Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Pt. 2 (Say My Name)

"Say My Name" is another one of my personal favorites from the festival. The film spoke volumes about the state of women (femcees) in hip hop. It featured interviews with prominent females in hip hop that include Remy Martin, MC Lyte, Rah Digga, Erykah Badu, and newcomer Estelle whose hit single "American Boy" with Kanye West blazed (is blazing) the radio, charts, and college parties. It also included lesser known, but nonetheless important, female femcees that included Sparky D, Roxanne Shante, Jean Grae, Choc Thai, Invincible and Miz Korona. The femcees came from all walks of life from the Bronx to Detroit to Atlanta to London. One of the more powerful comments of the documentary was a comment stated by Rah Digga. She stated that the names of female emcees are usually much larger than the money they actually bring in. This struck me on many levels. I never thought of the fact that I do know of Remy Martin, Rah Digga, and others but have never actually purchased one of their cd's (with the exclusion of Erykah Badu). This alone harms the market for femcees. As proven in the entertainment market, if it's not selling, record labels are not willing to put their money behind the project. What I particularly loved about the doc was the truth behind the lyrics of the rappers. They strive to stay true to their situation just as a male rapper would do. They want to destroy the image of the oversexualized female in hip hop. An image that often works against the establishment of the more lyrically talented artists. Remy Martin was one, if not the only, female that did not wish to tarnish the image of the oversexualized image of women. She said that she's not willing to knock how another woman makes her money. If that means shaking her ass in a video then, so be it. But, in contrast, the doc was not engulfed in contraversy. It moreso sought to give recognition to the otherwise ghost femcees that inhabit the world of rap. Nirit Peled, formerly from Israel, is the director of the documentary. I was really impressed by her depiction of the different cities and her ability to not only capture the essence of the cities, but also to connect the cities. What connected the cities was hip hop. Her musical score composed of the raps of the femcees and outside sources really made the documentary that much more potent. The lyrics of the femcees are that of their struggle, pain, dreams, fears, hope, and love. Hip hop knows no gender and in a predominantly male dominated realm femcees are definitely gearing up for a takeover.