Tiye Phoenix - Half Woman Half Amazin'

Big props to Kev for turning me onto this one!

I must say, I can't help comparing this to Jean Grae's last album because I feel she's pretty much among the elite as far as female rappers go nowadays. But really, I like this a fair amount more than "Jeanius". I may even go as far to say I like the beats more than 9th Wonder's. It's close and comparable, but the production is smoking IMO. Most of all I just like Tiye more than Grae. I like her voice, her rapping/lyricism, and her songwriting more. Hell, I just like her more as a person. I honestly didn't reach for the skip button at all after 3 listens. I didn't think I'd like this more than the Polyrhythm Addicts album from '07, but I'd have to say it's definitely better.

My rating: 4.5 stars

I haven't played it in full yet it is on deck in the ride now. But the ebats is what grabbed my attention at first and Tiye has a strong delivery that imo makes her more alive than Jean. Jean as of now to me is the betta pure lyricists but Tiye will keep you woke.

smddd femcees

KRob86 wrote:

I haven't played it in full yet it is on deck in the ride now. But the ebats is what grabbed my attention at first and Tiye has a strong delivery that imo makes her more alive than Jean. Jean as of now to me is the betta pure lyricists but Tiye will keep you woke.

True. Jean could maybe spit more fluidly, but Tiye has got more style and is just more interesting stylistically and lyrically IMO. Beats are tight. I think you'll dig it.

Okay after one real good listen in the ride this shit bangs. Mos def one of the true good albums of this year. I got it at 4.0 for now because I need more listens before I go higher, want to make sure it's not 1st listen hypes going on.

KRob86 wrote:

Okay after one real good listen in the ride this shit bangs. Mos def one of the true good albums of this year. I got it at 4.0 for now because I need more listens before I go higher, want to make sure it's not 1st listen hypes going on.

Nice. That's what I thought too. I spun it a couple times since and it's still hittin'. Can't say I'm skipping anything yet.

Gotta say Kev. This one is still hitting 4.5 stars after several listens. Holding strong for top 10. Gotta say I dig her way more than Jean Grae now.

Yeah man she has more umph in her delivery and voice. I still can't see why we are the only two to check this album. I can do without that last trk since I heard it on another album already.

KRob86 wrote:

Yeah man she has more umph in her delivery and voice. I still can't see why we are the only two to check this album. I can do without that last trk since I heard it on another album already.

Damn, I had to look it up to find it was on that Little Brother album/mixtape. I didn't even know it was a repeat.

I agree though. Where's everyone at?

KJ? Powell?

I want to check it out, but I haven't had the time or the ends yet. I will give her a listen either through dl, or actual purchase.

I just spinned this again recently and I am still comfortable with the 4.0 rating.

KJ and Powell I really think you guys will dig this album. The production is real good and it fits her style almost perfectly.

KRob86 wrote:

I just spinned this again recently and I am still comfortable with the 4.0 rating.

KJ and Powell I really think you guys will dig this album. The production is real good and it fits her style almost perfectly.

I actually still like it enough to give it 4.25 stars. I actually just got it in the mail today...lol. So I really did like it since I bumped it about 10 times before I bought it. lol

Yo Powell, KJ, and Nor I think you guys are still sleepin on this one. Check it out.

This album is still blazing since it dropped. I really can't say that about all the albums I've bumped since July.

The thing with femcees a lot of them sound the same. Bahamadia prolly the only one with a unique style

Dang! Trotter wrote:

The thing with femcees a lot of them sound the same. Bahamadia prolly the only one with a unique style

I disagree with that entirely. A lot of women try to sound like Lyte but she can NEVER be duplicated. Same with Lauryn Hill.

I'll download Tiye Phoenix. Pounds and Kev have usually been right when giving me recs. She's sexy as hell too!

female mc's are wack, and their albums take up space on the racks at music stores.

T. Myers wrote:

female mc's are wack, and their albums take up space on the racks at music stores.

Stop drinkin all that Haterade son, it kills your brain cells!!

If disliking a sub-standard product makes me a hater, than so be it. I don't watch minor league baseball or the Canadian Football league. Why should i listen to female mc's?

Dang! Trotter wrote:

The thing with femcees a lot of them sound the same. Bahamadia prolly the only one with a unique style

I agree. There are a handful that have unique styles or voices (Bahamadia, Ladybug Mecca, L-Boogie, Lyte, Latifah, Rah Digga, etc...), but a lot of them sound similar.

Tiye Phoenix sounds like Jean Grae sounds like Mystic sounds like Remy Martin. Psalm One sounds like Rah Digga and so on... If someone played that for me without telling me who it was, I would've assumed it was Jean.

That said, I do like Tiye and will be downloading this while waiting for my purchase to come in the mail. lol

I can understand the sentiment toward female rappers, though. I only go for the unique ones myself.

T. Myers wrote:

If disliking a sub-standard product makes me a hater, than so be it. I don't watch minor league baseball or the Canadian Football league. Why should i listen to female mc's?

If you don't want to listen to them I could care less, I just think it's lame and closed minded to hate an MC because of their gender. MC Lyte, Lauryn, Latifah (in her prime) and Jean Grae are excellent lyrically and destroy MANY male MC's.

KJ Styles wrote:

T. Myers wrote:

If disliking a sub-standard product makes me a hater, than so be it. I don't watch minor league baseball or the Canadian Football league. Why should i listen to female mc's?

If you don't want to listen to them I could care less, I just think it's lame and closed minded to hate an MC because of their gender. MC Lyte, Lauryn, Latifah (in her prime) and Jean Grae are excellent lyrically and destroy MANY male MC's.

I'm sure N3R0 is better than a lot of mc's lyrically. It doesn't mean i want to listen to one of his cd's

T. Myers wrote:

KJ Styles wrote:

T. Myers wrote:

If disliking a sub-standard product makes me a hater, than so be it. I don't watch minor league baseball or the Canadian Football league. Why should i listen to female mc's?

If you don't want to listen to them I could care less, I just think it's lame and closed minded to hate an MC because of their gender. MC Lyte, Lauryn, Latifah (in her prime) and Jean Grae are excellent lyrically and destroy MANY male MC's.

I'm sure N3R0 is better than a lot of mc's lyrically. It doesn't mean i want to listen to one of his cd's

Wack comparison, but it's whatever.

It's the same comparison moron

Unless you're calling Jeff a bitch, then you're wrong jackass!!

But even if you are, I doubt he's fuckin with Lyte lyrically.

KJ Styles wrote:

Unless you're calling Jeff a bitch, then you're wrong jackass!!

But even if you are, I doubt he's fuckin with Lyte lyrically.

I never said he was on lyte's level. you act as if being lyrical makes you a great mc. It does not. You fail to take into account quite a bit fool.

1. Does being lyrical make your voice sound good on record?(this is a big problem i have with female mc's)

2. Does being lyrical mean you automatically have a dope flow?

3. Does being lyrical mean automatically have a dope delivery?

I'm sure you'll ramble on about something that has nothing to do with my post, but it's whatever.

If Lyte was a man you wouldn't have an issue with her, nor would you be asking these irrelevant ass questions. But just to humor you I'll answer them anyway.

1. Not necessarily, there are some MC's who's voice isn't that great but have dope lyrics (K-Rino for example) and there's others (Guru for example) who sound awesome on wax but they're average lyrically.

2. Not always, but most great lyricists do have dope flow.

3. I'd say yes to this question. I can't think of any great lyricists who don't have dope delivery. If there are some then the number is very small.

Lyte DEFINITELY has a dope flow and delivery, and I have no problem with the way her voice sounds on wax. I've seen her perform live as well and her voice commands attention as well as most MC's (male or female) have ever commanded. Of course she's not gonna have a man's voice because she's NOT A MAN. I still fail to see your issue with female MC's but it's whatever. I don't care if you don't like them, but to say that they don't belong on record shelves is ridiculous and asinine. Especially when there's TONS of male MC's who are wack, and male rappers outnumber their female counterparts by a large margin.

Wow, you missed the point ENTIRELY.

there are tons of good "lyricists" who's delivery suffers...they usually try to cram too many (big) words into a line and their flow is compromised

T. Myers wrote:

Wow, you missed the point ENTIRELY.

How the fuck did I miss the point???

I answered your stupid ass questions, and I gave you my complete perspective.

I didn't miss shit. If you can't understand what I just said then that's on you.

You can reply with all the bullshit insults you want, and I know you will because you're predictable. But I'm done with this topic.

I think female emcees are generally wack. I can count on two hands how many female emcee albums I own and I do not like any of them. On the other hand I would need several hundred indian goddesses to count the number of male rap CDs I have.

KJ Styles wrote:

T. Myers wrote:

Wow, you missed the point ENTIRELY.

How the fuck did I miss the point???

I answered your stupid ass questions, and I gave you my complete perspective.

I didn't miss shit. If you can't understand what I just said then that's on you.

You can reply with all the bullshit insults you want, and I know you will because you're predictable. But I'm done with this topic.

KJ you're never done with a topic, and you completely missed my point. You ASSUME that i hate female mc's based on nothing more than their sex. Then you respond with (insert female mc) is more "lyrical" than most men. You act like lyricism is the only part of the listening experience, and it is not. I asked you a string of question which you replied to honestly, but somehow you missed the point i was trying to make. Is it possible to think an mc is lyrical and also dislike them based on the other criteria i asked you about? That was the point, and you NEVER addressed that.

T. Myers wrote:

You ASSUME that i hate female mc's based on nothing more than their sex.

Well, you haven't given any reasons for me to believe otherwise

T. Myers wrote:

Then you respond with (insert female mc) is more "lyrical" than most men. You act like lyricism is the only part of the listening experience, and it is not.

I never said it was the ONLY part of the listening experience, but it is a part that's taken under consideration. Other parts include flow, delivery, subject matter, and overall entertainment value. Lyte embodies ALL those qualities, and she's not the only female that does either but I used her as an example because she's the best female rapper IMO.

T. Myers wrote:

I asked you a string of question which you replied to honestly, but somehow you missed the point i was trying to make. Is it possible to think an mc is lyrical and also dislike them based on the other criteria i asked you about? That was the point, and you NEVER addressed that.

That may have been the point you were trying to convey, but it's not what you said or asked so I just went with what was there.

My answer to that question would be yes. There are some MC's who are lyrical but kinda boring IMO. Ras Kass and Tech N9ne are prime examples.

That said, I still don't see why you can't enjoy any female rappers. You've never given a legit reason as to why you dislike them, nor has anyone else in this forum who feels the same way you do. It's not like they're competing one on one against men in sports, it's only music.

Well, i apologize if my questions and point seemed vague. It was clear to me, but i guess that was lost in translation. I have said the reason i can't enjoy a lot female mc's is because of their voice. It just doesn't sound good over an entire album. I can deal with a female guest spot and whatnot, but i am usually turned off by their voice. It's an almost unanimous problem i have with female mc's. I however don't hate them because they female. I don't avoid female mc's, but i do have a hard time liking them. I hope that clears things up for you.

Also, you keep bringing up MC Lyte. If you remember correctly, i voted for her as a top 100 MC. Her skills are undeniable.

Kopasetick wrote:

Dang! Trotter wrote:

The thing with femcees a lot of them sound the same. Bahamadia prolly the only one with a unique style

I agree. There are a handful that have unique styles or voices (Bahamadia, Ladybug Mecca, L-Boogie, Lyte, Latifah, Rah Digga, etc...), but a lot of them sound similar.

Tiye Phoenix sounds like Jean Grae sounds like Mystic sounds like Remy Martin. Psalm One sounds like Rah Digga and so on... If someone played that for me without telling me who it was, I would've assumed it was Jean.

That said, I do like Tiye and will be downloading this while waiting for my purchase to come in the mail. lol

I can understand the sentiment toward female rappers, though. I only go for the unique ones myself.

I agree, but I actually think Tiye is quite a bit different than Jean Grae. Jean's got that whole east coast golden age somewhat hardcore hip-hop thing going down, and Tiye has got a west coast underground sound going on. The topics they rap about are very different too IMO.

IMO...Tiye Phoenix >>>>>>>>>>>>Jean Grae

I agree with you Pounds, I prefer Tiye over Jean a tad. Jean does not hold down an entire album well.

Terry you said you can't deal with their voices so you can't even deal with the ones with imo dope voices like Mia X, Boss, and Rah Digga?

KRob86 wrote:

I agree with you Pounds, I prefer Tiye over Jean a tad. Jean does not hold down an entire album well.

Terry you said you can't deal with their voices so you can't even deal with the ones with imo dope voices like Mia X, Boss, and Rah Digga?

Boss was cool, but nothing crazy IMO. I've never really cared for Rah Digga. I like Mia X though. She was easily one of the most underrated female mc's, and she would probably slay any female mc not named Lyte. Some of the voices i dig are Da Brat, Foxy Brown(i still play the hell out of Ill Na Na), MC Lyte, Salt N Pepa and a few others, but there are far too many that just sound awful to me like Trina, Lil Kim(although i can tolerate her in small doses), Khia, Shawnna, Remy Ma etc..........

KRob86 wrote:

I agree with you Pounds, I prefer Tiye over Jean a tad. Jean does not hold down an entire album well.

Terry you said you can't deal with their voices so you can't even deal with the ones with imo dope voices like Mia X, Boss, and Rah Digga?

Rah Digga is excellent. Her debut album was a 4.25 in my book. Boss and Mia X were one-two hit wonders.

I disagree about Jean not holding down an album well though, Jeanius was awesome. I'd say this effort by Tiye is better, but I'll have to hear more from her before I can put her over Jean.

Eve is an underrated female artist. Her first album is 4.5 stars and I've liked everything she's put out except her last LP. I remember an interview with Jada when he said that Eve was battling dudes in the studio and beatin them all, and I believe it too. She's dope as fuck.

Yeah Eve was nice at first and Da Brat is a top 5 Femcee for me. Rah Digga album is a 4.25 or higher for me also KJ.

I may need to peep Rah Digga again. I remember not being very pleased with her before, but if both of you dig her that much, i'll give her another chance. and Mia X may have only had a few hits, but don't underestimate her at all. She was dope.

Rah Digga is dope. Definitely one of the best ladies in terms of lyrics.