Ha, you thought I was a singer, huh? Ms. B gets mistaken for a singer every time she steps on stage. That may be part of the reason she leaves people with the drop jaw when she opens her mouth and begins to flow better than 98% of the rapping population. As a female rapper, the 21 year olds biggest challenge has been defying the stereotypes by being original. I had an identity crisis, Melinda declares. I wanted to embody the silly energy of Missy Elliot, the intellect and realism of Lauryn Hill, and the swagger of Jay-Z at the same time. So I said fuck it, theres no reason why I cant. With that statement, the newest Fem MC on the scene sets the stage for an interesting curiosity into what that recipe may actually sound like.
Born in Orange County, California and raised in western North Carolina, Melinda B is cultured enough to pull off any sonically compelling sound you could think of. Ive been writing music since I was 8 or 9 years old, back when Aaliyah first came out and Keith Murray was killin it. I started writing raps, then I moved to writing R&B love songs and shit, then I found my voice as a hip-hop artist and here I am. With a mother who majored in drama at North Carolina Central University and a father who secretly had a warm singing voice, M bizzy, as her friends call her, was bit by the bug. I was meant for this, theres no doubt. Yall need to hear me and I need to be heard. Ms. B joined a rap group in 2003 with 3 close friends of hers, all talented in their own right. We called ourselves The Movement because we each had our own style and we wanted to blend it all together and show that hip hop isnt just one style or one story...We were just tryin to make moves baby.
That same year, Melinda lost her father suddenly to a brain aneurysm, just 10 days after her high school graduation. When my dad died, I felt like that was the end of MY life, ya know, like there was no way I was gonna ever be successful after this. He was only 53 years old, it just felt so surreal. But instead of giving up, I pushed harder. I had to realize that I didnt have all the time in the world to make something happen...I want my mom to see me make it cuz my dad didnt get to. That following summer the group made their first journey to California to meet with 2Tyte Management out of L.A. Within two weeks they were performing for execs from Interscope and Geffen. Initially they were offered a deal, but nothing ever came of it. In the summer of 2005, Melinda went back to Cali by herself and hit the open mic circuit in L.A., as well as hitting college radio stations, appearing with comedian Redd Grant and freestyling with rap legend Special Ed on the Hedquarter radio show at Cerritos College. Melinda has had much success in '06 as well, performing at legendary spots like The Knitting Factory in Hollywood, The Good Hurt in Venice, and the L.A. favorite, Mixed Nuts Comedy Club. "They say every overnight success is 10 years in the making, and 2007 will be the 10th year I've been doin this, so hey, I'm prepared to be a household name before '08 hits!"
Though solo, M bizzy stays steadily reppin her boys from the Movement everywhere she goes. With 2 independently recorded solo albums, and several mixtapes and albums with The Movement under her belt, Melinda is gearing up to promote her best work yet, her 3rd full length album, The Good. It speaks for itself, its that good ish. I just wanna take it back to where rappers were straight wildin on records, having fun, being real, and being relevant. Im a very humble person, but its impossible for you to sleep on the girl...unless you extra cute. Haha.
