Lady of rage: "This will be my last album"

[MOB]

​You may know Lady Of Rage from her famous early-'90s hit single "Afro Puffs" that came out like a warning siren from a tough-as-nails sister and featured Snoop Dogg. Her deep, fearless voice bellowed through the speakers on said hit unexpectedly at Epic in Minneapolis on Thursday when Snoop surprised everyone with her introduction. It made the Wonderland High Tour truly memorable and had Twitter going crazy.

Lady of Rage has made quite an impact on hip-hop's timeline with her lyrical style, but has been in hibernation cooking up her next album, Verbal Abuse. Even with her absence from the scene, there was no need for her to don a dark blue prison jumpsuit or have buff men dancing behind bars (circa 1995 Source Awards) to demonstrate how fierce she still is.

 

We sat down with her backstage to catch up on everything from her afro puff styling routine to female emcees, and putting to rest Internet rumors.

CP: Such a pleasure to have you in the house. It was an unexpected surprise that you rolled through Minneapolis on this tour. What have you been up to?

LOR: I have been a hermit. I am creating. My new album coming out is called Verbal Abuse, and I want it to be right. My last album, Necessary Roughness, came out in a time when the empire was crumbling--Suge went to jail, Dre left, 2PAC was killed--everything was in shambles.... So this next project, I want it to be right. I want it the way the first one should have been done. And this will be my last one. Really, I am not motivated. I really don't feel too much love--I will always love the rap game; but me loving to do it? It's not what it used to be. The [music] that is out right now isn't really motivational to me. There aren't too many lyrics- just a bunch of hoopla.

CP: What do you feel is missing in Hip Hop?

LOR: Lyrics. I would like to see lyrical stuff--something that makes me say, "Wow. Did you hear what he/she just said?" to make me wanna go back and be like, "Oh naw, they can't out-do me." Make me want to step my game up. And I'm not hearing that.


full interview here:
http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2009/11/lady_of_rage_su.php?page=2

[Invincible]

Better have some Premo on there.

[Okka]

Better have some Premo on there.

Yeah, she needs to get good producers on the album. I don't wanna hear Rage over Niggaracci beats.

[Invincible]

Better have some Premo on there.

Yeah, she needs to get good producers on the album. I don't wanna hear Rage over Niggaracci beats.

i don't wanna hear anyone over a Niggaracci beat 

I'll take the same production team from Necessary Roughness

[UKnowWhatItIs: welcome to my traps....game over]

Better have some Premo on there.

Yeah, she needs to get good producers on the album. I don't wanna hear Rage over Niggaracci beats.

i don't wanna hear anyone over a Niggaracci beat 

I'll take the same production team from Necessary Roughness

But without Daz haha

[Okka]

Better have some Premo on there.

Yeah, she needs to get good producers on the album. I don't wanna hear Rage over Niggaracci beats.

i don't wanna hear anyone over a Niggaracci beat 

I'll take the same production team from Necessary Roughness

But without Daz haha

Daz had one of the best beats on "Necessary Roughness", but that album wasn't so tight though. Rage should have dropped an album produced by Dre back in '94.

[UKnowWhatItIs: welcome to my traps....game over]

Better have some Premo on there.

Yeah, she needs to get good producers on the album. I don't wanna hear Rage over Niggaracci beats.

i don't wanna hear anyone over a Niggaracci beat 

I'll take the same production team from Necessary Roughness

But without Daz haha

Daz had one of the best beats on "Necessary Roughness", but that album wasn't so tight though. Rage should have dropped an album produced by Dre back in '94.

Thats my whole point, that was back then. I don't think Daz has it in him anymore to produce banging tracks.

[Jimmy H.]

I think the production was on point for Rage's Death Row album but the circumstances were rough. The momentum from "Afro Puffs" was no longer in her favor and the supporting cast at Death Row was, well, someone else already summed that up. It was like her time finally came and the people weren't there no more. I think it's actually an excellent album but people had no real reason to get onboard in a big way.

[UCC]

I think it's actually an excellent album but people had no real reason to get onboard in a big way.

Word - from an MCing point of view it's incredible, she doesn't drop a weak verse

The difficulty for Rage has always been that she's more of a hardcore NY style MC, just MCing style wise, and rocks over Primo beats amazingly... but her sort of core fan base knows her for being over West Coast beats with West Coast guests, etc... so it's a hard to make an album that brings out the best of both sides

[Dre-Day]

she's talked about this album for a while now, how about dropping some more music lol

[Dj.Thirrzty]

I'll support Tha Ladey Of Rage! She's my favorite Lady Mc. Her and Crooked I w/ Snoop on a track would be dope!

[kuruptDPG]

she's talked about this album for a while now, how about dropping some more music lol

exactly and this shouldnt be her ast album, she only put out 1 lol, put some more out

[Okka]

I'll support Tha Ladey Of Rage! She's my favorite Lady Mc.

Yeah, mine too. All she needs to get is some tight beats, she's a beast on the mic.