Posted on 06/12/2009
Female emcees have always been an intricate part to the fabric of the entire hip-hop movement, whether people want to admit it or not. Icons like, Queen Latifah, and MC Lyte, are bonafide mic rockers whose music has, and will continue to stand the test of time in a male dominated industry. When they were in the thick of it all, they leaned only on their ability to write stellar lyrics, which we all know isn’t always the case anymore. Since then, there have been few female emcees who are strictly wordsmiths. Well, there are few that we actually get a chance to hear, at least.

Tiye Phoenix is clawing for her spot amongst the female emcees who strive for lyrical mastery. Her new album, Half Woman Half Amazin’, is definitely a valiant effort to prove once more that women can spit just as hard as men, and that Tiye Phoenix is ablaze.

Standouts include the melodic “Master Plan,” the smooth and quiet love song, “Bless Me,” the hard-hitting title track, and the obvious shiner and album anchor, “Too Late For Us” featuring the vocal stylings of Phonte, where Tiye surely holds her own against the Carolina emcee. Oh, and did I mention that she also sings? Yep, she sings.

Tiye Phoenix is a breath of fresh air, and though this album isn’t necessarily incredible, she has the potential to put a lot of male emcees on notice that the ladies have strong pen hands, and don’t always need gimmicks when pure skills abound. I would love to see her and Jean Grae do something together, and am curious to see how much diversity she has with her flow. On this album, Half Woman Half Amazin’, she overwhelmingly displays a venomous flow, which is awesome, but can become monotonous when it’s an hours worth. Nonetheless, she’s made it clear, she ain’t just some bird. She’s fire.

- Jason Reynolds