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On: Josie Stingray You’re probably wondering what On: is. Well it’s a brand new, slapdash feature in which we recycle bits of interviews we've carried out for the man! We ask people about stuff, they answer. It’s simplicity itself. You might get Natasha Bedingfield On: Ethical foreign policy, Mark Ronson On: The perfect cheeseboard or Kasabian On: Being shit… Admittedly we’ve set the bar a little high with those examples, but you get the idea. It’ll never last, but while it does we hope you enjoy it. First On: is the mighty Miss Josie Stingray. The Bay Area rapper has impressed the shit out of us on collabs with J*Davey and Trackademicks and it sounds like there's much more to come. As she tells us, "I got Oprah ambitions." Trackademicks - Grocery Bills (ft. Josie Stingray) [mp3] Josie Stingray On: Her sound "It’s funky, raw and refreshing music. I bring tight lyrics that make people think, move and feel entertained. My songs are traditionally hip hop, but with different influences sprinkled here and there. Right now you can catch me listening to anything really. It could be Fiona Apple, Yuckmouth, Estero, Basement Jaxx, or Keisha Cole. It’s definitely a reflection of me as a person. I have had a diverse upbringing so of course that’s reflected in the music. I guess I could call it diversified SLAP! You will not be able to pin me down to one sound ever! I am working on my EP right now. I can't give too many details, but expect a cohesive package of dope music from Josie Stingray late 2007. Production will be handled by 10AK, Trackademicks, and T-Royal as for now. The production of my project is going to SLAP very hard. I will be attending CMJ in New York City in October promoting my project and The Honor Roll. A few shows are coming up so keep checking my MySpace page for updates. I also have a few merchandise projects coming that are going to shake up this whole music game too. I don't just rap y’all. I got Oprah ambitions… That's all I can say about that." …On: The ladies "I like Kid Sister, I think she is real spunky and fresh in her own Chi town way. She is bringing that fun and funky flavor to the clubs! Her stuff bangs! Me and Kid Sister will be doing a song together very soon. Be on the look out for that. I like Ms. Jack Davey from J*Davey. We did a song called Doin My Thang produced by 1OAK. Jack Davey is a beautiful singer and rapper too. Her voice is what really gets me. I swear she is from another planet! Of course, I dig Lauryn Hill. Lauryn was that girl that was repping that MC vibe back in the day. She was the tightest in the group! She was just flipping so hard! She is bloody brilliant. Bahmadia, Apani B Fly, Lady of Rage, Jean Grae, Rah Digga,. all these women I respect. I think that it has always been a good time for female MCs. There has never been too many of us in the game compared to all the dudes. The reason why we are hearing a little more is do to the internet. The internet provides that can-do spirit in everyone. If the music is good then it just spreads throughout the network. When people say the female rapper is gone I just retort with, ‘No, they’re not. They are all on MySpace.’ Tons of them. They are just not seen in the mainstream in multitudes. Don't worry, I'm going to bring her back to her spotlight!" …On: Starting out "I started rapping because I met an MC name Whiz. We started hanging out a lot, talking, listening to music, watching rap videos together. I was tagging on the walls first. My old tag was TOUR. I started getting involved in the whole culture. It was a fascinating new world to me. He was the person that introduced me to the art of rapping. He was introducing me to all this different type of rap music. Souls of Mischief, The Bums, Casual, Del, the Artifacts, the Boogiemonsters… After that it was a rap! I fell in love with the music first, and then I started messing around with putting raps together. Whiz is a great teacher. We would have a lot of discussion about how to formulate a good rap. I paid close attention. He made me realise that words had power. You could do anything with them. All you have to do is think! I know that if it had not have been for him I would not rap the way I do now, nor would I even want to be a MC." Posted by: Scott 09/07/07