May 10, 2007 @ 2:38 pm

Killa Queen

by: Kamika Fullwood

Back with a new album and a female street anthem, Rasheeda shows us how crunk royalty does business.

Rasheeda, aka the Queen of Crunk, has no intentions of hanging up her crown. The Georgia peach has already opened the summer with "My Bubble Gum," a bass-heavy, female-power street anthem that has the fellas wondering about her bubblicious as the ladies rap along. And she's getting ready to drop her fourth album, Dat Type of Gurl (June 19), with features and beats from D4L's Fabo, Akon, Baby, and Jazze Pha, Nitti, Don Vito and Shiwen - a true power party record that will reinforce her position as Southern royalty. A few days before Mother's Day, Rasheeda spoke with Vibe.com about her journey as a mother and a female rapper in a male-dominated industry - and why she truly is Dat Type of Gurl. Can you talk about the transition period between the last album and this one. How have you grown as a person and a rapper? How is this album different from your last?
You know what? That's exactly what it is - from the last album to this album. I've gained more things and been out there doing more shows. And people have started to come into the world of Rasheeda and understanding me and my music and my vibe and everything. So, it's just a feeling. To me it's a growth all the time, because every year, you're constantly breaking barriers and knocking down walls and just trying to grow as an artist. And not just musically, but as far as your fan base and performances. Wanting to give more and more each year. And people leaving events and being like, 'She is the bomb. If I ain't ever even known her, whoever that girl was up there, Rasheeda, or whoever. I like her.' Its just on this album, I'm just keeping it going and growing. And being able to reinvent and come up with dope ideas and take things to another level. Where did your inspiration come from for this album?
You know what, really just staying consistent and grindin' and doing what I like to do. Enjoying my music, no pressures, no nothing. Just going in and being able to take out the time to record the things that I like. My inspiration is just to constantly grow as a female in a male-dominated industry. To eventually be that big, nationwide female artist. I think it's just a little void missing right now, and I'm definitely looking to fill it. So really that was my biggest inspiration - to be like, "You know what? I got to fill this void. I got to do this damn thing." Like you said, in a male dominated industry, do you feel more pressure as a female rapper coming along.
Of course there's more pressure because it is male-dominated - and as a female it's like a fine line with hip hop music. It's like you want to be relatable to other females and come across, to speak it and know it and put it out there for us. And then as far as the guys are concerned, a lot of dudes are like, 'I ain't finna be riding around, talking about some 'My Bubblegum.' But I can cover all avenues on the album. I got the ghetto, hard street stuff and everything. Sexy enough for the fellas and tasty enough for the fellas, but relatable and loveable by the ladies. And that's pretty much where I'm going. I know the female rappers that are out and active right now, like you, Diamond and Princess of Crime Mob. Can you tell me some of your inspirations, ever since you were a child, because I know you started early as a teenager in the game.
You know what, and I answer this question similar a lot, but just hip hop. Just period. The artists from way, way back in the day, from like the old school. From KRS-1 and Public Enemy, when I was really little. And looking at Eric B. and Rakim and Big Daddy Kane and all that up to Jay-Z and Biggie and everybody. Tupac. All of that. Nas. It's like hip hop always changes. Every year it's somebody else. It's something new. Whether it's somebody previously who's coming with a new album, who's just killing it. I mean, I'm just inspired by the constant evolving of the music. I've always looked and loved the fact that, you turn on these videos and see people talking about what's going on in their hood and things that you're able to relate to as a woman or just as a black person. And people telling their stories and I love it. Ever since I was little, I was like, 'I wanna tell my story. I wanna put my music out there.' I know it had to be in your blood, because you said when other kids were outside, chewing bubblegum, you were inside writing lyrics.
Trying to perfect it and to get it to be on the level where people's like, 'Okay, yea. I'm feeling that. I feel her.' I'm not just a rapper, I definitely put time into what I write. And just cause it's on some crunk beats, I ain't trying to say anything and get over. I'm trying to put it out there and talk about things that we want to do. Passion-wise, because I know people who are passionate about the music, even if they weren't getting paid for it, this is still something they'd be doing. But if there was something else, what is that something that you always wanted to do?
Oh, real estate, girl! Real estate?
I'm into real estate, like having properties. One of my goals, regardless to music, is to - and I know this may sound crazy - but I want to own some skyscrapers. I really want to get into it. I own houses now. I have like five houses now. And just getting into real estate and being able to develop homes. And affordable homes - because Atlanta done got so expensive. But that's one thing I want to do. I want to get into certain developments and home and stuff that people can get into affordably. And have a whole team of black people, from loan officers to agents and all of that, where we can all come together. I build the houses and then come in and get the loan officers and the agents to sell it to African American families and stuff. But my main goal is to own one of those damn 50-story buildings. And if I fall short and it's 20 stories, that's still hard. You can't always put all your eggs in one basket, even though this is what I do. But hey, I do that. I do this. I'm on the phone trying to make things happen and stay an independent, strong, black woman and keep it moving. As long as I'm able to walk and talk, I'm going to be hustling and trying to make things happen. Since you been in the game for a long time, how have you seen yourself grown as a woman?
I've grown to the fact that if it's something that I want, I go after it. And I just always say I'm a go-getter. I'm a passionate type of person to get out there and go after the things that I want. I've just grown as a mom - I have a six-year-old. Just learning so much, even in the music industry of all the different deals and situations that I've been in. And just being able to mold things into a straight understanding of ok, I've gotten here with my music. I'm at a point where I can make a choice and say, "Ok, I want to go here. I want to do this. I want to make the right decisions. I want to do this. Or this ain't good. This is not what's up." You know, just a decision making processes and different experiences. Like, I wouldn't be where I'm at now, if it wasn't for the things that I've been through. I still wouldn't be at this place, because it's hard to be a female in hip hop. You got to have a thick skin, a lot of doors closed on you, people always got something to say. And if I can deal with that, honey, I can deal with a whole hell of a lot. Especially a six-year-old.
Exactly, and being a mama, that is 24-7. So that, on top of everything else. And you can't help but to grow. You can't help but to see things and want to go after it and be successful. Would you say we can see this growth in your music?
Oh yea. You definitely will. You'll feel it. You'll hear it, even in just my voice. You'll hear the confidence in my voice, in the songs, because I'm like, 'Shawty, I got this. I'm getting there. I got this.' I know some artists, they put a couple of albums out, then stop. How long do you want to continue?
One thing I've always felt like is to stay consistent, because the minute you snooze, you lose. The minute you not out there, then people soon to forget about you. So it's like, although I haven't had the success off of the albums, it's still stamping and moving. I'm just looking for this album to go to the next level. With the next album, go to the next level and do it for a minute. I ain't trying to be 50 years old, talking about "chew on my bubblegum." How strongly do you want to represent for women rappers in the South?
The only thing I really want to do is bring the classy, sexy, tasteful, around-the-way hood chick - independent, get to the money - I'm a mama too, don't try to play me out - just on some confident, we can get it popping in your car and listen to it with your girls. I know I can't be a role model to everybody. Everybody ain't going to always like what you doing. But I'm just trying to get out here and do my best and stay true to myself. You'll feel that through the music.

Article tags: Killa, Queen 

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