Yes, Your Majesties!

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Yo Majesty Kill It at the Entry, September 20, 2007
Review by Amber Schadewald

Better Than: Jock Jams at middle school dances.

Glowing like Christmas trees, the hardcore lady rappers of Yo Majesty
traded the usual bling 'round their necks for blinking holiday lights
and took the stage with fierce confidence. A long drive from their zip
code, Tampa residents Jwl B. and Shunda managed to look at home and
fresh, sporting their boy shorts with a peeks of flannel boxers poking
out the back.

The set was fast, loud and way hot. Shunda asked the crowd "Is Yo
Majesty getting you all hot?" The answer was definitely yes. The
combination of Shunda's slick spits, Jwl B.'s barks and their bass
busting beats was perfectly intense. The crowd was small and quiet at
first, but by the end, even the creepy man in the corner experimented
with a few shoulder rolls. One guy who looked like he was wearing PJs
seemed to dance harder than anyone in the room.

The set was filled with audience participation opportunities, but for
the most part people pumped fists and shouted back obscenities when
prompted. When Jwl B. asked you to clap, you clapped- mostly in fear
that if you didn't obey she'd leap into the crowd and force the sound
out of you. A feisty mix between James Brown and Lil' John, Jwl B.'s
soulful screams are a hearing aid company's dream come true.

Mid-show, Shunda asked who in the audience owned a leather jacket. After
a few people raised hands, the duo abruptly jumped into their song about
the clothing article, singing, "You think you're all that in your
leather jacket....you have no money in your leather pocket." She even
pointed to a girl and told her, "You're a loser in you leather jacket."

Fortunately everyone was in good spirits. No feelings were hurt.

In their hour performance, the ladies of Yo Majesty never held back,
continually slicing through their beats with variations of their own
voices. These women fed every inch of air to the mic, and yet Jwl B
found a minute to shake her baby maker to a song with the lyrics, "I
want you rubbin' on my monkey." Crowd favorites included the obvious
"Kryptonite Pussy" and "Club Action," but their newer and more
electronic tracks were far from disappointing. Their EP is expected this
November.

Personal Bias: I swear Shunda winked at me- you can ask my friend.

Random Detail: These crazy ladies often take off their shirts during
shows.

By the Way: Before leaving stage, Shunda gave a shout out to Jesus and
left the audience with a variety of positive thoughts to live by.