Monique Moy – Bag Lady Keeps Hip-Hop Honest & Sexy

Herina Ayot

Hip Hop lovers don’t have many choices when it comes to female rap. Nicki Minaj has a monopoly in that sector of the industry but Monique Moy , the newcomer in entertainment, brings back the consumer’s right to choose. With the recent unveiling of her new album Bag Lady, via Minneapolis based Hudson Records, Moy introduces a complex mix of rap, pop, and r&b. She makes music provocative enough to say she is a woman, but modest enough to say she is a lady, a craft not often mastered. Parlé Magazine had the pleasure of a conversation with Ms. Moy where she gave us her definition of sexy and told us just why she loves Biggie Smalls so much.

Parlé: How would you describe your sound? Are you a rapper or a singer?

Monique Moy: I would classify myself as an entertainer because I rap and I sing as well and I’m also a songwriter. And I love all genres of music and a lot of my music reflects that. I can go from hip hop to pop to r&b quickly so you never know what you might hear from Monique Moy.

Parlé: What do you think sets you apart from all of the other female rappers and singers out today?

MM: I think I’m relatable. I think I’m a personable person and that my music reflects that. A lot of times when I’m out, I would listen to the music that’s out now and I really didn’t like what I was hearing. A lot of the songs are anthems that men are singing about and there’s not a voice for women. There is not a voice for women to be a lady either. It’s like the music is either really really raunchy, or kind of bubble gummish. I kind of fit in the middle. I wanted to be the voice for the women who says it’s ok to be a lady. It’s ok to have a good time. It’s ok to look good. It’s ok to be confident within yourself. So that’s what my music is all about.

Parlé What do you think of the Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim beef that we’ve been hearing about in the media?

MM: I think it’s unfortunate that there is even a beef in the first place because both ladies are obviously instrumental to hip hop. Lil Kim is a pioneer and Nicki Minaj is the next generation. There are not enough female rappers in the game as it is and so everybody should be respectful of everybody’s craft and we all need to come together and get along. I’m a huge Lil Kim fan and I’m also a Nicki Minaj fan. I’m not on anybody’s side.

Parlé We just reached the 14th anniversary of the death of Biggie Smalls. Did you take anything away from what he brought to rap?

MM: I loved Biggie. He’s in my top 3 MC’s of all time. What I liked about him was his story. Biggie painted a picture where even if I wasn’t there, if I wasn’t in the club with them, he made me feel like I was. And then he also made feel good music. He made you feel good to be able to sport coogie sweaters. It’s unfortunate that he had many years of success and his life was cut short tragically. So he’s definitely been instrumental in my career and so has Tupac.

Parlé Enough about everyone else. Let’s talk about Monique Moy. You were born in Philly, raised in Chicago, you now live in Minneapolis. Do you have a favorite city? Can you describe the energy of each city?

MM: I don’t have a favorite city. I take something from each city that I’ve lived in. What I love about Philly is that it’s the kind of place where anything goes. If you want to rock shorts with boots, its ok and no one is really going to dog you out about it. The energy of the city is vibrant. It’s a close knit city, it’s a city of brotherly love and that’s a true statement. What I love about Chicago is the grind. You gotta hustle and grind to make it. The city is not going to hand you anything. You have to work for it. It’s taught me to work hard for what I want. And then Minneapolis is very laid back. It’s a peaceful place. I can go to Philly for the energy, I can come to Chicago for the grind and then I can relax and be at peace in Minnesota.

Parlé: All of the songs on the album have tremendous energy and you did a lot of hot collaborations. How did you hookup with Trina and Pitbull for “Okay”

MM: I’m signed to Go Hard Management and they sent over the track. Obviously Pitbull is the King of Miami and Trina is the queen of Miami and [my management] said I think this would be a good crossover song for you and I think your voice would be good on it and as soon as I heard it, I said I agree. It probably took me two to three minutes to write my verse because I was really feeling the track. I was just honored to be on the same track with such heavy hitters as Pitbull and Trina.

Parlé In a recnt interview, ou said it’s okay to be provocative and explore your femininity. What do you say to critics that tell you you’re sending the wrong message to young girls?

MM: I think that in today’s generation, there’s nothing wrong with being sexy. It’s how you carry yourself that is the difference. I’m not saying you have to have your breasts exposed or everything else exposed but I think a lot of times, people don’t know what the definition of sexy means or what provocative means. You can be sexy and have on a sundress. You can be sexy in basketball shorts and sneaks or you can be sexy in a three piece suit. It’s all about how you carry yourself and if you have to try to be sexy, that’s not sexy.

Parlé Have you chosen your first single to promote?

MM: We started to go with Superstar….I’m really a hands on artist and I care about what fans and critics have to say so after talking to several people, women in general, they really like Bag Lady. So it’s going to be Bag Lady and we’ll probably follow it up with Superstar as the next single.

Parlé What can we expect from you in the future?

MM: You can expect the unexpected. Club bangers. Real life songs. What I mean is that a lot of times when people make music, it’s not reflecting their own life, but all of the songs I put out and anything I write are real life situations. It’s like reality TV for real. You can expect to always hear the truth.

Follow Monique Moy on Twitter at twitter/moniquemoy and like her on facebook/moniquemoy. You can also visit www.thudsonrecords.com and www.moniquemoy.com.

Hip Hop lovers don’t have many choices when it comes to female in Rap these days. Nicki Minaj has a monopoly in that sector of the industry but Monique Moy , the newcomer in entertainment, brings back the consumer’s right to choose. With the recent unveiling of her new mixtape Bag Lady, via Minneapolis based Hudson Records, Moy introduces a complex mix of Rap, Pop, and R & B. She makes music provocative enough to say she is a woman, but modest enough to say she is a lady, a craft not often mastered. Parlé Magazine had the pleasure of a conversation with Ms. Moy where she gave us her definition of sexy and told us why she loves Biggie Smalls so much.

Parlé Magazine: How would you describe your sound? Are you a rapper or a singer?

Monique Moy: I would classify myself as an entertainer because I Rap and I sing as well and I’m also a songwriter. And I love all genres of music and a lot of my music reflects that. I can go from Hip-Hop to Pop to R & B quickly so you never know what you might hear from Monique Moy.

Parlé: What do you think sets you apart from all of the other female rappers and singers out today?

MM: I think I’m relatable. I think I’m a personable person and that my music reflects that. A lot of times when I’m out, I would listen to the music that’s out now and I really didn’t like what I was hearing. A lot of the songs are anthems that men are singing about and there’s not a voice for women. There is not a voice for women to be a lady either. It’s like the music is either really really raunchy, or kind of bubble gummish. I kind of fit in the middle. I wanted to be the voice for the women who says it’s ok to be a lady. It’s ok to have a good time. It’s ok to look good. It’s ok to be confident within yourself. So that’s what my music is all about.

Parlé: What do you think of the Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim beef that we’ve been hearing about in the media?

MM: I think it’s unfortunate that there is even a beef in the first place because both ladies are obviously instrumental to Hip-Hop. Lil Kim is a pioneer and Nicki Minaj is the next generation. There are not enough female rappers in the game as it is and so everybody should be respectful of everybody’s craft and we all need to come together and get along. I’m a huge Lil Kim fan and I’m also a Nicki Minaj fan. I’m not on anybody’s side.

Parlé: We just reached the 14th anniversary of the death of Biggie Smalls. Did you take anything away from what he brought to rap?

MM: I loved Biggie. He’s in my top 3 MC’s of all time. What I liked about him was his story. Biggie painted a picture where even if I wasn’t there, if I wasn’t in the club with them, he made me feel like I was. And then he also made feel good music. He made you feel good to be able to sport coogie sweaters. It’s unfortunate that he had many years of success and his life was cut short tragically. So he’s definitely been instrumental in my career and so has Tupac.

Parlé: Enough about everyone else. Let’s talk about Monique Moy. You were born in Philly, raised in Chicago, you now live in Minneapolis. Do you have a favorite city? Can you describe the energy of each city?

MM: I don’t have a favorite city. I take something from each city that I’ve lived in. What I love about Philly is that it’s the kind of place where anything goes. If you want to rock shorts with boots, its ok and no one is really going to dog you out about it. The energy of the city is vibrant. It’s a close knit city, it’s a city of brotherly love and that’s a true statement. What I love about Chicago is the grind. You gotta hustle and grind to make it. The city is not going to hand you anything. You have to work for it. It’s taught me to work hard for what I want. And then Minneapolis is very laid back. It’s a peaceful place. I can go to Philly for the energy, I can come to Chicago for the grind and then I can relax and be at peace in Minnesota.

Parlé: All of the songs on the album have tremendous energy and you did a lot of hot collaborations. How did you hookup with Trina and Pitbull for “Okay”

MM: I’m signed to Go Hard Management and they sent over the track. Obviously Pitbull is the King of Miami and Trina is the queen of Miami and [my management] said I think this would be a good crossover song for you and I think your voice would be good on it and as soon as I heard it, I said I agree. It probably took me two to three minutes to write my verse because I was really feeling the track. I was just honored to be on the same track with such heavy hitters as Pitbull and Trina.

Parlé: In a recnt interview, you said it’s okay to be provocative and explore your femininity. What do you say to critics that tell you you’re sending the wrong message to young girls?

MM: I think that in today’s generation, there’s nothing wrong with being sexy. It’s how you carry yourself that is the difference. I’m not saying you have to have your breasts exposed or everything else exposed but I think a lot of times, people don’t know what the definition of sexy means or what provocative means. You can be sexy and have on a sundress. You can be sexy in basketball shorts and sneaks or you can be sexy in a three piece suit. It’s all about how you carry yourself and if you have to try to be sexy, that’s not sexy.

Parlé: Have you chosen your first single to promote?

MM: We started to go with “Superstar”…I’m really a hands on artist and I care about what fans and critics have to say so after talking to several people, women in general, they really like “Bag Lady.” So it’s going to be “Bag Lady” and we’ll probably follow it up with “Superstar” as the next single.

Parlé: What can we expect from you in the future?

MM: You can expect the unexpected. Club bangers. Real life songs. What I mean is that a lot of times when people make music, it’s not reflecting their own life, but all of the songs I put out and anything I write are real life situations. It’s like reality TV for real. You can expect to always hear the truth.

Follow Monique Moy on Twitter at twitter/moniquemoy and like her on facebook/moniquemoy. You can also visit www.thudsonrecords.com and www.moniquemoy.com.

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