by Nadirah Simmons
Any mention of Amil ignites a fire under me that’s reserved for only a handful of other Hip-Hop acts. If you’re following the right people on social media, you’re bound to come across the widely shared meme of her from Backstage, in which Dame Dash proclaims “she’s ghetto, but she has a runway quality about her. And if you shuffle Jay-Z’s discography on your favorite DSP you’ll hear her spitting verses on some of his and the Roc’s biggest hits, like “Can I Get A…,” “N*gga What, N*gga Who (Originator 99)” and “Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up).” However there’s one song that exists in Amil’s catalogue that stands out as one of my favorites by affirming my position as a Hip-Hop feminist and providing an anthem for women empowerment: “I Got That.”
“I Got That” is the second single from Amil’s debut studio album All Money Is Legal (A. M. I. L.), and is the first single on which Beyoncé performs solo without the other members of Destiny’s Child. Amil opens the song by rapping:
Plus, I got my own bread
You ain't gotta wave dinner over my head
I got that
And you can't leave me stranded
'Cause I got a ride back, and besides that
What chick you know got cock, Glocks back?
In ‘Using [Living Hip-Hop] Feminism: Redefining an Answer (to) Rap’ by Aisha Durham, she draws from the work of Joan Morgan-who coined the term Hip-Hop feminist-and contends that the philosophy is a “cultural, intellectual, and political movement grounded in the situated knowledge of women of color from the post civil-rights or Hip-Hop generation who recognize culture as a pivotal site for political intervention to challenge, resist, and mobilize collectives to dismantle systems of exploitation.”
Amil positions herself as an autonomous woman who can get it on her own and challenges sexist narratives that often appear in the lyrics of men who rap that depict women as reliant on them for success. What’s important to note as well, is that Amil doesn’t shame women who want the opposite. And in Hip-Hop feminism it’s important to acknowledge the philosophy as one that allows Black women to support feminist agendas while also employing different modes of expression within the genre.
On the second verse Amil acknowledges her position in the rap game might invite in men who are interested in being with her sexually, saying “Ever since cats found out I ran with the Roc/They wanna take a closer look, wanna examine the box…The way I be dressin', dudes wanna toss the salad.” On the song Amil uses her lyrics to challenge hegemonic masculinity, explicitly highlighting sexual acts and challenging patriarchal scripts that exist to dictate what women can or cannot say about sex.
It is this kind of Hip-Hop feminist critique described by Marlo David in her essay, “More than Baby Mamas: Black Mothers and Hip-Hop Feminism,” that provides Amil and other women who rap with a “way out of the mire of postmodern detachment to invite women and men to get down to the business of bringing wreck against the social forces that control their lives.”
This control is clear in the video as well, with Amil, Beyoncé, and Eve-who makes a cameo-gliding from scene to scene and spending time in the office, in the store, behind the wheel of expensive cars, and at the club. If the lyrics weren’t enough, watching the visuals makes it clear that the ladies “got that” forreal.
Amil exited the rap game after the release of her debut and only album, citing her disdain for the spotlight and entertainment industry as the reasons behind her departure. In 2011 she told Vibe Magazine:
“I’m happy for the time that I had, but [the entertainment industry] is not for me. I enjoy recording, thats always a passion, but as far as going hard with a recording career… at this point no. I’m an old head. My whole life is so different now. But I’m in a beautiful place and really just enjoying myself.”
Wherever Amil is at right now, it’s important that she knows “I Got That” deserves to sit alongside tracks like “U.N.I.T.Y.,” “Let’s Talk About Sex,” and “Ladies First” in the canon of Hip-Hop feminist anthems. It’s a song that asserts her right to pleasure and financial independence as a Black woman, and knocks down the walls that uphold systems of oppression involving race, class, sexuality, and gender. It’s self-expressive. It’s honest. And it’s enjoyable. It’s Hip-Hop feminism at its core.