Andrea Summers | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | May 21, 2020 40) | (aged
Other names | Princess Loko |
Occupations |
|
Children | 3 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Years active | 1993–2020 |
Labels |
|
Formerly of | Ten Wanted Men |
Princess Loko was an American rapper best known for her fast, "double-time" syncopated rap flow, and early feminist candor. Notably rapping in Memphis, Tennessee group Ten Wanted Men alongside Tommy Wright III and La Chat during the early-to-late 1990s, she is widely considered to be a pioneer of rap music in South Memphis. [1]
Summers began rapping in her teenage years as a method to communicate her thoughts on the over-policing, constant surveillance, and rampant crime in her hometown of Whitehaven, Memphis, a predominantly Black community in the 1990s (due to white flight) best known for its proximity to Elvis Presley's Graceland. [2] She would also frequently discuss avoidance of the gaze of men who attempted to use intimate relationships to exert power over her and other women. [2] Summers soon met rapper and producer Wright, who would become a close friend. They would frequently record songs together as teenagers in secret, skipping school and sneaking equipment in and out of her house. Wright would eventually sign her to his label Street Smart Records, and she would join his rap group Ten Wanted Men. [2] The contributions of Summers and fellow female rapper La Chat to Wright's group were described as "razor-sharp stilettoes in an arsenal otherwise filled with heavy, male artillery." [3] “I felt they were just as good as the guys,” Wright said. “That’s big to me – I never really thought about it being special. I just looked at it as ‘They’re dope.’” [3] Summers would later part ways with Wright and the label in 2003, signing with Hy Lyfe Inc. after mounting financial difficulties resulted in the closure of the Street Smart label offices. [3]
In 2014, designer Isabel Simpson-Kirsch created a clothing line in collaboration with online retailer VFILES paying homage to the faces of 1990s Memphis rap, with Summers' lyrics from Wright collaboration "Comin' For 94" featured prominently on handprinted skirts, pants, and various denim pieces. [4] [5]
In 2020, Summers passed away from complications of congestive heart failure. [6]
In 2022, producer Kelman Duran, who had received permission from Summers' family, estate, and close friend Wright to use her catalog of songs in his productions, sampled Wright's song with Summers (1994s "Still Pimpin") to create dembow and reggaeton-infused opening track "I'm That Girl" from Beyoncé's seventh album Renaissance . [7] [8]
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer, songwriter and businesswoman. Dubbed as "Queen Bey" and a prominent cultural figure of the 21st century, she has been recognized for her artistry and performances, with Rolling Stone naming her one of the greatest vocalists of all time.
Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, and Miami—five cities which constitute the "Southern Network" in rap music.
Kimberly Denise Jones, better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. In her teens, she would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage. In 1994, she was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Three 6 Mafia is an American hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album Mystic Stylez became an influential cult classic. They have released music on independent labels such as Prophet Entertainment and their own Hypnotize Minds label, as well as Relativity, Loud, and Columbia Records.
Crunk is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more dance and club oriented subgenres. An archetypal crunk track frequently uses a main groove consisting of layered keyboard synths, a drum machine clapping rhythm, heavy basslines, and shouting vocals, often in a call and response manner. The term "crunk" was also used throughout the 2000s as a blanket term to denote any style of Southern hip hop, a side effect of the genre's breakthrough to the mainstream. The word derives from its African-American Vernacular English past-participle form, "crunk", of the verb "to crank". It refers to being excited or high on drugs.
Timothy Zachery Mosley, known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinctive "stuttering" rhythmic style. In 2007, Entertainment Weekly stated that "just about every current pop trend can be traced back to him—from sultry, urban-edged R&B songstresses [...] to the art of incorporating avant-garde sounds into No. 1 hits."
Ciara Princess Wilson is an American singer, songwriter, businesswoman, dancer, model, and actress. She rose to prominence with her debut studio album Goodies (2004). The album spawned the single of the same name which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Further singles from the album included "1, 2 Step" and "Oh", both of which peaked at number 2 in the United States. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and garnered two nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. Ciara was also featured on Missy Elliott's "Lose Control" and Bow Wow's "Like You", both of which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
Keyshia Myeshia Cole is an American singer, songwriter, television personality and actress. Born and raised in Oakland, California, she began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer before ultimately signing with A&M Records, under whom she released her debut studio album, The Way It Is, in 2005. The record was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and earned two nominations at the 2006 Soul Train Music Awards. Riding on the album's success, Cole would begin filming a reality television series for BET documenting her career, family and personal life called Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is; the show ran for three seasons, and became one of the most-watched programs in the network's history.
"Fighting Temptation" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé and American rappers Missy Elliott, MC Lyte, and Free for the film The Fighting Temptations (2003), starring Beyoncé. It was written by Beyoncé, Elliott, Lana Moorer, Marie Wright, Jonathan Burks, LaShaun Owens, Karriem Mack, and Walter Murphy. An R&B-funk song, "Fighting Temptation" samples Uncle Louie's "I Like Funky Music" (1979). Lyrically, the song makes a reference to fighting against negativity in life as well as waiting for the right person before falling in love. It was released as the lead single from the soundtrack for The Fighting Temptations on August 18, 2003, by Columbia Records.
Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Shumpert is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director. In 2006, she choreographed the music video for Beyoncé's single "Ring the Alarm". In the following year, she signed a record deal with Pharrell Williams' Star Trak Entertainment, an imprint of Interscope Records to embark on a career as an recording artist. Taylor would then appear on MTV's My Super Sweet 16, prior to the 2008 release of her debut single "Google Me". Despite lukewarm commercial response, she later gained wider attention for her uncredited guest performances on the songs "Dark Fantasy" and "Hell of a Life" by Kanye West, from his highly-acclaimed album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). She asked to be released from her contract with Star Trak and signed to West's GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings two years later.
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian-born rapper, singer and songwriter based in the United States. Often referred to as the "Queen of Rap", she is known for her musical versatility, animated rap flow, alter egos, and influence in popular music. She first gained recognition after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009.
Brianna Perry, also known as Lil' Brianna, is an American rapper and actress from Miami-Dade County, Florida. She was the youngest act signed to Missy Elliott's label The Goldmind Inc. Perry made her debut on Trina's album Diamond Princess (2002) on the track "Kandi". Since then, she has released several mixtapes and starred as a regular cast-member on the reality-television series Sisterhood of Hip Hop. In 2016, Brianna left major label Atlantic Records due to low promotion and moved forward with her indie label Poe Boy Entertainment.
Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, better known by her stage name Gangsta Boo, was an American rapper. She rose to prominence as a member of Three 6 Mafia, which she joined at the age of 14. After releasing six albums, she left the group and its record label after the release of her second solo album, Both Worlds *69 (2001), due to financial disputes and issues regarding promotion of the album. She subsequently released several solo albums and became known for collaborating with artists such as Eminem, Run the Jewels, La Chat, Latto, GloRilla, Outkast, Foxy Brown, Tinashe, Lil Jon and Yelawolf.
Memphis rap, also known as Memphis hip hop, or Memphis horrorcore, is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in Memphis, Tennessee in the mid-late 1980s.
Tommy Wright III is an American rapper and hip hop producer. He began rapping in Memphis, Tennessee during the 1990s and is considered to be an early pioneer for fast-paced rap and trap production in South Memphis.
Julian Martrel "LilJuMadeDaBeat" Mason is an American record producer and songwriter, most known for his work with 2 Chainz, Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion. Mason has co-written and/or produced hits "Big Ole Freak", "Cash Shit", "Captain Hook", "Body", "Megan's Piano", and "Thot Shit" among others.
Renaissance is the seventh studio album by American singer Beyoncé, released on July 29, 2022, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. Her first solo studio release since Lemonade (2016) and the first installment of a trilogy project, Beyoncé wrote and produced the album with Nova Wav, The-Dream, Symbolyc One, A. G. Cook, Honey Dijon, Beam, Tricky Stewart, BloodPop, Skrillex, Hit-Boy, No I.D., P2J and various other collaborators. Beam, Grace Jones and Tems appear as guest vocalists.
Gloria Hallelujah Woods, known professionally as GloRilla, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. She rose to prominence after releasing her 2022 song "F.N.F. ", which was nominated for Best Rap Performance at 65th Annual Grammy Awards. Her single "Tomorrow 2" reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Her single "Blessed" from her EP Anyways, Life's Great, was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2023, she collaborated with Moneybagg Yo on the single "On Wat U On".
Isis Naija Gaston, known professionally as Ice Spice, is an American rapper. Born and raised in the Bronx in New York City, she embarked on her musical career in 2021 after meeting American record producer RiotUSA while studying at college.
Kelman Duran is a Dominican songwriter, producer, composer, disc jockey and multi-disciplinary artist, best known for his production and songwriting contributions to opening track "I'm That Girl" and "Heated" from Beyoncé's 2022 album Renaissance, as well as his scoring work on 2022 film Rodeo.