The Daily Show: Ears Edition - The Impact of Female MCs

Episode Date: August 10, 2023

Women continue to make history in hip hop using their lyricism and stories. Daily Show correspondent Dulcé Sloan explains how female MCs have made their mark in the industry and double standards they may face. Also, Mary J. Blige chats with Trevor about her documentary, "Mary J. Blige's: My Life' and what hip-hop means to her. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Stewart here, unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, The Weekly Show, we're gonna be talking about the election, economics, ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. You're listening to say, we let her say it in another episode of Dulcean. Hip-Hoop.

Hip-hop. It's how we know what bottles to pop and what luxury items we can't afford. And we've been living in a golden era of female rappers with legends like Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, and Lauren Hill. Not to mention Megan the Stallion in Cardi B. dancing with a certain African who misplaced my ticket to the Grammys. But did you know that female rappers have been huge in every era? Every era? Every, every era? That didn't work. It's true. Rap's history is full of women who have largely been forgotten, like Sylvia Robinson, the woman who helped create hip hop.

Sylvia was a singer, record producer, label executive, and the first person to rock the Farel hat. She took rap from little known basement parties in the Bronx to worldwide commercial success in 1979 by conceiving and producing rap's first hit record, Rappers Delight. Not only was it the first rap single to conquer the charts, it also sold over a million copies. That's right, it went platinum.

And back then, we didn't even know what that was. They had to whip out a periodic table. And women were all over hip-hop's early era. Like MC Shahrock, aka Sharon Green. She got her start in the South Bronx rapping at parties, which was tough. Not just because no one had heard a woman rapping before, but also because the dude at the party with an acoustic guitar is going to be pissed. We hate that guy. In 1979, MC Shahrock's Group, The Funky 4 Plus 1, became the first rap group to sign with the record label, making her the first female rapper to record a song.

Not only that, their performance on Saturday Night Live was also the first ever national TV appearance by any rappers. And rapping in a group is great for a female MC. Because when the man repeats what you just said but slightly louder, he's not being sexist. He's being a good hype man. Being a good hype man. See? Women weren't just part of rap bearth. They also invented the rap beef.

Okay, that's enough. The first ever official rap beef was known as the Roxanne Wars which centered around Lolita Chantay Gooden. She got her start battling traveling MCs at just 14 years old like a cross between eight mile and Dorr the Explorer. The beef started in 1984 when the group UTFO released a song called Roxanne about a woman who had spurned their romantic advances. While Chantay was walking to the laundromat, her neighbor and record producer, Molly Marl asked her to rhyme over a beat.

So she recorded a track in his living room called Roxanne's Revenge, where she roasted every member of UTFO. The track was a monster hit, selling 250,000 copies in New York City alone. UTFO was so stung from getting dissed by a teenage girl, they decided to fire back at Chantay with an answer track called The Real Roxanne, which I understand. You're supposed to be tough but a kid dismantled you, and she did it in between errands. Her to-do list was groceries, laundry, destroy a group of grown men, and walk the dog. From there, the so-called Roxanne Wars truly ignited, because other artists joined in,

when it was all done, some 87 Roxanne tracks had been released. It was like a rap Gettysbird, but instead of the battlefield being covered in blood, it was covered in grown men's feelings. And we couldn't talk about women in hip hop without talking about how they influenced the social consciousness in rap. Take MC Life, one of the earliest known conscious rapper. Her first song at the age of 16 was about the prevalence of drugs in her neighborhood and how that ruined her love life.

And I could relate. At 16 my love life was ruined by Brandon, lying about what type he was picking me up on. I thought he had a Harley. Turns out he had a huffy. And that brings us to our final female pillar and hip-hop pioneer, Queen Latifa. I don't know if it's appropriate. I just like to do it. To some, she's Kedija from Living Single. To others, she's Mama Morton in Chicago, but she's without a doubt one of the most unforgettable hip-hop artists in rap history. But remember, hip-hop is a lot like your uncle.

Fun, a little dangerous and incredibly misogynistic. But Queen Latifa burst onto the rap scene with I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just th. I th. I th. I th. I the the th. I just their their th. I just their their th. I just th. I just thii-a, I just their thi-a, I just thi-f, I just th, I just th, I just th, I th, I th, I th, I th, I th, I th, I th, I to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to th. I th, I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th th th th th the th th th thi thi thi. I'm theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. the. I Lativa burst onto the rap scene with the pro-woman message. Her song Ladies First showed off not only her lyrical prowess, but also uplifted women and name-checked other female emcees. She was shouting out more women than Mambo Number 5. Then in 1993, her song called UNITY called out men in hip- hop for referring to women as bitches and hoes.

Bitches and hoes! That's my bad, I got called up. I could see why I shouldn't have said. I'm gonna just leave. Queen Latifah had 99 problems and the word, bitch was all 99. That women empowerment anthem became a hit and made Queen Latie for the first woman to win best rap solo performance at the Grammys. How do you like that, bitches? So the next time you think about hip-hop icons, make sure you remember the young Shorties,

the Bad Honies, and the All Stars. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to record my own response to Roxanne. It's called Roxanne, Roxanne. It's called, Roxanne, give me back my man. He wasn't cheating. Just kidnapped him. Now she might off his puppy. John Stewart here. Unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, the weekly show. We're going to be talking about the election, economics, ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. Same bullshit as always, Trevor. Female candidates get covered less like politicians and more like Miss Universe contestants.

How does she smile? Does she look good in a dress? Will Steve Harvey get her name right? Yeah, but why do you think the media has this double standard in politics? Politics? Negro's double standard is everywhere. Have you not been paying attention to this wet-ass pussy controversy? Oh, you mean like why Kylie Jenna was in the video? No, ain't nobody talking about that goofy ass girl, girl you silly man? No, I'm not talking about that goofy ass, girl, you're silly man. No, I'm not talking about the song. I'm talking about why people are talking about the song. Cardi B and Macon D'est Dallion have given us a sex positive song in the summer,

celebrating women owning their sexuality, something men have been doing since Adam ate that apple in the garden. Doose say, I don't remember that part in the Bible. The point is, male musicians talk about sex all the time, talking about their hard dicks and skeetting everywhere. But when women do it, people are like, this is vulgar, inappropriate. What about the children that look up to them? Who cares about them damn children?

Cardi B and Megan Stallion are not your nannies. I know it's confusing. You see two women of color in a really nice house. And you assume Aiden and McKenzie are just off screen with their Mandarin tutor. But it's a huge double standard, Trevor. Okay, Dulce, but to play devil's advocate, you have to admit it's a really graphic. Trevor, only in a repressed patriarchal society, but people consider a woman's pleasure, graphic. Man don't have to censor their pleasure. Drake and Bruno Mars can sing about eating pussing and getting hard, but they still get invited to things here to dinner. But if Cardi B does it,

she's a Flet who's taken down society. Well, you know, there is another thing. I mean, there's something about rap that as soon as some white people hear it, it sounds graphic, you know, just because it's rap. Like, I could be like, it's really cool to stay in school. And then some white people would be like, whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, sir. So there's always a chance that again.

Listen, that was offensive for a whole different reason. No, no, I was just trying to show like, when you say something with the flow, how it goes. No, no, no, no, no, no, whatever it was, stop. Okay? The point is, we don't live in a society that's comfortable with women claiming their sexuality. It doesn't matter if it's rap or country. I bet if it was a country music star that sang the same lyric, all these men would still be upset. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know about that Dulce. Like, I feel like now you're turning it into like a hypothetical

argument, oh, what people's reaction would be if a country music star, if a country star, if a country star, to help me prove my point. th. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, all thi, all, all their, all, all, all, all their, all their, all their, all their, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all all all, all all all, all all all, all all all all, all, all, all all all all all, all, all all all, all, all all all, all, all all all, all all all, all, all, all their, all their, all their, all their, all their, all their, all their, all their, all, their, their, th. All thi, thee, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their,. But I called my girl, Margot Price, is a Grammy-nominated country star to help me prove my point. Come on, Margo, take it away. Look, I need a hard-hitter, deep stroke, I need a head, a head me to tak, I need a way the snoker. Not a gard snake I need a king cobra. Put a hook in a opening over.

He's got some water baby, that's where I'm headed. Pussy ain't one, baby, just like his credit. I've got a beard, well now I'm trying to wet it. Let him taste, and now he's diabetic. Don't want to sweat. I want to go. I want to go. I want to go. I to go. I want to go. I. I. I to smoke. I. I. I to smoke. I. I to smoke. I. I smoke. I smoke. I. I smoke. I smoke. I smoke. I smoke. I. I to smoke. I to smoke. I. I to smoke. I'm a smoke. I'm a smoke. I'm a smoke. I'm a smoke. I'm a smoke. I'm a smoke. I'm a the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the to go. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I to go. I to go. I to go. I to go. I to go. I to go. I to to to to the the the the the the the the the toooo the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the taste and now he's diabetic don't want to sweat I want to go I want a gag I want a choke wanting to tou some little dangling things swings in the back of my throat head game is fire Hunani day sunny going in a dry baby coming the thigh soggy the samey's going in a dry baby coming out soggy Head game is fire. Hunani, Dea Sonny. It's going in and driving, baby, coming out, soggy.

Ride that thing like the cops' ears behind me. Spit on his mic and now you're trying to sign me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. F*** in this, wet-ass, pussy, babe. Bring me a bucket in a mine. For this wet-ass, pussy, baby. Give me everything you got. Give me everything you got. Give me everything, everything you got. Give me everything, everything, everything you've got.

This wet as, pussy, babe. We'll see how they like that one, Dulce. Damn, Dulce. That was, that was actually amazing. I mean, it's still graphic, but that was amazing. How did you get Mogo Price to do that? You don't know me, Trevor? You think I've been all day sitting at home, organizing my closets? I'm doing things, baby, which reminds me, I gotta find something that starts with cheap.

Bye. Hey, everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, it's going to be coming out every Thursday. So exciting, you'll be saying to yourself, TGID, thank God it's Thursday. We're going to be talking about all the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election. Economics. Earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going tothey talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I

know that I listed that fourth, but in importance it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show withwinning singer, songwriter, and actor, Mary J. Blige. She's here to talk about her new documentary that explores her early days in the music industry and the making of her iconic 1994 sophomore album, My Life. Mary J. Blige, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show.

Thank you. Wow, there are a few people I get to interview or get to speak to who have made more of an impact not just in a genre or in music but in in society you are a soundtrack to a soundtrack to periods of time. You are a soundtrack to emotions and feelings that human beings have experienced over many, many, many years. I mean, you know, with eight multi-platinum albums, with nine Grammy awards, with two Oscar nominations. The list is endless.

You are truly the queen. And now, for the first time ever, we get to see you telling your story in a way that we never have before. My life, the documentary, Mary J. Blige, why the story and why now? Well, about two years ago, the whole world was celebrating the 25th anniversary of my life album.

People were giving testimonies online, and, you know, people, I was running into people, and, you know, the whole thing about, you know, this album saved my life again was coming back up again. So it was time and I felt like it was important to do it years later, you know, on the 25th anniversary. Especially, you know, Nas and I both were on the royalty tour and he was celebrating his 25th anniversary of the Ill-Matic. Right, right. It was just so special, like, it was just time to tell the story because I'm coming from a place of strength now. So

now I go back and revisit and okay it's going to hurt and all that stuff you know to revisit all those times but I'm strong enough now because I've been through so much help that I can talk now. It's really interesting that you bring that up because for many people that's what my life was. What you were talking about was less of a facade. It was this is my life, this is my pain, this is what I'm going through. Looking back on it now, do you think that was cathartic for you as a person? Or do you think it made you relive the pain constantly as you were singing those songs? It was both because I didn't thoughed out of the pain, you know, but it was something

I had to do in order to start the healing process with, you know, without even knowing I was healing. So, just, you know, putting my pain out there and stuff like that was like a cry for help. And then when all the fans responded, it was like, oh wow, now it's a responsibility subconsciously because I can't make anything for you because I'm still in pain, I'm still in hell. So it was, it did so many things that I didn't know it was doing, you know, because while I was in it, it was dark, it was suicide, it was all types of stuff. But then the fans were like, it's saving my life. And now, when I look back, like, later, I'm like, wow, I didn't know I did so much. Yeah, you know, I would love everyone

to watch this documentary because what you do is you strip away all of the facades. You show us what went into Mary J. Blige, my life, in a way that I don't think we ever, ever would have thought. I mean, you show us your journey growing your journey your journey your journey your journey poverty. We see your life when drugs become a big hindrance in your world. We see you going through a world of domestic abuse. We see all of these things happening to you as Mary J. Blige. And it's hard to believe that you survived.

Was there a time when you didn't think that you would see the other side? Yeah, during my life album, I didn't say I was going to make it. During a Share My World album, I didn't think I was going to make it, but I stopped thinking about it after a while and I just started, I just kept self-medicate and trying to check out, you know, and it wasn't until the No More Drama album where it's like, okay, I'm tired of feeling like I hate myself, I hate feeling like I'm to commit suicide. Now I don't want to die, but I don't know how to stop doing this. I don't know what to do. But that was the point where I spoke and said, enough, enough.

And that was a decision that was made. And so I had to choose life. I chose life over my fans for my fans as well for my fans as well because I said if I check out I'm gonna take a bunch of people with me because the fans are so die hard so I chose my life and I chose my fans. Everyone has a different moment when they find that joy when the trajectory of their lives changes from pain, trauma and suffering and it doesn't switch overnight but there's just a turn and I'd love to know what that that turn was that tu that turown was the tho tho thoe that thoe thu. that that thu. thu. thu. that thu. thu. thu. that thu. that thuu. thu-m. thu-moe. that tho-mo-mo-msew-msea thrown was was was was was was tho-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-n. their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their thauuuuu-n.IIIII. thaeooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooeeateateate. toe. toe. toe. toe. for you and what that moment was that changed Mary J. Blyge's life and just took you to a world of healing and starting to live a completely different life. Well, from 1994 to 2016, I've been going through hell. It's been all over the news, everything's, you know, divorce, public, everything.

2016 came, I got out of divorce and that's when I was like, enough. I've done something great. I'm going to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to speak to speak to speak to speak to speak to speak to speak to speak to speak to to to to to to to to to to to to their to to to to to to to to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live to live their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their toooooooooooooooooooooooo.... the the the thea.. the the the the the. I've done something great. I'm beautiful. I'm strong. I'm going to take my flowers now. I'm going to speak to myself in the morning about, you know, positivity and, you know, loving myself and, and finally finding myself, not, not things, because sometimes we, you know, when we're younger, we look at things as success, but things are not success. Success is when you can enjoy the things, you know, and now I could finally enjoy the things and enjoy my life and not feel like I'm in prison and in hell and, and take responsibility for what I did to put myself there.

Yeah, so that's, that's the biggest thing, just taking responsibility for you. And then all that stuff will come out on the outside of you. You gave so much to your fans, but there's no doubt that you also gave so much to hip-hop as an industry, just as a concept. You know, now you hear hip-hop every way. There was a time when hip-hop had the-wishin' the-o'-s. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. to it. And I know a lot of record executives back in the day didn't want hip hop associated with R&B. They didn't want hip hop in any sort of mainstream music. But you fought to have it, not once, not twice, not three times, but on every single song on that album.

What was it about hip hop that Mary J. Blige loved so much, that made you go, you know what, I want to give hip hop a platform in my album, in my world. Well, because growing up in the inner cities and in the projects, hip hop gave us a voice, hip hop gave us, gave us an identity. It spoke our pain, you know, every rapper, you know, it gave us something to dance to. It gave us something to feel swaggy to, to have attitude, to have, to just, you know, wear all of our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our our jewelry and be proud of who we were growing up you know in the inner cities and you know and that's you know hip hop to the to the the the the the the the first Grammy the first to the first try to that and I was proud of that and I'm proud to be the Queen of Hip Hop so. So because hip hop hop is giving me from from the day. From from from from to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to the to to the the the to the the to to the the to the to the to the to the to to to the the the the the th. th. th. tha. tha. the. the. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. te. te. te. true. true. true. true. true. te. true. te. the the the the the thethe first time I heard the funky 4 plus one more and the Sugar Hill gang like I was a little girl. You know, it gave me something, it gave us attitude, it gave us dimension. It just gave us, you

know, the shit that we have. It feels like you're on a different journey and it feels like the monica of queen is going to to just move from one industry to another. I mean, you are the the the queen the queen the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq th. th. the th. thi. thi. thiqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq. thghihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihi. thiiiii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. than. than. than than than than than thi. thi. thi. thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii going to just move from one industry to another. I mean, you are the queen of Hip Hop Soul, you are the queen of R&B. And now, every time we see you on screen, it feels like it's only a matter of time before, we also go, no, Mary Jebiela is also the queen of Hollywood,

because, I mean, two Oscar nominations, is no joke in the movie, thau, thau, thi......... thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi, I, thi, thi, thi, thi, the thi, the thi, thi, thi, thi, the the th. the the the the th. th, th. th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thr. thrown, thrown, thrown. thrown. throwne, together, together, together, teananananananananananananananooooooooooananananananananann. together, together, toe, the, Respect is going to be coming out. You once again, I mean, every time you're on screen, there is something that you give to the audience that goes beyond just the acting. And I would love to know from your side, where do you think that love of acting and what do you think it is about acting that you so seamlessly, and maybe it's not seamless, but it seems so seamlessly slide into it just, it just seems like it is you. Well, when I was a little girl, I was put in a school play, a Christmas play,

by my music teacher, and I did really well. And that was the word in school, wow, Mary did really well, but that was something I had to leave, because living, you know, you, you, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thin, thin, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, that's is that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's thiiiiiiiiii... thi, thi, thito leave because living, you know, where we lived, you know, you couldn't just be happy about anything. So I streamed that there. And then when I got into music business, it came back again. The Jamie Fox show was offered to me and I played all in May and I think it was 1996 or something like that. And then strong medicine came and everybody saw that I could act, you know like, oh, I guess I can. So I'm gonna keep trying. So I just kept pushing for things that would challenge me.

Although I was still singing, that's what I did. I wanted to do that. I always wanted to act, you know, as a little girl. And so when it came to me as a woman, I was like, let when I got the two Oscar nomination that scared the hell out of me because I was just going to do a movie and put all my pain on the table and I didn't know it was going to come back into Oscar nomination so people believe in me now now I got to work harder you know at my at the craft so it's just amazing. Yeah well I'll tell you this as a fan as a fan as just one of the millions and millions and millions of fans

I just want to say thank you for being a soundtrack to our lives Thank you for finding your joy on the other end of that story because all too often Some of our favorite artists never get to reap the rewards of all the things that they've helped create so So we applaud you. We applaud you. thrown. thanks. to. thrown. thrown. thrown. thrown. thrown. thrown. thrown. thrown. thrown. thrown. thr. thr. thr. thr. thr. thr. thr. thr. thr. tho. tho. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. tho. tho. tho. tho. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. th. Thank you. Thank you. th. Thank. Thank. th. Thank. Thank. th. Thank. Thank. th. Thank. th. Thank. Thank. th. Thank. th. Thank. the. Thank. the. the. the. th. the. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to. th. to. th. the. the. the. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. th Oscar. It's inevitable. It's just gonna happen. So I'll congratulate you now because I don't know when I'll see you again. Thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time. Thanks for having me.

Take care. Explore more shows from the Daily Show from the Daily Show, the Daily Show the Daily Show, where you get your podcast. weeknights at 11 10 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Fairmount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show. It's going to be coming out every

Thursday. So exciting. You'll be saying to yourself, TGID. Thank God it's Thursday. We're gonna be talking about all the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election, economics, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're gonna be talking about ingredient these earnings calls. We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread

ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth, but in importance it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast.