the roux
Brooklyn White
Marie Antoine Carême, a French chef, once said roux is “as indispensable to cooks as ink to writers.” “The Roux” is a bi-weekly column by Brooklyn White that will touch on current events, retrospectives, fashion dives, interviews, and more.
ECCENTRIC WOMEN HAVE MADE SOME OF THE BEST HIP-HOP MUSIC AND VIDEOS
When you’re not afraid to laugh, poke fun at yourself or try a look or sound that’s uncharted territory, you set yourself up to be called weird. But being weird isn’t bad. It’s what makes you, you. Rappers like Tierra Whack, Missy Elliott, and Rico Nasty are proof.
RAP GROUPS COMPRISED OF WOMEN HELP PROGRESS BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT
From Salt-N-Pepa to the City Girls, rap groups comprised of women have performed bops and have fostered solidarity amongst Black women.
TEXAS WOMEN ARE RAPPING THEIR WAY INTO A BRIGHTER FUTURE
The timing is nearly divine, with Lil Nas X enjoying his fame as a musician with country and rap influences, the Kentucky Derby recently rapping up, Solange Knowles rolling out her ode to southern living with When I Get Home, and fans witnessing a meteoric rise of Black women from Texas who make fiery, honest rap music about their surroundings.
25 YEARS OF LIL’ KIM
Lil’ Kim, the 4-foot-11-inch tall musician and model, is a force. She started out as the first lady of Junior Mafia in 1994, and over the span of her 25-year career has reinvented herself a healthy number of times. Her resume is long, reconfiguring the content women could present in Hip-Hop, setting new trends with her fashion, and remaining largely herself. Ever aware of her legacy as a fixture in rap music, one needs to look no further than Trina and The City Girls’ “fuck niggas, get money” or the style choices of Rihanna for affirmation. She is a legend who deserves it all and then some.
MASK OFF
Masks in rap sit at the intersection of style and anonymity, which is ironic given the boastful and self-centric tendencies present in rap. Masks remind us of our humanity and collective consciousness, even though we are all individuals, when you take away our name and status, we are the same. Mask on, mask off.
What Are We to Do with the Term "Female Rapper?”
When the phrase “females” is word drenched in disrespect, but “female rappers” provides a seemingly necessary differentiation, a question on the latter’s place in Hip-Hop’s lexicon demands a discussion.
A Conversation with Georgia Anne Muldrow
Soul is all you’ve got. It’s ever knowing, ever growing, and the key to the greatest magic the heavens have to offer. It’s the delicate finger touch between the divine and humanity. The hot tear racing down your cheek, the tightest hug during the winter months, and the groove in your heart. That’s why soul music is as rich as it is, because it comes from the most central, sincere core of one’s self. And no one captures these emotional, electrifying soul experiences quite like Brainfeeder signee Georgia Anne Muldrow.
The Joi of Freedom
Joi Gilliam is a conscious rock star. Unbound to the beaten road of pop’s trendsetters (constantly producing content and publicized struggles with sonic evolution/personal growth), she’s walked tall during her 25+ years in the music industry and shows no signs of slowing.
Transparency isn’t avoided, but isn’t regularly laid as plainly as it is on her new loose track, “Grow Up.”