Carla "CMG" Green of The Conscious Daugthers (TCD) just posted an update on her Facebook page to say that Karryl "Special One" Smith, her partner in rhyme in the longtime Bay Area female rap duo, who died suddenly on Saturday last (Dec 10th), tragically passed due "to complications from a blood clot." She also noted that fans of the hip-hop group who would like to make a donation to the family of Special One can do so either by a bank transfer or via PayPal.

"We have set up a memorial fund so the family can give her a beautiful home going. She meant so much to so many people. No contribution is too small as she also [has] a son who will need to be cared for," wrote CMG  who is pictured to right in accompanying TCD photo album cover art for their final release together - The Nutcracker Suite from 2009. The Memorial Fund for Karryl "Special One" Smith has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank Acct# 193939865. Folks can also donate via SpecialOneFund@Yahoo.com "any amount" by PayPal. Meanwhile funeral services for Special One are scheduled for 11am, Saturday, Dec 17th at a still to be announced East Bay location.

     

Really sad news for Bay Area hip-hop fans has been spreading online all day today that much loved femcee Karryl Smith, aka Special One of longtime East Bay hip-hop duo Conscious Daughters, has died. So far the cause of death is unknown of the artist who first came to fame care of The Conscious Daughters' (TCD) 1993 debut album Ear To The Street (on Paris' Scarface Records label) and its hit single (video above) "Something to Ride To (Fonky Expedition)."

Since then TCD released only two albums, 1996's Gamers and The Nutcracker Suite from two years ago, while CMG recently released a solo album The Jane Of All Trades featuring the lead single/video "All My Life (Let's Do It) featuring Truth Speaks" that was featured just yesterday in the Hip-Hop Rap Up Amoeblog. About an hour ago a still in shock CMG, via her Facebook page, made this statement about the tragic passing of her musical partner and best friend: "Thank you to everyone for your prayers I need them. I am sick over the loss of my sister. The cause of death is still unknown but I will try to share info when I get it. Pray for me and Karryls other sisters Jessica and Tonya. We are all together trying to get through this."

In celebration of Women's History Month, tireless Bay Area artist DJ Zita of B.A.S.S./Bay Area Sistah Sound, in conjunction with La Pena, has organized the first in an annual all female artist hip-hop showcase that pays tribute to each of the genre's four elements: MC'ing, DJ'ing, breaking, and graffiti. Artists scheduled to appear include DJ Pam the Funkstress, Conscious Daughters, Deeandroid & Celskiii, Josie Stingray, Aima The Dreamer, Tendaroni Crew, Bodirock Culture, De La Femme, Slide, Dime, and Lucha E.S.P.

Titled Queendom: Fly Ladies Reppin The 4 Elements Of Hip Hop, this all ages show, which takes place at La Pena in Berkeley at 9pm tomorrow (Sat 3/13), is also a benefit for A Safe Place, which provides invaluable domestic violence services for women. Admission is just $10 and $8 for students. They are even giving out goodie bags at the show.

DJ Zita, along with Pam the Funkstress (of The Coup fame, who spun at Amoeba Berkeley's Record Store Day two years ago), will soon be celebrating the two year anniversary of their ever popular, female-run SF party Everlasting Bass. I was aware that DJ Zita had wanted to do an event like Queendom for some time, so yesterday I caught up with the hard working promoter/DJ, who will also be spinning at tomorrow's event, to ask her a bit more about this exciting new annual hip-hop women's event.

Amoeblog: How did the idea for this event come about?

Big ups to the female artists in the history of Bay Area hip-hop who, as it seems to be the case with the rest of the rap nation, are (and have always been) in the minority. Why? A variety of reasons-- the main one, in my opinion, is that women can never fare well in a male dominated field that is predominantly (but not exclusively) sexist and misogynist. If you have any strong insights into why you think there is still such a unbalanced female to male rap ratio, please share in the COMMENTS box below where I invite you to also list your favorite female emcees from the Bay Area or elsewhere.

By no means is this post inclusive of the many female hip-hop artists from the Bay; it is merely a salute a select talented few -- both new and old school -- who come to mind, including such old school emcees as 80's East Bay female rapper Cassidine. When she dropped her debut twenty years ago on 75 Girls (the Oakland label run by the Hodges Brothers), she was heralded as the female counterpart to (label mate) Too $hort. Cassidine's album, Man Handler, contains such hardcore tracks as "She Daddy." Unfortunately, the a killer collection of hardcore rhymes and beats from a bygone era in Bay rap has never been re-released. 

Also from 1980's Bay rap is Oaktown 3-5-7, the female rap crew who first came to fame as MC Hammer's backing singers/dancers on tracks such as "Let's Get It Started."  In fact, they performed this song with Hammer and the rest of his large entourage when they made their national debut on the The Arsenio Hall Show. When they released their own music on Hammer's label they enjoyed reasonable success but not enough to keep them from breaking up in 1992. Their 1989 Wild and Loose album was their most successful and made waves on the Billboard pop and black-album charts two decades ago when it spawned the singles "We Like It" and "Juicy Gotcha Krazy" (video below).