A much needed conversation is taking place. Thanks to BET’s first-ever original documentary, “My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women And Hip Hop,” which aired yesterday (Aug. 30), the hip hop community is engaged in a dialogue about females and the art form. Directed by Ava DuVernay, this one-hour BET special featured prominent female MCs as well as industry experts speaking candidly about a number of issues facing women in hip hop.
“Bottom line is how much money can I make off of your *ss,” MC Lyte asserted in her interview. Lyte and other artists, including Yo Yo, Trina, Salt-n-Pepa, Eve, Lil’ Mama, Roxanne Shante and Missy Elliott talked individually about their experiences as female MCs in hip hop. The documentary goes deep as it examines the history of femcees, the over-sexualization of female artists, and specific artists responsible for paving the way.
After the show, many artists took to Twitter to share their thoughts. Missy and Trina, two artists heavily featured in the documentary, engaged in a Twitter conversation about the show after it aired. Trina tweeted, “I have so much respect and love for @MissyElliott she has paved the way for us as female artists.. Much respect.” In response to Trina, Missy replied, “Aww Thank U so much. I’m watching and it’s a blessing to be up here with so many innovative artists.”
Though the documentary spoke to a healthy number of females, it also featured interviews with Questlove of the Roots, Swizz Beatz, Jazze Phe, Russell Simmons and other men who gave honest answers as to why females are so far and few. In an exclusive interview with BET.com, Ice Cube gave his perspective. “Female MCs need to focus more on rappin’. When they start focusing too much on their image, they fall off,” he shared.
Questlove made great points about Lauryn Hill, who was the subject of one segment of the show. “With Lauryn Hill’s absence, it’s been very, very quiet,” he said. The documentary also went on to address the emergence of Nicki Minaj and posed the question of whether Nicki’s success will help usher in a new wave of femcees.
Source: BET
