Rapper - Purcella
The seedy scenes of hip hop + pop culture involving women, drugs, and riches have long been dominated by male figureheads dressed in their rapper personas. It was a world shaped by and for men– in which they let women play a small, predefined part. “Rapper” seeks to turn this narrative on its head by portraying a streetwise, self-aware female lead who is realistic yet hopeful. The world of music is like a comic book. Industry games are being played by mafioso characters on all sides. However, the reality does not defeat my idealism and nostalgia for creative expression. I have held onto my music dreams since a young child. As I delved into the seediness of local recording studios filled with questionable characters, I became more intrigued and even brought one very important producer home.
There were all sorts of crazy industry stories that occurred during the making of this song. Two of the featured rappers on the track went missing. They’re still somewhere out there, I think. (Hopefully, the amazing female rapper on the latest release will show up for promo :). One female “producer” out of ATL tried to hijack my song, changing a few of the lyrics to reverse the meaning into a sensitive babe-in-the-woods who is fearful of having her heart broken by a rapper. Turns out I didn’t need so much writing help, after all.
My style began with my love of beats. Every emotion has a beat. And every song has a set of sounds that reverberate the feeling that lies at its heart. It’s hard to find the right combinations for it all– but that’s the puzzle to solve.
Growing up as a kid, the lines between genres were very different. Pop stars focused more on vocal runs, ballads, or very commercial pop as hip hop began its magnificent rise (and eventual full acceptance) into the mainstream. Gangster rap was rough to my ear, but I loved the unabashed way Lil Kim talked about toe-tagging her enemies with little inhibition. (I guess it spoke to my deep inner rage.) By the time I started making records commercially, I had more peers playing with merging genres and was a bit more accepted in coloring outside the lines.
With each song, I push myself to express my true thoughts and feelings more and more each release. If you listen closely, you’ll hear the story of a woman who is in pain– a woman sometimes drowning in sorrow. I find a lot of similarities to Trippie Redd and emo suicide tunes a la Lil Uzi Vert. There is darkness– haunting existential dread of not finding where I fit in in terms of the industry or with my brand.
Singing is more than just music to me. It’s a way to express my thoughts and feelings and to share my unabashed truth with others. I’m always pushing for honesty and understanding. The reaction isn’t always smooth. I often blend several life stories, whether romantic, dramatic or both, into a single song’s narrative. One associate who ended up divorced was convinced the song “Tightrope” was entirely about him and warned me that if the song got out “it could be very bad for both of us.” I’m still not even 50% what was going through his head, but it was enough for him to never shake my fiance’s hand.
Music has always been a passion for me. At first, I floated on some of my natural talents. She never thought it would be possible, but after years of perfecting her craft, she finally decided to take the plunge and become a professional rapper.