Queen of Capital City Hip Hop
With poetry as the influence Cha’keeta B the emcee was born. From writing her first bars in the back of the class to the hook she spits from her debut album, this Austin emcee has the content, creativity, and lyricism to breakout to the next level in the music industry. Unique indeed with the aggressive tone of Da Brat, the tempo of Eve, and the confidence of Lil Kim, the future of female emcee looks very lovely going forward in hip hop. On the first day of Black History month it is fitting that I sat down with the Capital City queen of hip hop. At Austin’s iconic Kick Butt Coffee we learned what created the fun sized emcee with the gigantic punchlines. We covered everything from paying homage to Queen B to love & relationships. It went a little something like this...
WBW: “So I did some research and I heard that you started out as a poet”
Cha’keeta B: “I started out in middle school but didn’t take it serious until high school”
WBW: “Did poetry drive you to want to be an emcee”
Cha'keeta B: “Only when I started hanging with other musical artist did I consider it”
Stubborn in her artist craft she was not so keen to the idea of becoming a rapper. In her words, “No I’m a poet I do poetry”. Well as we know, someone telling a story in most all musical forms is a poet. So rapper and poet are one in the same. After hearing “whats the difference” whenever she encountered her musical friends, she decided to give it a chance. After completing her first few tracks to see how unaffiliated ears would respond to her new craft, the response was welcoming from the hip hop community. “We like your sound” & “You bring something different” are statements that she heard most often from new listeners. She then considers this a calling since never having any musical interest before then. This validation gave her the energy tackle the Austin Hip Hop scene.
WBW: “What were your musical influences as you trained to become an emcee”
WBW: “Your attitude and aggressive style reminds me of Da Brat”
Cha’keeta B: “I might not be able to quote all her songs but yes our styles are similar”
Its refreshing to see when a female emcee brings that raw aggression and confrontational attitude to the bars. This will be quite the surprise to new listeners as she informs any artist claiming to hold the torch and wear the crown for texas, that you better bring your best because she’s got the lyrics to put you to the test.
WBW: “How have getting collaborations in Austin’s music culture been”
Cha’keeta B: “Its actually been really easy, because I’m the type of artist that puts off a vibe that makes it easy for any artist to work with me”
Cha’keeta B: “I put together the concepts, wrote the verses and hooks then reached out to the artist that I wanted to work with and they were all for it, its been a blessing”
WBW: “What was the track that you feel made you hot?”
Cha’keeta B: “Salute Me Bruh”
Cha’keeta B: “It wasn’t the actual track, it was all the good that came with it”
WBW: “Tell me about the Kinky Kurly Coily Fest?”
Cha’keeta B: “I was able to perform with a live band which was a different feel”
During the conversation it was clear that performing and collaborating to bring fresh new music that is outside of the box is something that drives this artist. The success of the poetic emcee’s track “Salute Me Bruh” brought a host of new opportunities which she has turned into positive and profitable outcomes. Which has led up to her debut album. It wasn’t always sunshine and smiles, every story has a some pain with a little bit of rain. Just check out how the artist first performance turned out.
WBW: “Talk about the butterflies of your first performance”
Cha’keeta B: *laughing hysterically*
Cha’keeta B: “It was a small venue but it was packed so I was nervous” “I didn’t know when I was going on” “By the time it was my turn to go on stage” *laughs and giggles* “There was nobody left” “It was only my mom, sister and two drunk dudes”
WBW: “All the great ones have some type of story like this” *laughing while talking*
Cha’keeta B: “At the end one of the drunk guys came up to me and said” “Oh my God you are amazing!” “You’re going to be a star”
WBW: “It’s these type of people that see the success before anyone else”
All great performers have some type of trials and pitfalls before they reach the height of success. If it were easy everyone would be a star and there would be no reason for me to be writing this story. When you have stumbling blocks it makes you work harder and dig deeper into your craft. Which will ultimately help you produce timeless projects. Thats where quality of the music trumps the amount of music you release. In her words “I want to give you great music in small doses”. As a hip hop junkie I appreciate artist that don’t over saturate the market. It does not give the fans time to truly digest and connect with the music. Listeners are always more appreciative of the music when waiting for the next project to drop. Whether it be a 4 song EP, mixtape or album fans love knowing that you put time into the project.
WBW: “Lets get into this album” “Flex, the first song, “A real hip hop track” “You came out hard right from the jump” “Were you sending a message?”
WBW: “Were you taking any personal shots?”
Cha’keeta B: *turns head and laughs*
Cha'keeta B: “I wouldn’t even call some of these people artist”
WBW: “Made me think of that controversy around the Austin top 10 list”
Cha’keeta B: “Well I did create the song around that time, some of that bs did spark some creation of the track”
Beef is what hiphop was founded on. Who doesn’t love good competition on wax? I know has a fan of lyricism, I graciously welcomed Cha’keetah B’s comments about other rappers in Austin. It should add fuel to the current culture of music in the capital city. I’m pleased to see which emcee will step to the challenge as claiming the top spot to wear the crown. So get ya hot 16 ready!
WBW: “My favorite track on the album, Lost Girl. Definitely a very powerful poem”
Cha’keeta B: “I wrote that years ago, 2012 I believe”
WBW: “What was the motivation behind that piece”
Cha’keeta B: “I’ve been around some things, I’ve seen some things, and now relationship problems on are display for the world to see”
Cha’keeta B: “I knew if I put the piece in a body of work it would be better received”
Cha’keeta B: “Poetry is supposed to make you feel something”
With any musical artist, there comes a point in the creative process that their personal experiences will be told either through a first or third person perspective. Many songs around love are just that. As with the case of the next two songs that we discuss from the “2 Incomparable” album.
WBW: “Tell us the stories behind ‘Love You Better’ & Fall Back”
Cha’keeta B: *blushes nervously and laughs while looking away*
WBW: “I knew there was a story”
Cha’keeta B: “Love you better was paying homage to the Lil Kim & Mary J song”
Both: “I can love you, I can love you” *laughs*
Cha’keeta B: “Fall back was derived from personal experiences about a situationship that didn’t get the full attention to blossom”
Beef in the bars, love in the hooks and poetry in the heart, one would probably think that this album was produce and released in 1998 and not 2018. However, we’ve seen a different turn in hiphop as of recently from the female emcee’s bringing soul touching content with heavy influenced 808 production. Even with such serious content and memorable word play, Cha’keeta B was till able to make us get up and dance or groove in the car on that Friday afternoon ride home from work preparing to unwind for the weekend. Her song ‘TGIF’ is that next great Friday anthem! In the likeness of Zane’s ‘Hey Mr DJ’, Nicole Ray’s ‘Make it Hot’, and Da Brats ‘Funkdafied’ you’ll definitely be turning your radio knob all the way up and blowing out the speakers in the trunk. This is a body of work that crosses over time periods, you can’t tell if its new music or old music just recently discovered. Which means it covers all age ranges as well. When an artist says “I just wanted to give you that 90s feel good music” you can be assured your ears are in for a treat. Be on the look out for the Queen of Capital City Hip Hop.
