BELLA- A Female's VOICE in Hip Hop

by JAHI

Yes. This is an artist I represent. My first actually. I thought I would represent a female emcee because it brings the balance that many of you have heard me talk about. Her name is BELLA. She's from my hood, Cleveland, Ohio. Her first full length album is called "The Missing Link," and that is exactly what she is in this fickle world called Hip Hop. Check out some of the lyrics to her last song on the album L.O.V.E...

"Cash rules everything around me/nothing more important than L-O-V-E/watching TV hard for me to understand/how homeless and poor live in the land of plenty/many songs have said it before/we gotta keep saying it until it's no more.."

You can read her bio on her page www.myspace.com/bellahiphop to get her background and full story on how she got where she is. And where is she? What is she doing? How is she getting the streets buzzing or making it happen? Well, first of all she's an African American inventor as well as an emcee. She, along with partner Ace Thomas, invented a muffler that reduces the amount of CO that comes from cars and buses. She talks about the environment in her music as well. Tell me when if ever you've heard a woman coming into the game reppin' the environment. Oh, and The KickDrums produced the track, so you can't front on the BANG. On her album, The Missing Link, she has a song called PSA. Bella says:

"Plug in the mic and watch me go to work/operation clean up the world and save mother earth/unexpected rain clouds are forming/direction result from this thing global warming/Hip Hop better wake up word to Al Gore/we need to do something make more than an uproar.../

I don't know about you, but I listen to what few female emcees we have now in the marketplace, and BELLA is bringing something refreshing to the table to digest. BELLA is also a close childhood friend of Gerald Levert, and will be helping the movement to get a street named in his honor, as well as performing in the upcoming tribute to Gerald Levert in Cleveland with people like Yolanda Adams, Johnny Gill, and many others. In Cleveland, where we chose as a target point to get her music "in the streets," Bella's song, Cleveland Bred is getting major radio spins, club spins by Scratch Master L and many others, and is in all local record stores selling well. Check out some of the lyrics to "Cleveland Bred":

"...bigger than cars and clothes/many styles many flows we workin class hustlas

the future revolution shakin fake playa bustas..."

In addition, BELLA just became the first Cleveland artist to break through the Radio One hater grip to become their first artist in their "Industry Certified Section." WWW.Z1079.COM Yes, that's right. Many of you know I've been putting Kathy Hughes on blast, and at the same time we are getting through. We like to think that's gangsta and proof that change can happen, no matter how small or large it is.

Why is an artist like Bella important? Hip Hop needs feminine energy to balance the equation. Until that happens, Hip Hop will be dysfunctional. In addition, Hip Hop doesn't just need feminine energy on the mic, but we desperately need women who can talk about more issues than those below the belt or money. Quick Hip Hop question? Name 10 female emcees that's out right now. Can you do it? Now, how many of those females are talking about the same things many of the one dimensional dudes are discussing? See my point. Yes, this article is part me plugging my new artist, but even if she wasn't down with me, I would write this anyway. Bella brings a solution. She's fresh and not so conscious that she can't party and have a good time as well. "Bodysweat" and "What U Lookin At" on her album handles the party. "No More Running" and "My Own 2" show that she can be a motivation to young women growing, and "Flows Up" just demonstrates that she's a true emcee. Oh, and SHE WRITES HER OWN RHYMES!! (in case you were wondering) I venture to say that she has one of the most balanced albums I've heard from a female since Eve's first joint or Queen Latifah. Aiight. Don't take my word for it. You want to check her out for yourself? Here's the links. Let's keep building Hip Hop...

BELLA www.cdbaby.com/cd/bellahiphop

Www.myspace.com/bellahiphop