Khia
Thug Misses
Artemis

Khia CD

 

It took ten years, but finally we have a female answer to Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back." But "My Neck, My Back" ain't a joke — it may just be one of rap's dirtiest hits ever.

 

The unlikely voice behind lines such as "Don't stop, just do, do it/ Then you roll your tongue, from the crack back to the front" (that's one of the few printable ones) is Khia Chambers, mother of two. She's not quite the usual suspect as, say, fellow Floridian Trina, and, thankfully, she doesn't have her nasally inflection. She's rather a gruff, rudimentary rapper, sort of an X chromosome Master P who overcomes one-dimensionality through sheer force of personality (or dirty language). If you like Miami-style bounce, and can appreciate some of its cornier production flourishes, you'll find her debut a more satisfying experience in female-centric Southern hip-hop than recent efforts by Mercedes or Gangsta Boo.

 

Of course, Thug Misses packs no more surprises than your average Cash Money or Slip n' Slide effort: There's plenty of party tracks ("K-Wang," "I Know You Want It"), a few blasts at the opposite sex ("F*ck Dem F*ck N%$*$z, Don't Trust No N****Z") and her own ("Jealous Girls"), way too many skits, and the requisite southern tradition of a song for the mama (the better than usual "You My Girl"). Much of the material, with its stuttering snare hits and Casio riffs, gives off the same vibe as "My Neck" — not particularly memorable, yet still catchy — though the closing "When I Meet My King" is an infectious tune that really captures the thug-rapper-doing-Top-40 philosophy and should irritate pop radio soon. Hey, even guilty pleasures can be nasty.

 

– Cleon Alert

 

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