“In West Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days…” Erm… no. Fuck the Fresh Prince.
The latest Philly rapper to whip the world around their little finger is a girl called Amanda Blank. And she’s feisty. T he murky underbelly of rap can be a nasty, foul mouthed, sex driven and violent place. No shit. That’s why everyone loves it. So let’s inject some female values, such as the lesbian outlook of Yo Majesty!, the multiculturalism of MIA and now the post-feminism of Amanda Blank. Her electro jump-up booty beats see issues getting progressed, with emphasis on the side of the gender divide: “I don’t think it’s so much that I’m trying to challenge the male dominated styles to be honest, I couldn’t care less what men’s views of woman’s sexuality are. I think I’m more concerned with women’s views on the subject. I think there are a lot of very strong, confident woman who make or have made great music that don’t get the credit they do for being as dope as they are.”
With regular boasts about how she has the sweetest tasting pussy and the best rhymes she hurls the male banter straight back in their diamond-toothed faces. So was this act something that’s been honed from childhood? “I don’t think actually being a rapper was what I thought I wanted to do, however, I think I’ve always been a little in love with being a musician and performer, and rapping is absolutely a part of that for me. It wasn’t until Spankrock really encouraged me and we started doing shows that I really started to take it all seriously. He’s been incredibly important. He is my best friend. I really don’t think I would ever have pursued rapping seriously without his support and encouragement. We are the two most opposite people and still like two peas in a pod.”
Her new album, ‘I Love You’, has been sonically chiselled by fellow Philadelphian Diplo, New York studio alchemist Dave Sitek and beats guru XXX; the latter works on every area of her music and is a massive influence, as the club star reveals: “Alex is like the mad scientist behind all of it. I started rapping with him, so he was the one in it with me from the beginning.
He definitely played the biggest role in this record, I would say, because we really did work on it with each other from start to finish. As far as what he brought? Man, everything! I’d like to think we both really grew a lot making my record, not just as artists or musicians but as friends and people. What did I learn? Stay true to yourself. You’re never gonna please everybody, so just stop trying. If you know who you are, or are at least trying to figure it out, you’ll be okay.”
