Editor’s note: This story is part of That’s My Word, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.
As our celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary continues, we wanted to give a special spotlight to the barrier-breaking women who’ve shaped this music and culture over the decades. On Sept. 14 in our San Francisco event space, The Commons, we celebrated five of them at a night of performances and discussions called Hip-Hop Herstory, which I had the honor of hosting.
The event began with an interview with Kimmie Fresh, who paved the way as one of the first female rappers in the Bay Area to record an album. The artist is now the chef and owner of Kimmie’s Kitchin, a soul-food cafe in East Oakland, where she was born and raised. In the ’80s, the decade Bay Area hip-hop exploded onto the national stage, she made her bold presence known with “The Real Freaky Tales, The Girls Story,” an X-rated Too Short diss track and album of the same name. Kimmie told us the inside story of her version of “Freaky Tales,” and shared some never-before-seen home videos from the early days of her rap career — including one with an MC Hammer cameo.
Next, we heard from RyanNicole, the multi-talented MC, poet, activist, actress and host of What’s Pimpin’?, a vodcast co-produced by KQED. In What’s Pimpin’?, Ryan, Maddy Clifford and Coco Peila break down misogynoir — the intersection of racism and sexism Black women face — and dig into pimp culture and its influence on Bay Area hip-hop. On stage, Ryan discussed why she keeps returning to the theme of capitalism, and how the exploitation of women reflects a larger system of domination.
Rising star Stoni delivered a scorching performance that began with the introspective track “Mental Clarity” and ended with the sold-out audience — which included author Rebecca Solnit and Frisco rap legend JT the Bigga Figga — chanting along to the smack-talking bars of “FTB.” While she caught her breath, we invited mega-talented rappers Tia NoMore (who recently made her critically acclaimed acting debut in Earth Mama) and Alien Mac Kitty to the stage. Along with Stoni, they broke down why it’s important for women to support one another in the music industry, and shared insights about their individual artistic and personal journeys.
