Don't tell me women don't have stories to tell...
Penelope Jones
A lot of times, females are not accepted in hip-hop unless they have the stamp of approval from a man. I want to come out and be successful on my own terms. I'm delivering a message straight from my own life. It's not pretty and it's not sugarcoated, but its all mine. And I know that people from all over will be able to relate to it.
St. Louis native Penelope Jones is raising the bar for female lyricists. With her brash, uncut delivery and real-life tales from the street. Shes armed with a poignant perspective into her world, representing for all of those who can relate to struggle and survival.
Born into a family who has always had one foot firmly planted in the streets, Penelope Jones grew up seeing it all, up close and personal. I was raised by my mom and my aunts and uncles, she explains. It was chaotic because they were all hustlin' at one time or another.
Jones watched and learned while branching out in another directions as well, picking up an early love for writing. I always wrote, she says. From poems to R&B songs, it was just one of those things I could always do well. By the age of twelve, Penelope was rapping alongside her male cousins for fun. By 16, she was in and out of a few rap groups. I still didnt really take it seriously, she says. It was just something to do.
While hip-hop was just a hobby, the drug game had morphed into her career. Penelope became a single mother who didnt see many options outside of the family business. While still a teenager and in love, she owned up to her boyfriends misdeed and to protect him from getting jail time, she copped to his charges and received probation.
Continuing to juggle life on the streets and life in the studio, Penelope Jones joined an all-male rap group and began garnering attention from major labels for her wicked flow and caustic verses. In the meantime, her hometown friend Nelly became an overnight sensation, putting St. Louis on the map. Nelly's management team eventually approached Penelope about signing to the label, but after the paperwork was signed, Penelope found herself in federal prison, where she would remain for almost three years for being involved in a drug sting that involved her family.
A family member cooperating with police gave information about Penelope and eight other family members, all of whom were arrested on various charges. But it would be in prison where Penelope finally began to reevaluate her life. I got my big break and went to prison instead, says Penelope. The first thing I did was get my GED. I took the test and passed, two weeks later I was tutoring other people for the test. Penelope graduated from the business program with a 3.5 GPA, directed musical shows in the prison and also earned a license to be a personal trainer.
Upon her release from incarceration, she began working on a demo that eventually brought her to the attention of Sylvia Rhone. I've been around nothing but men in power. Talking to Sylvia about women in this industry was an experience. With her history of supporting women in hip-hop, from Missy to MC Lyte, I just knew I wanted to work with her.
The result of Penelope's experiences, the good, the bad and the ugly, have been transformed into a stunning rap album that brings respect and straight-up rhyme skills back to the forefront of the female MC genre. Women are more than objects in videos, they're mothers and fathers. We hold our men down when we have to, explains Jones. I was in prison with women who are locked down for everything from drug dealing to killing. So don't tell me women dont have stories to tell.
With top-notch production from Jazzy Pha, and Nimrods (Nelly, Bow Wow) among others, Penelope delivers an album that has the sassiness of Eve combined with the intellectual ferocity of Lauryn Hill. She can name check her favorite Jimmy Choo shoes in one breath while warning anyone who dares to get in her way in the next, as she does on My Shoes, a hardcore track with west coast sensibilities. Jones doesnt shy away from the stories that make up her life. On the female empowerment anthem, Miss Me With That Foolishness, she quickly dismisses anyone who doesnt understand her strength.
The talented female MC doesnt hesitate to address the topics that affect her community. She discusses the women who do jail time for their men on My N***a and talks to her children and single mothers everywhere on Father Figure. Penelope's serious side doesn't mean that she can't get the party started. One of the highlights of the album is a custom-made flip of the legendary party anthem Louie Louie, where Penelope melds the ultimate party song into a homage to her hometown of St. Louis.
While many rappers say they want to be versatile, Jones is one of the few who can deliver. She hits all cylinders on her album, sensitive and sexy, telling her man exactly what she wants, as she does on Waiting For, or she can be bare-knuckle raw, telling a man to skip the niceties on I Just Wanna. Penelope relies on her wisdom in and out of the studio and expresses them, in the end, I hope my words help someone who is on the path I was on, or inspire someone to stay on the right track.
A woman who is brash, bold, sensitive and unafraid to speak her mind is just what hip-hop needs right now - and that's Penelope Jones.