Continuing with Bounce-Worthy Femcees Week here at SoulBounce, we bring you one of the hardest working and most respected rappers around: Medusa. Her history is extensive, and her prowess indisputable. She's paid her dues winning many a battle and at the famed Good Life Cafe and Project Blowed. Though she has been on the grind as a staple of the LA underground Hip Hop scene for many years, honing her craft in the same circles her fellow West Coasters NWA during the rise of Gangsta Rap in the late '80s and early '90s, she never really broke into the mainstream in the way that Yo-Yo or some of her female contemporaries did. She's experienced first hand the roller-coaster of being talented, innovative and a woman in the rap game but never succumbed to the pressure of mainstream success at the cost of artistic integrity.

The respect she commands and deserves comes from years of innovation and an unwaivering love for Hip Hop. Impressively, she is still rhyming and recording, holding her own against greats like KRS-One. Her next offering is Gangsta Goddess, scheduled for release in February '09. Medusa remains relevant, still expanding the perception of who an emcee can be but also Hip Hop itself. She appears frequently at music conferences, has conducted college seminars on Hip Hop, and continues to use her clout to denounce the questionable exclusionary tactics employed by the music industry against women.

Her sound is rough but distinctly melodic, and her delivery is undeniably West Coast. In addition to rocking mics solo, she also performs with Feline Science. While much is made of her ridiculously strong resume, she continues to bring a healthy amount of innovation, a ridiculous amount of skill, and a seemingly undying love of Hip Hop to audiences not just over here in California but across the globe. To connoisseurs of underground she's known and respected, everyone else needs to catch up.

Medusa: "Cali Frame"


Medusa feat. MC Lyte: "Lay Down"


Medusa [MySpace]
[Image: Nadia J]