Solo Sexx

Well, it finally happened.
Old year transitioning to new year. We break it all up into digestible yearly morsels. It’s how we humans organize our history. I, and we, being humans, put periods at the end of every 12 months of music, art, film, whatever. At the Hassle we do Year End lists, and I always, fer sure do a list of my very fav local releases. And then also, fer sure, there’s a record or two or more that I hear early in the next year that I wish I had heard before that period was put in place so that I could have fucking included it.

SOLO SEXX and their EP is one of those records. Came out right before Thanksgiving, 2015. 6 tracks. Two MCs and a DJ. Vulga Vulva (Heather), Julez (Velvet Vulture), and DJ Casio Brass (Slim Tim). And it is a truly shockingly awesome batch of underground hip hop. From right here in Boston.

Hmmmmm… maybe this gang is the spark to light the ever sleepy Boston underground rap scene.* Never mind what they might be though, here on their EP they are a very, very fun, living collage of some of the best facets of hip hop over the last 30 years. MISSY ELLIOT, DEATH GRIPS, PUBLIC ENEMY, SALT N’ PEPA, MIA and plenty of other groups pop and underground show up as part of the DNA of SOLO SEXX. It’s a really potent mix all projected through a female fronted counterculture prism of now.

One of my fav tracks has got to be the take down track “Hipster Chick”, chock full of the sirens and funk of TERMINATOR X and DJ PREMIER. Meanwhile Heather & Julez spit all about phonies while spreading real class consciousness. “Jacket Girl” is also incredible, reminiscent of MISSY’s flow (with occasional well placed soulful asides) over DEATH GRIPS vibe production, wobbly bass colliding with psychedelic feels. This one is probably my favorite of the bunch when it comes down to it. Honestly though, all six tracks point to an insanely bright future for this trio. Can’t wait to hear more and see this crew live.

Some choice slices from within:
“I aint’ a cracker cuz I’m fried like a frito” from “Drugz (Do You Have It)”

“My indie playlist… Catch you all off guard.” also from “Drugz (Do You Have It)”

&

The DEVO samples throughout “Party Muzik (Baile Funk)”

ALSO, check out the band’s About @ https://solosexx.wordpress.com/:
“Solo Sexx are 2 rip-rollin’ riotous girls from Boston & Amherst, MA. We’re ready to get your brains fried and your no-no spots electrified, Solo Sexx is a big middle finger to a consumerist, male-driven circle jerk of a hip hop game that’s been played against itself for far too long.

With a fearless sense of humor and a no-holds barred attitude, Solo Sexx turns the hip-hop hypocrites on their head and leads fans to a whole new horizon: with homemade beats and outta sight rhymes! Solo Sexx proves that the alternative to the add-water-and-stir rap chumpitude is funkier, fresher, and just plain sexxier than ever before.”

*I honestly hope that I am so wrong, and that I am just somehow ignorant of a thriving Eastern MA rap scene. So let that hate email rain!! I’d love to know what I’m missing. - Boston Hassle

I have never been so happy to sweat so profusely in a smelly basement as I was last weekend when I saw Solo Sexx, a Massachusetts-based female rap duo, perform at the Cantab Lounge in Central Square in Cambridge. I felt so empowered by their spirited performance that by the end of their set, I was ready to tear off my bra and burn it right there on the dance floor.

Female rappers are… rare. Being a solo act, as opposed to accompaniment, is even rarer. With the exception of pioneering female emcees such as Queen Latifah, Lil’ Kim, Lauryn Hill, and Salt n Pepa, as well as some more modern lady emcees like Missy Elliott, Jean Grae, Nicki Minaj and Remy Martin, rap and hip-hop have been predominantly male scenes since the first days of the genre. A lot of the mainstream criticism of rap has been its frequent objectification of women, and in more recent years, the provocative portrayal of women in music videos.

As one who is a big fan of the genre, even though I gravitate heavily towards underground hip-hop, I sometimes find it difficult to relate to the music I love because the only women in the music are the women they talk about in the songs. While this does not diminish my affection or enjoyment of the music, I still have a great unfulfilled desire to hear music written and performed by women who are not afraid to express themselves in a music scene that is widely considered dismissive of women.

The ladies of Solo Sexx, Heather and Julie, are two very talented women blessed with the gifts of good rhythm and a way with words. They are not afraid to be themselves, to perform as exuberantly as possible, to interact with the audience, and especially to make you sweat. They write great rhymes and make beats that are reminiscent of old school rap from the early nineties. As they say so eloquently in our interview, they strive to “give permission” for other women to not be afraid to let go and have fun and to embrace being a woman.

Courtesy of
RICK DESILETS/QUIET LUNCH MAGAZINE.

Prior to their performance at the Cantab Lounge, the two lovely ladies of Solo Sexx and their DJ, Slim Tim, chatted with me about their music, their activism for the legalization of marijuana, about empowering women, and many other things, as you will see in our interview below.

For the first time since its inception, The First Act will present the interview to you in the form of a video, filmed by the talented Rick Desilets. As is always my esteemed honor with this column, it gives me great pride to introduce you, dear readers, to Solo Sexx. Enjoy. - Quiet Lunch Magazine

QWIMB Q & A
What brought you to Boston?
Heather Mack: I grew up in the ‘burbs, moved out to Wild Western Mass to get weird for 5 years, then when I graduated from UMass decided it was time to take my chance on the “big” “city” of Boston. I’ve been here ever since!
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Have you experienced a strong scene for queer women in the city in terms of music/performers etc?
Heather Mack: I think Boston is incredibly lucky to have a fierce faction of queer feminist badasses involved in all aspects of artmaking, from promotions to production to burlesque to punk rock and everything in between. The best part is, although the queer scene is relatively small, people are LOUD about it–in one week you might have Queeraoke, WTFQueerlesque, and Pink Noize, all unapologetically loud and raucous queer, feminist events happening at all different parts of town. And for the most part it’s pretty inclusive, like a big weird rainbow family you just might not have met yet. We freaks tend to stick together, and it makes a big difference.

Do you have any sense of a history of a queer scene in the city?
Heather Mack: The first “queer” event I ever attended in the city was probably Rocky Horror back when it was in Harvard Square–I was just a little tyke back then! Since then I’ve felt incredibly blessed by all of the opportunities I’ve had to be involved in the queer scene, as a performer and as a fan. I’m not so sure about the scene’s “history”, since I didn’t really start identifying as queer until college out in W.Mass where I frequented queer events for the first time, and only since coming to Boston about 5 years ago have I gotten really involved in this scene in particular. Either way, I’m pumped to be out here making new queer history with so many awesome artists and visionaries, and I gotta say, the future’s looking bright!
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What made you decide to join a band?
Julez:Being around creative people during those crucial college years who were also experimenting with music and constantly producing art of all genres. For me, the beats came first and I owe a lot of my early inspiration and motivation to that core group of creative friends.

Heather Mack: Julez really says it best, we were just incredibly lucky during our college years to have been part of a chaotic cotillion of psychedelic musicians, artists, visionaries and weirdos that had our own unique culture and community where everyone was not only free, but encouraged to experiment with everything, especially art. I had started a punk band when I was in high school called The Bush Administration and even though we didn’t take ourselves seriously I was really addicted to the feeling of shocking people onstage with something they didn’t expect, or would otherwise dismiss. I also already had an instinct for having a fully female fronted band performing songs that were filled with innuendo, and that riotous, raunchy energy provided the foundation for my later music. In college I was part of a crew of dudes who were into hip hop and freestyling, then Julez transferred to UMass and everything got kicked into overdrive. She went home for winter break and taught herself to make beats, by the time she got back we were writing songs for just the two of us. That’s when we created “Solo Sexx”–the name is a reference to going solo, pleasing yourself first, and knowing that sometimes you just gotta do it on your own, you know?

Are there any artists that you look up to or who have inspired your own music?
Julez: DJ culture has always been a big influence on me. I was always trying to recreate the way DJs mix different sounds and samples together. So our beats reflects that.

Heather Mack: AAAH! So many. Rupaul, Kate Bush, GG Allin, TT The Artist, Rye Rye, Santigold, MIA, Buzzcocks, 90s house divas, Cakes Da Killa, PWR BTTM, David Bowie, Amanda Palmer, Missy Elliott, Downtown Boys, Mykki Blanco, Big Freedia, the Shangri-Las–bands who challenge the status quo, defy gender roles, and just make badass music that challenges you to think critically while also having an absolute blast on the dance floor.

Do think things are getting better for queer female performers or are there still barriers to overcome?
Heather Mack: The internet is bringing things to a whole new level in a really positive way–I think queer female performers are getting much more visibility, and more and more celebrities are coming out as genderqueer and trans and sexually fluid, so that’s helpful in terms of breaking down old narratives and stereotypes around gender and sexuality. I also think there’s been a push to create intentional queer DIY spaces where those artists are not only welcome, but explicitly sought out and celebrated. The more visibility there is, the more we are able to give permission to other queer female or trans or genderfluid artists to be fully, wildly themselves–and to support one another in the process. I’m also pumped that venues tend to be really open to having queer events or having queer identified bands perform, and I’m happy to be able to host events like that too–like our upcoming Queer Women in Hip Hop night.

closeupHeatherYAW

Are you in any other bands?
Heather Mack: Nope! But I am in the Boston League of Women Wrestlers.

What has been your proudest moment as a member of a band?
Julez: Performing on stage at the weed rally in Boston a few years back! Such a huge crowd- felt like a rockstar.

Heather Mack: My favorite part of being in a band is the reactions we get from the crowd. Although every single show we invariably have some crew of (usually) dudes come up and say some version of “I thought you were gonna suck, but you were amazing!” and it’s always satisfying to know that you smashed a stranger’s perception of you, that’s not what makes me proud. What’s really incredible is when young women come up to us and tell us that we showed them that it’s possible to be a woman who raps and rocks crowds, and that we inspired them to try to make music too. As much as we do it for ourselves (hence the name, again), those moments are what sustains us and make us really proud of what we’re doing. That’s why we also love to do events for badass organizations like Yes All Women, Human Rights Campaign, and Girls Rock Camp Boston–because we know we’re offering up our art to help contribute to a positive, supportive community where people of all genders and sexualities have the resources they need to rock out in whatever way they choose.

What advice would you give to a woman thinking about starting a band or learning an instrument?
Julez:YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE! Seriously don’t be afraid to take that first step, and don’t doubt yourself too much. And if you’re lucky and the ideas and creativity starts flowing early on DON’T SLEEP ON IT! Make the most of it- it’s a precious commodity.

Heather Mack: DO IT! Make mistakes. Write a song, then scribble it out and start over 20 times. Then stop scribbling things out and embrace every flaw as a foundation for something fabulous. Go see local shows and discover new heroes. Make friends with your heroes. Book shows with your heroes! Don’t wait for other people to do things for you–learn everything you can by throwing yourself into it. If you feel like there aren’t enough cool venues in Boston, create one. If bookers don’t want to book a hip hop show, bypass them and book shows yourself. Make other amazing friends who create weirdo art and love you for it and hold you accountable to your aspirations. Be reckless, fearless, and bold–even if you’re terrified. There’s no time like the present–and life’s too damn short to be boring!

Are there any other current or former bands you would like to see featured by QWIMB?
Heather Mack: Check out Afro Panther (iamafropanther.soundcloud.com) and Billy Dean Thomas (facebook.com/billydeanslist), two artists who will be performing along with us at our upcoming Queer Women in Hip Hop showcase at the Lilypad, January 30th! - Yes all Women Boston