Posted on 04/17/2009
In anticipation of the new J Dilla record, Jay Stay Paid, out June 2nd on Nature Sounds, Okayplayer got the chance to chop it up with none other than Mrs. Yancey, aka “Ma Dukes.” Despite her recent diagnosis with Lupus, a disease that contributed to her son’s untimely departure, and ongoing estate woes (which OKP was legally advised not to broach), Ma Dukes maintains a light so very bright and sprawling as the Aurora Borealis. She’s a rare paragon of positivity, an example of motherhood done right and proof that it isn’t necessarily who or what you lose, but what you do after. The average human could have easily buckled under her circumstances, but not Ma Dukes. To her, it’s all about the love; it’s all about the music and the message. In essence, Maureen Yancey is the Dalai Lama of rap moms. And this is what makes her proud.