After three installments of this series, I can honestly say that writing it has been one of my most enlightening and informing experiences thus far. I have enjoyed talking to each and every woman I’ve interviewed, and have learned a lot more about how verbally and physically involved women are in Hip Hop around RVA.
After three installments of this series, I can honestly say that writing it has been one of my most enlightening and informing experiences thus far. I have enjoyed talking to each and every woman I’ve interviewed, and have learned a lot more about how verbally and physically involved women are in Hip Hop around RVA. My goal with this series was to spotlight the different females I have come across in this city, but even though there are many I will not be able to cover due to space limitations, their actions and hard work don’t go unnoticed. They always have a part in the upbringing of RVA, so if you’re one of the women who have helped Hip Hop/Urban culture in RVA grow as a local art form, we thank you. Here are a few more women who have made an impact on this city.
Veronica “Nyce” Llano aka Madam V
Artist/Poet/Singer
RVA is no stranger to the work of local coalition Just Plain Sounds (which features Sleaze, James Dangle, Just Plain Ant, and many more) but one member of the team helps bring a feminine touch to their work. JPS member Nyce is a strong woman with charismatic and dominant characteristics mixed with a pro-feminine attitude and style. With her poetic type delivery and soulful sound, she preaches truth in all of her work, and wants nothing but that local hip hop fans accept her for who she is. “I am an emcee, but little do people know I am a singer as well,” says Nyce, who displayed this fact this past summer on Weekends In Latveria, Just Plain Sounds’ Tribute Mixtape to underground emcee MF Doom. Appearing under the alias Madam V on the track “Tonight (Good Time),” Nyce demonstrated her harmonic vocal skills, and credits her JPS family for helping her get outside her musical comfort zone on the song. “To be such a strong woman in RVA, it takes confidence, drive and ambition,” she relates. “You have to know you want your goal 110% percent.” She mentioned Lauryn Hill as an influence, which I found to be a perfect reflection of her own role in the RVA scene. “She is so powerful for not becoming a slave to the industry,” says Nyce of Ms. Hill. “She stands for more than sex appeal in the industry, and she is versatile in her music.” Where her own career is concerned, though, Nyce does not consider her music to be her most important accomplishment. “I feel like my biggest accomplishment is having my son to depend on me,” she says. “Being a mother and doing music is not easy, but knowing I have someone depending on me makes me fight harder.” You can get her free album Complex Simplicity, by clicking here.
Positive Words For Women:
“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for nothing.”
Links:
nyceisnowyourcurrentevent.weebly.com
justplainsounds.com
facebook.com/1MadamV
ReverbNation.com/1MadamV
SoundClick.com/MsNyce
Kizzi Henderson
Local Media Personality/Business Owner
If you haven’t heard of REPNVA through some of your favorite local artists then you will today. An internet radio station and talk show with a worldwide reach, REPNVA is also a management company, graphic designer, and photography business. All of this is made possible through Kizzi Henderson. Explaining how she got her start in business, she says, “I actually started a radio show with another individual, but it ended through unfortunate events, which left me by myself and without a radio show. I then made a goal to prove to others that I can accomplish my goals for myself, so I started RepnVA Radio along with two companies I also run, which are True Story Photography and a graphic design company called Maizels Designz. I feel accomplished to [have] manage[d] all three myself.” She sees her success at these different endeavors as her greatest accomplishment so far. “I own my own business. I make my own decisions,” she says. “Without determination, hard work and consistency, success is limited.” One person she looks up to is Michelle Obama, due to her use of the position of First Lady to accomplish her own goals related to community health and wellness, and to be an active role model to women. Where her radio business is concerned, she explains, “I own a business with multiple radio shows that I manage. I try to give locals a chance for their voice to be heard, not just in Richmond but to anyone who can access the online station.” You can catch Kizzi and many of her other shows at www.repnvairadio.com.
Positive Words For Women:
“Show people that you CAN do it.”
“If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?”
Links:
repnva.com
repnvairadio.com
maizelsdesignz.com
facebook.com/Ms.REPNVA
Twitter: @repnva
Ms. Proper
Artist/Entrepreneur
This young and talented female emcee out of RVA represents the definition of grind. You can’t go talk about women making moves in RVA without mentioning her name. With the success of her last mixtape project, No Days Off, hosted by DJ Whiteowl, and her current work in the studio in Atlanta with producer Nick Fury, Ms. Proper continues to make things happen. “One way I have stayed so successful is because I stayed strong,” she says. “I have so many accomplishments from my team, So Proper Entertainment, my Rated R Radio Show, So !lla and his team, Broad Street Elite, and many more; but one thing I really felt was a highlight was when I was on 106th and Park auditioning. Even though I wasn’t in the best of spirits about some things, I still held my own.” She states that it’s hard being an independent female artist and dealing with critics saying she’s “good, for a girl,” but you can’t let it bring you down. “I respect a lot of females in the industry, but one person that I admire is blogger and local media personality Gaptooth Diva,” says Ms. Proper. “She is such a positive influence, and she has picked me up through so much. I met her through an event hosted by Yoshiko Green [see part 1 of this series -ed.] known as ‘Meet Yo Tweet,’ and since then we have motivated each other through being females in RVA.” As we conversed, she explained to me how she felt the most positive doing her first performance at Henrico Theater. “I was always a shy person, so performing for the first time to a crowd brought out the persona you know today,” says Proper. She has been such an inspiration to a lot of people in and out of RVA, and continues to work on her next project Escaping Reality. Keep an eye out for that release, and check out our previous interview with Ms. Proper here.
Positive Words For Females:
“Let nobody change you.”
“Stand your ground.”
Links:
HipHopMadeMeCool.com
RatedRRadioOnline.net
facebook.com/propdabest
Twitter: @MsProper
