Fershgenet Melaku, better known as LoLa Monroe is the artist I chose to write my review on. She is an artist of Ethiopian descent and also has ties to Washington, DC. The artist started writing poems at the age of 12 and her love of music progressed from there. She began making music and modeling for artists like Trey Songz and Kanye West. She even acted in Wendy Williams biopic, Queen of Media. While working in the spotlight she met Wiz Khalifa and signed to his record label, Taylor Gang. She is known as the labels first female artist. Under them she released her first mixtape, “Lipstick and Pistols.” From her background in media you would assume she is a rapper with a lot of range, and from a few of her other songs, I can tell she is. However, I do not believe this songs displays her best qualities. In this remix of Rick Ross’s song, Stay Schemin it’s clear that she is trying to embody the male egotistical style of rap that many mainstream artists portray. She speaks of buying her mother a house and putting her brother through college alongside numerous monetary accomplishments she has achieved or hopes to attain. Many who like this style of rap would enjoy this song. But to me it seems pointless. In class we discussed women in rap who challenge gender norms or evoke protests for change through their music so seeing someone who isn’t doing the same is a bit disheartening. I guess because it’s so rare to see female rappers make it to the top in this industry, I expect more from them. I also expect more because she claims artists who have influenced her musical style include Jay-Z, MC Lyte, Trina, Salt-n-Pepa, Lauryn Hill and Tupac Shakur. Most of them have a deeper message behind their music. The few things I do like about this song would include the flow, the aesthetic of the video and her outfit.
Ashleigh Fields