“I’m not here to say what I’m gonna do. When I was 17, I put out an album while my mother was dying of cancer…That’s hard…that’s tough for anybody…But, my music will speak for itself…my mother will be proud…my father will be proud. And nobody can stop me. Period.” – Lil Mama
Lil Mama begins her new EP with her own words as they were stated tearfully during a radio interview. On Take It Back, the rap mistress flows over hard beats and offers punchy bars, making it clear folks now that memes won’t knock her down. She’s been through some things in real life. She makes a compelling argument after listening to Take Me Back, where the Brooklyn beast flows effortlessly in the grand borough’s tradition.
AllHipHop got with the still-young rap mistress on a warm New York afternoon and got her take on a myriad of topics from social media to Top 5 DOA to memes.
#Hashtags
Each song on Lil Mama’s new project is titled like a hashtag, an intentional act to recognize the power of social media. “What better way to you know get my track listings than to put a hashtag as my numbers and use hearts, because I want people to share and like it for my numbers,” the lyricist tells us.
#Creative process
“If we talking ‘take me back,’ Take Me Back was all of these tracks that I felt were my favorites I pulled them up off YouTube and I just work them. I listen to the record I listen to the instruments in the record create hooks, create verses,” she explains.
Lil Mama is known for taking your favorite 80’s & 90’s beats and record and remaking them into music that fans can’t help but do the Kid-N-Play kickstep to. The 80’s and 90’s give her a wealth of music to sample. “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & EZ Rock get dusted off and updated. Lil Mama puts a spin on Snoop Dogg’s classic “Gin & Juice”. On the project, the New York rapper really emphasizes her love for all hip hop and the foundation. She ventures back to the days when her father first planted those hip-hop seeds deep into her creative consciousness.
She says, “This young cat (her dad) raising his kids. I came up in that era. So when I think back to ‘Gin & Juice’ like that’s the feeling I get sitting down with these dudes.”
#Top5DOA
With all the top 5 dead or live talk brewing up throughout the year and throughout hip hop history period. We asked Lil mama if she could be stuck in the studio with five people working on a project who would join her. Wasn’t surprise to find some dope some female artist and some New York rap legends on her list.
“Everyday in camp it would definitely be Jay Z, it will be Biggie Smalls, it would be Jadakiss, it would be Lauryn Hill, it would be Mary J. Blige. “
Affectionately, she speaks on her profound respect for the late, great Big L.
“My flow is immaculate and that man’s (Big L) flow was impeccable the way he rhymed. His sh*t hit. “
Listen to Take Me Back:
