Saturday, April 11, 2009

CHI CITY, MAYNE


Teefa - Clever Girl (Intro)

Okay, I'm gonna have to get my late pass stamped for this. I'll admit that I had little idea who Teefa was until this man featured her music in a video recently. I dug it to the point where I HAD to get her music and find any info as it bums me out when something good slides under my radar. Turns out she got a start as one half of a duo called Infamous Syndicate, the other half being Shawnna (currently signed to Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace label). They had some chart success in the late 90s but were dropped from their label. Following a tenure in radio, she released an album independently back in 07 entitled G.A.W. (Grown A$$ Woman). However, unless you lived in Chicago and kept up with the local scene, then you probably wouldn't have known this existed. Which is a shame as the record is all kindsa good.



There's something unmistakably Chicago about the whole affair. The beats bring to mind early No ID and Kanye (sans sped-up vocal samples). There's also something about the aesthetic that makes me recall 90's era Common but nevertheless, the whole thing sounds remarkably fresh. As a rapper, think of MC Lyte's sneer mixed with that consciousness and maturity which underlied Queen Latifah's stuff during her U.N.I.T.Y. days and you're set.

[Teefa MySpace]

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