March 20, 2006 @ 11:50 am

Penelope

by: Clover Hope

The morning service for St. Louis’s Shalom Church (City of Peace) is official- ly popping. As Rev. Dr. F. James Clark flails his arms to demonstrate his mom’s old whooping actions, the 500-plus congregation shouts in affirmation. More comedic than cleric (he’s known to quote T.I. and use phras- es like “holla at me”), Clark speaks as if he’s had an ear to the streets for the last two years. And for once incarcerated rapper Juarita “Penelope” Jones, 25, his words hit home. While prison might invoke God-fearing thoughts in some, this Louie seed was a churchgoer long before her 33-month bid. “I feel like I just got some truth,” she says after the two-hour service. “A lot of what Pastor said can be applied to the music business.” One jewel stands out: “If you have not fumbled, chances are you’re not ready for the platform.” The petite yet muscular Jones (she became a trainer in prison) fumbled hard, getting caught up in the drug game early. “I was around pimps and dealers, so it was easy for me to get involved if I wanted to,” she says. “But I wasn’t trying to be a kingpin or the queen of St. Louis. It was just a hustle.” Fortunately, Jones’s battle-rap notoriety earned her a 2000 deal with Nelly’s Universal imprint, Fo’ Reel Entertainment, and cameos in the St. Lunatics’ “Midwest Swing” video and song “Jang-a-Lang.” But the label dropped her after she was indicted for conspiracy to commit drug trafficking. During her confinement, her brother Tony was murdered. “He meant everything to me,” she says. But she carried on, and after months of label courting, Jones re-signed with Univer- sal last year through Shawn “Tubby” Holiday’s M.O.N.Y. (Missouri to New York) imprint. Much like Nelly’s “Country Grammar,” her single “Louie, Louie” is a playful Midwest-flavored joint tailor-made for radio’s pop-rap formula. But before Jones dons the Lou crown with her as-yet-untitled debut, she’s enjoying her time with Rev. Clark—she hopes he’ll become her mentor. “Like Pastor said, if you haven’t been through or seen anything, then how can you be a leader?” says Jones. “I’ve had my struggle, and my story is what’s going to make me different from everybody else."

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Article tags: Penelope St Louis, Universal, Midwest Swing