With very few exceptions, hip-hop is a man's world ? but not in Detroit. Rob Boffard talks to the female MCs from one of America's poorest cities who are flying in the face of rap's gender bias
There's a neighbourhood in Detroit known as Corktown. Originally an Irish neighbourhood, it's a mix of restaurants, houses and multi-lane streets. Corktown still has the original cobblestones on its stretch of Michigan Avenue, which cuts through the area and runs towards Chicago, though it's long since ceased to be the main route between the two midwestern cities.
Just to the east of the Fisher Freeway, which runs across the Avenue, there's a building that stands out from the shabby grocery stores and concrete office buildings that surround it. It's a squat, brick structure adorned with colourful murals. This is the 5E Gallery, and it's the centre of an extraordinary and almost unprecedented musical movement.
Put simply, there is a huge female hip?hop scene in Detroit. In contrast to the rest of the US and hip-hop as a whole, the city has become a hotbed of developing female talent, turning out dozens upon dozens of talented rappers. It's left other centres of hip-hop ? Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta ? in the dust. There's seemingly no more unlikely environment for an upsurge in female rap: Detroit is synonymous with football, smokestacks, steel and engines ? a deeply masculine city even in decline. But at a time when Nicki Minaj is the only commercially successful female rapper, Detroit has bucked the trend.
Invincible (born Ilana Weaver) is one of the key figures in all of this. A member of the all-female crew the Anomolies, she's been instrumental in helping to build the scene and is one of the city's most prominent rappers. "Detroit is uniquely advancing the women in hip-hop movement," she says. "There are various cities that have women-in-hip-hop movements ? Seattle, LA, New York, Chicago, everyone has their niches ? but Detroit is making a concerted effort to put out women's voices."
A big part of that effort is what's happening at that Corktown brick building with the murals. The 5E Gallery is host to The Foundation, one of the most successful nights in the city's history. It's a Tuesday night event focused specifically on female performers and its been happening every week since May 2009.
The event was started by Piper Carter, a photographer who had previously worked with French Vogue and British Elle. Returning to Detroit to take care of her ailing mother, Carter spotted a gap in the market. "I've been a huge fan of hip-hop all my life and I always loved the music and culture," Carter explains."I connected with the female artists growing up, and there were so many. But in the past five years or so, I noticed a decline in female artists. I started getting into these conversations as to why there was a lack. There are a lot of women behind the scenes making decisions about things, and it perplexed me that there were less women artists. The women who did get to shine are not necessarily the type of women who I wanted to represent me."
Carter joined forces with Invincible and her fellow Detroiter Miz Korona. Working with 5E founder Sicari Weaver, The Foundation debuted in May 2009, with Korona and Invincible on hosting duties. It was (and remains) a night dedicated to women, with showcase performances, all-female DJs and breakdancers and an open mic. These days, the two hosts are less involved now their solo rap careers are blooming, but the Foundation is still happening every week ? and it's still hugely popular.
According to Korona (born Paula Smiley), one thing became immediately apparent: there were plenty of female MCs in Detroit already ? they just did not have the confidence to go onstage. Detroit was already well-known for events at places like Lush Lounge and the Hip-Hop Shop, where people like Eminem came up, but Korona says these events were rarely friendly to female performers. "There've always been a nice amount of females on the scene," she says, "but they were afraid because events were male-dominated. But once we opened up they all started coming in ? young girls from age 10 going up there and rhyming."
"[Before the Foundation], female MCs in Detroit had nothing to work with," Carter agrees. "Basically, they would go to the open mics and the shows, and they'd have to fight through them to be heard or if there were two there, they'd want them to battle. There was no place or room or voice for the female in hip-hop. There are hundreds of female MCs in Detroit, but they don't want to go to a venue that is 90% male."
Two years on, the Foundation remains unique in the US. It is far from the only women-orientated hip-hop event in the country, but it is the only one that operates regularly. The impact it's had on those who pass through it has been undeniable: Foundation alumni have released a string of albums, including critically acclaimed projects like Boog Brown's Brown Study (released with producer Apollo Brown) and Miz Korona's The Injection, as well as records from artists like Mz Jonz, Mahogany Jones and Mae Day. It's helped inspire other ventures as well; Glennisha Morgan started the Fembassy, a website dedicated to cataloguing and promoting female rappers, both in and out of Detroit.
Boog Brown (Elsie Swann) now lives in Atlanta, but is enthusiastic about the amount of female talent bursting out of Detroit. "I think everybody there felt like it was time for us to actually take control of what we wanted to be represented as in that scene," she says. "It's a call to action. It's time for it now. I felt like it's that, or there wouldn't be so many women stepping up. And Detroit is a hard place to live, no matter how long you've lived there or not lived there. It's hard, but it's beautiful: there's always something new, growing, transpiring."
The 5E Gallery, though, is only the tip of this particular iceberg. It's been hugely successful, but all it did was rip the lid off a scene that was already bubbling underneath, operating in private behind the big names ? Eminem, J Dilla, Proof and Slum Village. That leaves the big question largely unanswered: what exactly is it about Detroit that's resulted in this huge number of female rappers? Why this city, and nowhere else?
It's not a question with an easy answer. Piper Carter comes closest to providingone when she talks about Detroit's social circumstances. Its been nailed by the recession, despite the city's blue collar work ethic. The days when the Motor City was a giant production line are long gone. Although the figure is improving, unemployment sits at just over 11%. It's a place where prosperous suburban houses can sit across the street from vacant lots and burnt-out buildings. "It's a depressed economy," Carter says, "so you have a lot of people with stories to tell. And you have a lot of women who have stories, and it's the kind of place where only the strong survive. It's a tough city, and you have to be good at what you do."
Jonathan Cunningham used to cover hip-hop for the Detroit Metro Times but now lives in Seattle. "Is the surge in female hip-hop unique to Detroit? I don't know. Maybe," he says. "If the answer is yes, I doubt it's because they're women. Detroit is a unique city in general and there are a number of reasons why rappers in general are so hungry and so successful coming out of there. There isn't much else. People are so frustrated and so broke and so without hope sometimes, that they channel all of their energy into studio sessions and make incredible music. The women have a different energy and message though. And mostly, they don't get hated on by male artists or male crowds. People respect them for the talent they have."
Outside the city, hip-hop remains largely a man's game. But there's an overwhelming sense that the brick building in Corktown is only the beginning.
Five heaters from Detroit
The city's leading rap talent puts the hammer down with some scorching bars. Taken from her excellent album Shapeshifters.
Miz Korona ? Playground featuring Moe Dirdee
Big, brash and downright nasty, Korona's deep voice works brilliantly with the pounding production.
Boog Brown and Apollo Brown ? Masterplan
She might live in Atlanta, but according to Invincible, Boog "definitely reps the D". Good thing, too, because she can certainly spit.
Some slightly more soulful stuff from Mae Day. This comes from a collaboration with the high-profile mixtape DJ, Mick Boogie.
The liquid-voiced DS Sense rocks any track she's on. This is a great showcase of her skills.
Anna Friel Monica Bellucci Minki van der Westhuizen Katharine Towne Malia Jones
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