Les 10 Ladyz : 100% female hip hop

Les 10 Ladyz is an event that turns the spotlight on female artists in urban culture. Women like Amsterdam-based MC Melodee, who has travelled the world with her meaty raps and cool flow. “Hip hop is a male world, but it doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman, it’s about your skills.”

MC Melodee, who started rapping back in 1998, also performs under the name of La Melodia in a duo project with the DJ and producer INT. As MC Melodee, she works with a variety of producers, but she is coming to Brussels entirely alone. “DJ Fatoosan, a friend in Brussels, is performing that day too with Superfly Crew, a Brussels female hip-hop crew made up of DJs, vocalists, photographers, and creative people. We have met before at a number of events and, as this is an all-female thing, it is nice to perform with a woman DJ.”

What kind of stuff do you rap about?
MC Melodee: About things I’m interested in in everyday life. One subject I can always write well about is love, which is an inexhaustible source. And life in contemporary Western society, the pressures it involves, not having time for things. I also write about things that happen in my own life: I travel a lot for the music, meet all sorts of people, do shows... It’s not my aim to shake people up with political lyrics – I wanna spread feel-good vibes.

You took part in Diversidad, a project that brought together rappers, DJs, and beat-makers from the European urban scene. How was that experience?
MC Melodee: Really good. I knew absolutely nothing about European hip hop: I only knew artists from the States. Diversidad brought fourteen MCs and four producers together in Brussels, where over a few days we recorded an album in the ICP Studios. It was great to meet those other artists. Like-minded people: there was a really good vibe. Working with people whom you don’t know, and still creating something good, was a real challenge, really great to do. By the way, I now work closely with Cookin’ Soul, leading Spanish producers whom I got to know via Diversidad. And I have done features with other people from the project.

What is it like being a woman in a hip-hop world that is dominated by men?
MC Melodee: It is a fact that hip hop worldwide is a male culture, but I just do my thing. When you are onstage, it doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman – it’s about your skills. Can you bring those skills to the table? Can you give a good concert? Record your raps quickly in the studio?

So is there any real need for a 100% female hip-hop event like Les 10 Ladyz?
MC Melodee: There is, yes. I set up a platform for female hip-hop artists myself in the Netherlands. What led to that was a question I was often asked in interviews: who are the other female MCs? I didn’t know myself! In cooperation with Studio West, a platform for developing talent, I issued a call for female MCs, DJs, singers, etc. From the auditions eight ladies were selected, with whom we launched the platform Dam Dutchess. A female hip-hop evening like this one in Brussels is good for turning an extra spotlight on women in hip hop.

Les 10 Ladyz • 21/12, 20.00, €8/10, Espace Magh, Priemstraat 17 rue du Poinçon, Brussel/Bruxelles, 02-274.05.10, www.espacemagh.be