Although heavily dominated by men, the world of Russian hip-hop does have its female representatives and talent. In this post, I will briefly explore one of those names. Namely, the female rapper known as Lady Iguana Rapmamma. Otherwise known as "Mamma Tee", her presence in the world of Russian rap is mostly of the "underground" variety, her name completely absent from all available (Western and Russian) scholarship on the genre. However, that doesn't mean that she's unimportant, a justified but all-together flawed correlation. Rather, her place in the scene seems to be a valorous one, given that she is (as of 2018) a signed artist to the Russian label "MyHooD Recordzz", founded in 2011 by "D'yadya J.i aka Mista Uncle aka Tha Rapfatha". However, the label is relatively new.
A concise biography of her career is not available, nor is any account of her position within Russian rap and her popularity therein, but a short interview (in Russian) can be found in a video posted by the correlating YouTube channel by her label. In the video's description, she is described as the "the only real female rap in Russian", although this is not technically true given that other female rappers in Russia like Instasamka (real name Daria Evgenievna Zoteeva) exist. One could argue that IC3PEAK, whose lead singer is a female, count as female rappers but due to their closer aesthetic connection to punk over rap and hip-hop, by my understanding they are not included. In any case, it is true that this female rapper is a novelty within Russian rap, and dedicated scholarship and a serious look into her career is needed to fully record and understand her novel role within the domestic environment of Russian hip-hop. I hope to write an article of this topic in the near future.
One Hip-Hop.ru forum reveals some popular thought of the rapper, one commenter praising DyaDya while having a much cooler and jagged response towards her, "D'yadya is cool, Iguana in black rap bondage." Overall, sentiments are split on the rapper it seems but the general consensus is that her rapping is relatively weak and uninspired. It's true that her rapping is not especially galvanizing, the clip below a good indication of her beginner level and clear lack of rhythmic vitality, dynamic flow, and musical intricacy other rappers have. But this is not a negative, as her style seems to be more down-to-earth and relatable, rather than heavily produced and pruned. It seems she is at the beginning of her career and has not had as much experience within the rap world as others, although such considerations are merely supposition in absence of any credible information on her career. Overall, the thread doesn't provide any useful information but it does demonstrate the coldness shown towards females in Russian rap if their skills are not of a certain, "respectable", level, and the tendency to sexualize their bodies rather than address their particular skills (or lack thereof).
Perhaps an enigma, or the sign of a larger movement, Lady Iguana Rapmamma is certainly a historical figure in the world of Russian rap, and the (hopeful) object of study in the future.
Comments