Album Review: Nikki D - Daddy's Little Girl

As I was hoping, I've become infatuated with oldschool female rap (again). I will drop a few names for those interested: Oaktown's 3.5.7, The Real Roxanne, Nikki D, Monie Love, L.A. Star... They're all awesome. I was surprised to see how many oldschool female rap CD's I have, I think I'm approaching 40 (and I have like 20 singles as well). If that doesn't sound like a lot of CD's, than imagine I have about three times as many non-oldschool female rap CD's. I've invested a lot in my collection, oh yes, and I've decided to buy at least one female rap CD a month - from now on, so that my collection will grow and grow :)

Now, as for my album review.. I'm reviewing an album from the year I turned three (1991), by Nikki D. The album is called Daddy's Little Girl, and that's also the name of the biggest hit on the album. As a matter of fact, that's another song my father used to play when I was little. I can't even believe it myself, because I didn't know this until I found the song myself, played it, and instantly started having flashbacks! I guess musical preference is genetic for a part..

Well, let me start off this review by saying: Nikki D is awesome. And although Foxy Brown has claimed this title for years, Nikki D was, and will always be, the FIRST female rapper signed to Def Jam! This is no diss, because Foxy is actually my biggest "idol" of all times, mostly for sentimental reasons, lol.

So, Daddy's Little Girl. You will probably recognize the sample from Suzanne Vega's song Tom's Diner, or maybe - if you're a female rap fan - from Lil' Kim's Right Now. Anyway, the song has great beats, interesting lyrics (about a young girl going wild, getting pregnant and being afraid to tell her father she's grown up). No wonder it was so successful... and no wonder my father played it so often shortly after I was born! LOL! I was (and still am) Daddy's Little Girl as well!

I absolutely love the songs Wasted P!@#Y and 18 And Loves To Go. They're both about pretty much the same subject: girls who don't seem to realize what they're worth and have sex with anyone. They have catchy hooks, and they will probably painfully remind you of some girl you know. In the first song, I especially like it when the songs slows down all of a sudden and Nikki D starts talking: "You bitches just don't get it, do you? All you wanna do is fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Shit, I wish I could find me some dick, make me just wanna give up the pussy for nothin'... But yo, live how you wanna, but you waste it." I love Nikki's honesty. I think she was one of the first female rappers to rap explicitly about sex in an educative way. There were certainly other explicit artists around the time (remember Choice and H.W.A. who rapped about getting gang-banged, sucking you-know-what and getting paid for sex like those are things to brag about?), but well, I guess I don't have to explain the difference. Choice in my opinion is DISGUSTING.

Ooooh I almost forgot another sexually explicit song.. Another Man Is Beatin' My Time, which is about men who have relationships with women but take it up the butt in secret. In the "ghetto's", these men are called DL Thugs. I actually know a few of them via internet fora, LOL. I don't think she's dissing gay men, I wouldn't see why someone who's so free about her sexuality would do that, but I could certainly understand why she'd feel betrayed if she had a relationship with a man who was cheating on her. With another man, but if he would have cheated on her with another woman, she would have probably also made a song about it.

BTW, the song sounds absolutely awesome and I love it! So don't let the content discourage you to check it out.

Sunny Daze is another funky song that you'll love. Then there are some more dancable songs (I guess... I wouldn't know how to dance to them), namely: Lettin' Off Steam (Club Mix) and Gotta Up The Ante For The Panties. The song All About You is also nice.

The remaining songs (Hang On Kid, Monday We'll Be Together and Your Man Is My Man) are okay but not my cup of tea. A bit boring, I guess.

I would die for another Nikki D album in this style. Well, after hearing the album of course. Oh, and if you like her raps (apart from the style of the songs), you should also check out her song Recondita Armonica on the classical music/ hip-hop blend album The Rapsody Overture, which has the same subject as 18 And Loves To Go and Wasted P!@#Y. As a matter of fact, check the entire album because it works extremely well. And Alyson Williams' song My Love Is Raw also features Nikki D, on the opening verse. It's a very addictive song, I warned you!

Artist Recommendation: Monie Love

Hi all!

I realise it's -once again- been quite a while since I last wrote here. I'm damn busy with my internship, that should explain it... But lately I've been listening to music so amazing, music that takes me back to when I was a young girl first developing a passion for female rap. I started collecting all female rap CD's I could find, including oldschool CD's. Real oldschool, as in music from the year I was born and even before that.

One of the artists I listened to back then, was Monie Love. And as I listened to her music again this week, I thought to myself: this music is better than most hip-hop music released nowadays, I need to share this with the world! So I'm making an artist recommendation for Monie.

Monie has released two albums (Down To Earth and In A Word Or 2), one EP (Slice Of Da Pie, this was released more recently) and several singles. Both albums are pretty dope, they include several hit songs and songs that should have been hits. I think her most famous song is It's A Shame (My Sister). This one is probably my favorite as well. In fact, I grew up with this song, because my father used to play it when I was a little kid. If you've ever met my father, you won't believe this. But my father played hip-hop in my youth, from 2Pac to Nikki D to Coolio. Anyway, that's why It's A Shame (My Sister) has sentimental value to me.
Other songs I think are pretty well known (and very nice!) are Monie In The Middle and Born To B.R.E.E.D. (of which I think the Hip Hop Mix version is the best).
Now, as for my favorite songs (excluding the ones I've already mentioned), I'm just going to make a list and you should download them to find out for yourself what's so nice about these songs.

From the album Down To Earth:

• Ring My Bell
• R U Single
• Grandpa's Party (Love II Love Remix)

From the album In A Word Or 2:

• Wheel Of Fortune
• Sex U All
• Mo' Monie
• Full Term Love
• In A Word Or 2
• There's A Better Way
• 4 Da Children

And finally, from the single of I Can Do This:

• I Can Do This (Downtown Mix) - this song uses the same sample as Will Smith's Miami, and it sounds pretty cool.

Well folks, that's all for now. But I think I might return soon, hopefully with another oldschool female rap recommendation (I like this music so much right now, I hope I'll stay in the mood for it for a while). Y'all take care now!