Picture it: 1991. New Jersey. My parents' bedroom. For 75 minutes I sat in rapt attention, watching the Sisters in the Name of Rap pay-per-view special, which brought together a dozen of the time's female MCs, big (YoYo, Salt-N-Pepa, Lyte, Latifah, Shante) and...uh, not so much (Silk Tymes Leather? Nikki Kixx? Tam Tam? Anyone? Anyone? Didn't think so.). It had production value that was a mere notch above that which you could see in any given footage of my sisters' dance recitals that my father took, and it sounded like it was being transmitted from New York via tin cans and string, but I loved it all the same. The following year, a home video version of the show was released, but it went out of print immediately (I guess the demand wasn't so great -- I'll wait for you to pick your jaw off the floor before I resume typing). I've searched for it for years, once seeing it going for over $100 on the Amazon Marketplace. That was too expensive for me at the time, though when I checked again last week, I would have been willing to pay that much. Luckily, I didn't have to: to my shock, there was a copy available (again via the Marketplace), but for $15. I snapped it up immediately.
It's a funny snapshot of a bygone era that we tend to romanticize by claiming that things just ain't the same. True, it'd probably be impossible to fill 75 minutes with even obscure female rappers who are actively recording in 2008. Obviously, things aren't so easy for female rappers these days,, and that was a major theme of the just-finished female-MC reality show competition Miss Rap Supreme (the finale aired last night, that's why I'm posting this today, fyi). And though we couldn't possibly count on a political rap track actually getting airplay in today's hyper-commercial climate, let alone one specialized enough to be feminist (I mean, seriously: can you believe that "You Can't Play With My YoYo" and "U.N.I.T.Y." were, like, known? It seems like that could only happen on another planet at this point), watching the concert made me realize that things weren't so easy back then, either. The best example of this that I could find? Only when a male rapper stepped on stage did the crowd seriously respond. And this was a crowd, mind you, that paid to watch a parade of women rap. Not even the fucking female rappers' audience was excited to watch them! Sad, sad, sad, and at this point, I have no idea why things are so ludicrously unbalanced. They just are and it's just fucking depressing.
The male rapper in question was Ice Cube, who took the stage to chant the hook of YoYo's "You Can't Play With My YoYo." I ripped the performance (and it actually looks stellar considering it was transferred from VHS). You can watch it below. The fact that YoYo raps along to her own 12" does her no favors. (She couldn't get an instrumental of her own fucking track?) But if nothing else, at least you can be reminded of how adorable Cube was back in the day, when he was all po'faced and athletically thick.
After the jump, some more footage and a few points that are a little less depressing.
Just a few additional points of amusement:
1. The concert's logo (seen at the top of this post) would make a great tattoo, as my boyfriend pointed out. I feel like getting it put on my ass as some sort of retribution for all the ignored female MCs. The world can kiss it.
2. One of the members of Def Dames showed up pregnant...
...and, like, so over everything, too. Fair enough, I suppose?
3. Dancehall performer Shelly Thunder wore an outfit that was prone to the same flights of fancy as her larynx and tongue.
She was seriously dressed like a Black Box 12".
Also?
Possibly pregnant, as well.
4. Silk Tymes Leather wore neither. What a letdown!
5. Nikke Nicole (who spells her name with both a question mark and exclamation point, per her introductory slate)...
...rapped a song about believing in yourself that included every inspirational cliche ever. It's all go the extra mile to control your own fate because it lies in your hands which shouldn't be idle lest they do the devil's work, work, work it, girl! At one point she asks for feedback from those who believe in themselves. None is audible, and yet she still says, "Yeah! A lot of people believin' in themselves tonight!" I mean, can you even fathom how people were less than receptive? Nothing like inspirational platitudes to cold rock a party!
6. The only person to come close to Ice Cube in response level was Roxanne Shante, and half of that was because she was booed as she was announced to enter the stage (this was when "Big Mama," the track that dissed Latifah, YoYo, MC Lyte, Monie Love and a few others for no good reason and sometimes homophobically, was still in recent memory). Performing "Dance to This" (again, along to a track containing the full vocals), she finally won the crowd over with the couplet, "You try to front and step to this, you stupid bitch you only get scarred / Then I smile and make your boyfriend's dick hard." A wonderful turn of phrase, to be sure, but I also enjoyed how she hyped up the crowd at the start of her performance: "Fuck it up, y'all! Fuck it up, y'all!" I don't even know what that means, but it sounds active.
You can watch that performance below, too:
I ripped a few more videos, which you can watch at my YouTube account's main page. I suggest viewing them on their actual YouTube pages, so you can select the "Watch in high quality" option. It makes a difference. Also, I didn't want to embed a bunch of video because I know that can get overwhelming, and, like, four people on the planet besides me care about this shit. I guess that's kind of my point, sad as it is.
oh my god.. i remember this
wow, thanks rich
i actually saw the finale of miss rap supreme and was happy with the 2 finalists
damn, i thought i was too young for nostalgia
Posted by: jtalia | June 10, 2008 at 06:04 PM
God, my sister and I watched this together. Thanks for the memories, Rich.
Posted by: A.Coleman | June 10, 2008 at 06:24 PM
oh. my god. This is probably the first time I have ever seen someone reference Tam Tam outside of myself. While the world has forgotten her, I'm still blasting "Do it Tam Tam" and wondering how a woman who raps about not eating pork or beef just didn't make it.
Posted by: Connie | June 10, 2008 at 06:43 PM
Rich, if you found Shanté's "fuck it up, y'all!" chant baffling, may I introduce you to the glory that is Pigface's "Fuck It Up"?
http://www.last.fm/music/Pigface/_/Fuck+It+Up
I think it played the same role for me that this special did for you.
Posted by: Sean T. Collins | June 10, 2008 at 06:57 PM
OMG! I still have the original VHS cassette that I taped this on in 1991 (needless to say, I'm sure that I was equally as excited as you were at the time...). Anyway, I think that you should post a video of Latifah flubbing her lines during her and Monie's performance of "Ladies First."
What even happened to Dee Barnes anyway? She was barely heard from again after 1991/Pump It Up/getting beat down by Dr. Dre in the ladies' room. And poor Tam Tam. She should get together with May May and Marla Mar for an updated Deadly Venoms!
Posted by: Jerome | June 10, 2008 at 07:01 PM
I'm shocked I missed out on this gem. Must have been too busy listening to SWV on cassette in my '88 olds. :)
Jules
House of Jules
Posted by: HouseofJules | June 10, 2008 at 07:28 PM
Queen Latifah! I wasn't that into the rap music (with the bippin' and the boppin' and the hippin' and the hoppin') back in the day, but there were a few exceptions, Queen Latifah being one of them. I loved her so much! I can't tell you how freaking excited I was when Living Single started. So to add to the "couldn't happen today list": female performers who look cute, but not like whores? One of said performers getting her own tv show with an entirely african american cast that had broad appeal to young females of all races? God I loved that show!
Posted by: mariaaaaa | June 10, 2008 at 07:31 PM
Oh Rich you lovely man! My mother and I argued for days because she would not allow me to charge the money to see this on Pay-per-view. Roxanne Shante was definitely the higlight of this often times poorly edited show, but it's one of the rarest pieces of history to show female emcees as the focal point of a show. Could it happen today? Probably not.
Posted by: SirDaniel | June 10, 2008 at 08:43 PM
I know, right? Everybody comes out for the ANTM recaps and the Project Runway recaps (when Project Runway was still being recapped here).
Posted by: RD | June 11, 2008 at 09:34 AM
I loved Salt & Peppa and Spinderella so much as a teen. Those ladies were the epitome of cool to me. And Queen Latifah in "Living Single"--all she had to do was stand back in a corner and smile and you coudln't help but watch her, even with the rest of the cast talking over her. Not surprising she moved onto the big screen. Thanks Rich--a very underappreciated piece of musical history here.
Posted by: Miss Lisa | June 11, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Video time capsule! Awesome.
Those female MCs? They're out there, doing their thing, whether we all notice or not (and we should, because a lot of 'em are fantastic).
Por ejemplo:
God-des & She
Invincible
Lady Sovereign
etc.
Posted by: Emily | June 11, 2008 at 02:34 PM
Don't forget "The Bonnie & Clyde Theme". It was my fave back in the day. Ice-Cube and Yo-Yo on that joint. Hard to find for sale online. Great song.
Posted by: Melora | June 11, 2008 at 03:07 PM
Any chance of posting the "Nikke? Nicole!" clip? That sounds hi-larious!
Posted by: Ladybird's Johnson | June 11, 2008 at 03:20 PM
THIS, Rich, Is my favorite non-ANTM post.
perfection!
Posted by: faith | June 11, 2008 at 10:02 PM
and the "Bonnie and Clyde" was hte first thing i thought of! Way to go Melora!
Posted by: faith | June 11, 2008 at 10:03 PM
Thank you for posting this. I know I missed this back in the day, probably because my folks didn't have cable back then. MC Lyte was my personal favorite; "Paper Thin" and "Cappuccino" were my jams. Man, I miss those days.
Posted by: tanya | June 11, 2008 at 10:07 PM
haha dude I'd just turned in a piece about New Jack Swing Gold when I read this so it's just too friggin' perfect. thank you!
Posted by: Matos W.K. | June 12, 2008 at 09:40 AM
Anyone else remember that old Salt N Pepa and fifty-eleven other females of the moment song "It Ain't Nuthin' But A SHE Thang"? I swear I still have the cassette single in a box somewhere festering.
As for this post? Heeeeeell Yeeeah! That Yo-Yo clip just made my whole day. Just watching her 'dancers' is enough for me, LMAO. Last I heard of Yo-Yo's whereabouts, Beyonce's daddy had signed her to some kind of development deal.
Yes, really.
Posted by: Maleficent | June 12, 2008 at 03:10 PM
Nice! You are actually the one who hipped me to "Big Mama" and I spin it out all the time. I also have all of the "Roxanne" retort records.
All of this reminds me of another forgotten female MC who I love: Sparky D.
Posted by: John R | June 12, 2008 at 04:58 PM
OMG! Nikki Barnes as the host! Cross Colors! Too. Much. To. Handle!
"We had dinner and now we drinkin Sisco" oh how romantical! Yo-Yo is the best.
Posted by: chocopina | June 13, 2008 at 04:33 PM
Oh, girl. "Come Into My House"! New Jersey is in the house, indeed.
Posted by: Foxy | June 13, 2008 at 06:19 PM
OMG I LOVED THIS CONCERT I HAVE THE VHS THAT WAS RELEASED AND I WAS SO PISSED OFF BECAUSE THEY TOOK OF SOO MUCH SHIT THEY TOOK OFF SWEET TEE'S PERFORMENCE AND OTHER SHIT FROM THE CONCERT AND I REALLY NEED HELP FINDING THE ORIGINAL CONCERT SO IF ANYBODY CAN PLEASE SEND ME A COPY JUST ADD ME ON MY MYSPACE {MYSPACE.COM/TROYRAMSEY} OR SEND ME AN EMAIL PLEASE AT: TROY.RAMSEY@YAHOO.COM
PEACE!
Posted by: TROY RAMSEY | June 14, 2008 at 06:45 AM
Found this site through Winston clips, stuck around for the top model stuff. And hit some serious pay dirt today with this post. Thanks!
("I'm in the 90s, you're still in the 80s"
haha this diss is even funnier to use now)
Posted by: Bud | June 20, 2008 at 01:44 PM
This is an excellent post. I would love to also have a copy of this entire concert, perhaps we can do a trade. The least I want would be to get a hq rip of the yo, yo and the mc lyte performances.
please get at me theomega1ne@hotmail.com
thanks
Posted by: Sean M | August 21, 2008 at 01:30 AM
NcNE73
Posted by: Cvdocpcv | July 14, 2009 at 09:06 AM