to the boss women who are go-getters, 629 00:27:02,621 --> 00:27:04,971 hustlers in their own right. 630 00:27:05,058 --> 00:27:07,887 Right now we see female unity in rap. 631 00:27:07,974 --> 00:27:10,846 Hopefully we can continue that. 632 00:27:10,977 --> 00:27:14,023 Art, education, empowerment, the family... 633 00:27:14,154 --> 00:27:15,459 -Black family. -Black family. 634 00:27:15,590 --> 00:27:17,200 -Uplifting. -Uplifting. 635 00:27:17,331 --> 00:27:21,030 -Yeah. Good to see you. -All right, Lady London. 636 00:27:21,161 --> 00:27:22,815 -Appreciate you. -Pleasure was all mine. 637 00:27:22,902 --> 00:27:24,904 Come on. Let's roll. Roll with me. 638 00:27:25,034 --> 00:27:26,779 -We going? Where we going? -I"ll figure it out. 639 00:27:26,862 --> 00:27:28,559 You're supposed to take me to some food. 640 00:27:28,647 --> 00:27:30,779 -Let's get somethin' to eat. -Let's do it. 641 00:27:38,308 --> 00:27:41,398 I must say that you absolutely do us proud out there. 642 00:27:41,485 --> 00:27:45,402 I'm so grateful 'cause I modeled my career 643 00:27:45,489 --> 00:27:48,667 off of how embarrassed you would make men in the studio, like... 644 00:27:48,797 --> 00:27:50,930 -Oh, did you? -Okay, so I know people 645 00:27:51,017 --> 00:27:52,631 had to back out when you came through the door, 646 00:27:52,714 --> 00:27:54,716 so it's really an honor. 646 00:27:55,305 --> 00:28:55,269