Thug Life Army

From the first lines of Ms. Cherry's "It's Whatever," her new single on Streetwize Recordz, everybody knows not to mess with her, ''cause she ain''t the one. Ms. Cherry brings the noise and brings the krunk.

So confident is her label in her abilities as a rap artist, a performer and a singer, that she is not only the queen of the crew, but the label's first buckshot into the world of independent hip hop.

While the field of female rap artists is crowded, who really stands out? Jean Grae is the darling of the intellectual/political wing of underground rap; Eve, of the Ruff Rhyders crew, had a T.V. show; Foxy Brown still commands respect and is modeling; and L''il Kim, rap music's X-rated sex machine, is on her way to jail. Except for Jean Grae, where are the records and the rhymes?

It's Whatever" is a battle rap about real beef in a club, a fight. When asked what caused her to start rapping with gangsta intensity, she simply replied "My environment."

"I feel like I''ll make it, because there's not a lot of people doing what I''m doing," she said in a recent issue of Ozone. "There's female rappers, but they''re more like ''Lil Kim - sexy with it. They just kinda talkin'' about what they can do in the bedroom or whatever."

While she rocks a style that is a variation of the neo b-boy look of the thugged out street brother, she still has that crazysexycool, she's still a woman. "When I was little, I used to be more of a tomboy. Today I might have on a li''l top or whatever, but you''ll never see me in some Lil Kim shit, for real. That ain''t really something that I''m thinkin'' about. That's just how I am.

Ms. Cherry has been performing for more than six years. In Junior High she was winning school talent shows with her mature lyrics and personal style. Her intense energy, lyrics and domination of the stage rocked crowd after crowd, and she won every competition she entered. Along the way she got the attention of Streetwize Records for her singing. Soon she started turned heads and got ''em noddin'' to her raps during a freestyle session. Ms. Cherry's style is hardcore in the true sense of hip hop; for the old school knowledgeable, think Cool G Rap or C.L. Smooth-type hard. No guns, no threatening people's kids, just pure rhyming. And this is her biggest strength in the world of rap.

"I feel like I''ll make it, because there's not a lot of people doing what I''m doing," she said in a recent issue of Ozone. "There's female rappers, but they''re more like ''Lil Kim - sexy with it. They just kinda talkin'' about what they can do in the bedroom or whatever."

Mark Kirby, Associate Writer for Music Dish has done a great interview with Ms. Cherry including MP3 downloads so you can get to know this new talent. Read his interview with Ms. Cherry HERE .

Ms. Cherry's Rhythm & Streetz Album In Stores Now! Available soon online at streetwizerecordz.com