NEVER SAY NEVER: ELEVEN EGO CRUSHER

HARLEM, NEW YORK | ELEVEN EGO CRUSHER

INTERVIEW TERRELL “REALIFE” BLACK

VALIDATED: WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF FEMALES IN HIP HOP CULTURE?

ELEVEN: I REMEMBER ONE CHRISTMAS MY PARENTS BROUGHT ME ONE OF THOSE PLASTIC RECORD PLAYERS AND HE PLAYED “RAPPERS DELIGHT”. ALSO, I HAD A MASSIVE CRUSH ON MC LYTE IN JR HIGH SCHOOL. THEN I HEARD “BAD MAMA” BY ROXANNE SHANTE... BRUTAL!

VALIDATED: WHAT ROLE DO YOU FEEL THE “FEMALE RAPPER” PLAYS IN NOT JUST RAP BUT HIP HOP CULTURE? 

ELEVEN: I  FEEL FEMALES PLAY A IMPORTANT ROLE IN ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY’RE THE CREATORS. IN HIP HOP THEY BRING A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE... EVEN AS A MAN I WANT TO HEAR WHAT'S ON A WOMAN MIND. IF A MAN DISRESPECTS WOMEN HE NEEDS TO CHECK HIS SEXUALITY. 

VALIDATED: YOU’VE MENTIONED THAT YOU NOTICED THAT FEMALE RAPPERS GET A BAD REP IN MEDIA BECAUSE THE INDUSTRY ACTS LIKE MORE THAN ONE CAN’T CO-EXIST, WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

ELEVEN: IN 2011 UNIVERSAL RECORDS TOLD ME THEY WANTED A FEMALE ARTIST BUT THEY WANTED ME TO BE THE MIDDLEMAN SO THEY WON’T DEAL WITH THEM. NOW THEY SEE IT'S PROFITABLE, EVERYONE SIGNING THEM BUT I THINK AT THE TIME IT WAS WHO WAS THE "BADDEST BITCH" AND FEMALES BLACK BALLING OTHER FEMALES.

VALIDATED: YOU STARTED “SHE GOT NEXT” IN 2008 AS A DOCUMENTARY TO SHED LIKE ON THE FACT THAT ALL OF THE MAJOR AWARD SHOWS ELIMINATED THE “FEMALE RAPPER CATEGORY”, WHAT WAS THAT PROCESS LIKE?

ELEVEN: I DIDN'T KNOW I’D BE GOING HEAD TO HEAD WITH MAJOR CORPORATIONS, TV NETWORKS AND RECORD LABELS. I JUST GRABBED A CAMERA  AND STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS. THEN I STARTED DEVELOPING TV SHOWS AND GETTING TASTEMAKERS ON BOARD AFTER THAT IT WAS EITHER RESISTANCE OR THEY OFFERED ME JOBS TO THROW ME OFF.

VALIDATED: WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE DOCUMENTARY? 

ELEVEN: EVE AND THE VERY 1ST ONE WAS BABS (QOTR, MAKING THE BAND), I WAS ALREADY TALKING TO LADY LUCK ON MYSPACE BUT BABS HELPED SEAL IT. YEAH, I SAID MYSPACE... ALSO SARA KANA, LAMAR RUCKMAN (TYLER PERRY), BIG DADDY KANE, DANA DANE , AJ (106 & PARK), MONIFAH, SNOOKI, LIKWID, SMOKEY (COMEDIAN), PEBBLEE POO, UNEEK, MAYA AZUCENA, ASHLEY NYX (FEMALE PRODUCER), ETC.

VALIDATED: WHAT WAS THE RESPONSE TO THE DOCUMENTARY? 

ELEVEN: GREAT, IT STARTED A CONVERSATION IN THE INDUSTRY. THIS IS YEARS BEFORE RAPSODY, CARDI B, MEGAN THE STALLION, ETC. A LOT OF INDUSTRY PEOPLE THAT YOU AND I RESPECT TOLD ME I WAS WASTING MY TIME. BUT I HAD 2 SONY EXECS COMING TO MY STUDIO TO LISTEN TO FEMALES THAT FEATURED ON MY FEMALE MIXTAPE SERIES.

VALIDATED: LATER YOU DROPPED THE ALL FEMALE MIXTAPE SERIES “SHE GOT NEXT”, SHOWCASING SIGNED AND UNSIGNED FEMALE ARTISTS, AND CREATED THE FIRST ALL FEMALE ALL MUSIC SITE. WHAT PERSUADED YOU TO SPINOFF AND DROP THE MIXTAPES AND SITE? 

ELEVEN: I RAN WITH THE 1ST TEAM THAT PUT MIXTAPES ON CDS IN HARLEM. I WAS HOMELESS BUT I SOLD MIXTAPES TO MAKE MONEY. SO WHEN DATPIFF CAME OUT I KNEW I COULD KILL SHIT FROM HOME. FOR 5 YEARS WHEN I WENT TO LABELS THEY TOLD ME "WE ALREADY HAVE NICKI!” I WANTED TO SHOW THE INDUSTRY THERE WERE FEMALES THAT'S WORKING ALL OVER THE WORLD AND TALENTED. NO DISRESPECT TO NICKI. SHE ON THE "STROKE" REMIX I PRODUCED FOR LADY LUCK.

VALIDATED: MOST RECENTLY YOU DROPPED A “SHE GOT NEXT” MIXTAPE INSTALLMENT HOSTED BY 50 CENTS OWN DJ THORO, THE FIRST SINGLE OFF THE MIXTAPE WAS NORMA BAYT’S  “LUKE DANCER”, PRODUCED BY YOU, WHAT MADE YOU CHOSE THIS RECORD TO INTRODUCE THE MIXTAPE?

ELEVEN: IT'S ACTUALLY A COMPILATION ALBUM. THE CORONA VIRUS MESSED UP MY MARKETING AND PROMO, SO I TOOK A PAGE FROM MY DEF JAM DAYS AND I DID A SAMPLER IN THE FORM OF A MIXTAPE. I ASKED 50 CENT’S DJ THORO... HE KILLED IT. HE TOOK THOSE SONGS TO ANOTHER LEVEL. I SENT "LUKE DANCER" TO MEGAN, LADY LUCK, KASHDOLL AND I SENT IT TO NORMA BECAUSE SHE GOT A NICE BOOTY. I THOUGHT SHE WAS GONNA PICK A HARD RAP TRACK BUT SHE CAME BACK WITH BARZ. I WANTED A LYRICAL TRACK  TO SET THE TONE BUT NORMA KNEW WHAT SHE HAD AND RAN WITH IT, SO I HAD TO CATCH UP TO HER. SHE GETTING IT PLAYED IN CLUBS. I HAD TO RESPECT THAT. I WOULD’VE BEEN A FOOL TO LET HER DO ALL THE WORK. I'M NOT A FAN OF SEX RAP BUT I'M VERY AWARE OF WHAT’S GOING ON.

VALIDATED: WHO ARE SOME OF THE OTHER ARTISTS FEATURED ON THE PROJECT? 

ELEVEN: BABS AND MA BARKER (FORMALLY SHA QUEEN) GOT A CRAZY SONG CALLED “KILL YA SELF”. KIM SEABROOK OPENED THE PROJECT UP WITH A KILLER POEM DEDICATED TO FEMALE ARTISTS. KIA JEFFERIES, THE SINGER FROM AKINYELE’S “PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH” IS SUPER TALENTED. SHE HAS A SOLO AND A TRACK WITH MY LITTLE SISTER PRETTYBAND ASH (THE ONLY ONE IN MY HOME DURING CORONA. LOL), I THINK Y'ALL GOING TO RESPECT MY R&B PEN. MARLA MYSTIQUE, MS FEFE (RARE ROYALTY MAG), GOLDI, LADY LUCK GOT THE "BAD" TRACK. I ORIGINALLY DID IT FOR TRINA BUT SHE FELT IT WOULD BE PREDICTABLE, BIEA DA ARSONIST, NORMA BAYTS, BONNI3, ETC.

VALIDATED: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE RECORDS OFF THE PROJECT?

ELEVEN: YOU TRYING TO GET ME SHOT. LOL I PRODUCED THE ENTIRE PROJECT. BUT FEEDBACK FROM SAMPLER AND SOCIAL MEDIA TELLS "HARLEM" BY PRETTYBAND ASH IS A REAL HARLEM ANTHEM, “GONE” BY KIA JEFFERIES, LADY LUCK’S “BAD” IS CRAZY, BABS AND MA BARKER’S "KILL YA SELF" BECAUSE THEY SPITTING HARDER THAN DUDES, KIA JEFFERIES AND PRETTYBAND ASH GOT A SONG TOGETHER CALLED "BOYFRIEND".

VALIDATED: YOU ALSO COLLABORATED WITH DJ TARIQ TO PULL OFF THE FEMALE MUSIC CONFERENCE “FEMCON”, HOW DID THE COLLABORATION COME ABOUT? 

ELEVEN: THAT'S MY BRO. HE CAME TO ME ABOUT THE IDEA YEARS AGO BUT EVERYTIME I COLLABORATED WITH SOMEONE FOR THE LADIES IT WAS EITHER FAKE OR FUCKED UP. SO I WAS HESITANT BUT AS I GOT TO KNOW HIM AND WHAT HE DOES, I SAID LET'S DO IT. I WAS INCORPORATING MY FEMALE RAP FRIENDS AND GOT MY FEMALE INDUSTRY FRIENDS INVOLVED ALSO.

VALIDATED: WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2020?

ELEVEN: I'M HUMBLED TO SAY THE “SHE GOT NEXT” COMPILATION GOT A  GRAMMY RECOMMENDATION. I'M LOOKING FOR THE NEXT FEMALE PROJECT TO WORK ON. I REBRANDED THE “SHE GOT NEXT” MIXTAPE SERIES WITH 50 CENT’S DJ THORO. AFTER THIS VIRUS WE SHOOTING THE “SHE GOT NEXT” MOVIE. 

VALIDATED: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE “SHE GOT NEXT” MOVIE?

ELEVEN: SEEING THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING WE CHANGING THE DIRECTION TO A BIOPIC KIND OF. FROM MY STRUGGLES TRYING TO GET INDUSTRY TO SUPPORT FEMALE RAPPERS, RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE LADIES, INSECURE BOYFRIEND'S, HOW MY RELATIONSHIP SUFFERS, ETC. WHEN YOU LOOK AT “STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON”, “THE RUNAWAYS” OR “KRUSH GROOVE” THEY SHOW THE WORLD AT A TIME WHEN CERTAIN THINGS WASN'T ACCEPTED NOR HEARD OF. A LOT OF PEOPLE FEAR WHEN SOMETHING IS NEW. OVER 1/2 THE INDUSTRY TOLD NOT TO FUCK WITH LUCK LIKE SHE WASHED UP BUT I BELIEVE IN HER. SHE WAS ONE OF THE REASONS THEY OFFERED ME A JOB AT ATLANTIC. A FAMOUS MOGUL OFFERED ME $35,000 FOR “SHE GOT NEXT”. I WAS HOMELESS AT THE TIME. THEY WANTED ME TO TAKE THE LADIES OFF AND MAKE IT ABOUT NICKI MINAJ. THAT'S HOW STRONG MY INTEGRITY IS. BUT IT'S GOING TO BE “STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON” AND “PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS” KIND OF VIBE.

VALIDATED: WHAT’S YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS AND WEBSITE?

ELEVEN: INSTAGRAM @SHEGOTNEXT AND WWW.FEMALEMIXTAPES.COM