Front & Center: Westcoast Women in Rhyme, Vol. 1 brings the illest female artists in B.C. to the forefront, all on one CD. The compilation includes the best work by the most recognized and highest profile female rappers on the Vancouver scene. PRODUCERS NOTES: Cold Fusion by Róisín (pronounced Ruh-sheen) is the bona fide club banger party track documenting a "night in the life" of many a club-goer. Check her out on the tough horn-driven Spotlight as well. All My People is Kia Kadiri's one love track with plenty of double-time lyrical acrobatics and quirky reggae stylee thrown in on the breaks. I Excite doesn't disappoint either, naturally. Valencia, who likes to be known as The Madame, breaks down The Game for us, turning the tables on what is usually a male dominated occupation. A stark reality delivery of lyrics over a beat with a snare that would make Dr. Dre proud. Dee One, representing Freshcoast, gets us back into the club with the dancehall influenced track Grind 'n' Groove. "Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce". Lady Precise comes with a smooth r'n'b track on Str8 With Myself, showing her flexibility as she is also one half of StinkMitt. Freestyle battle veteran Chena Finess represents with her show favorite Challenge the Mind as well as the apocalyptic When Time Meets the Hour. Ndidi Cascade, who wrapped up a cross Canada tour in May 2003, contributes her anthem Jah Soulja, a favorite at her numerous local shows. Coco Love Alcorn, another mainstay of the Vancouver live scene, chooses the synth funk hip-hop route here with On My Own. She works with the members of 54-40 as the band Paloma. In between acting jobs, Jessica May hit the studio and put down Dreams 2 Achieve, a soul bared depiction of her hardest years growing up. A survival tale not for the weak of heart. You will not forget it easily. Shankini gives up her opinion on what she wants in a partner on As Good As U Look. You can see her in a Nelly Furtado video alongside the Swollen Members. StinkMitt (MC's Jenni Craige and Betti Forde) probably don't need an introduction by now, as they are possibly the most notorious act in Canada. If you haven't caught them live or read the reviews in your favorite music magazine, Tubes Tied will definately come as a shock. Welcome to the world of StinkMitt! About the Producer: Vudu produced all the tracks on Front & Center at In Tha Chamber studios. He has been on the Vancouver rap scene since 1989 as a club DJ, radio DJ on CITR FM, multi-instrumentalist musician and producer of top notch beats. In Tha Chamber Entertainment Inc. is dedicated to putting out the best in urban music, bar none. ============== The Georgia Straight - Vancouver, B.C., Canada - Oct. 23, 2003 Front & Center--Westcoast Women in Rhyme, Vol. 1 (In Tha Chamber Entertainment) By Tara Henley It's no secret that Van City is home to some enormously talented female hip-hop artists, yet until recently their contributions have gone largely unrecognized. When it comes to respect, media coverage, and show bookings, local flygirls have not often gotten their due. Front & Center is set to change all that. Bringing together a crew of hip-hop veterans and emerging MCs, the disc blasts all the doubters with a sonic palette that includes funked-up beats, electronic accents, reggae flavours, and R & B nuances in a stylistic mosaic that encompasses both song and rhyme. Buzz artist of the year, soul singerMC Kia Kadiri, contributes two of her hit cuts, "All My People" and "I Excite", while rapper Ndidi Cascade throws down her activist anthem, "Jah Soulja". The infamously raunchy duo StinkMitt spits a subversive white-trash manifesto in "Tubes Tied", and vocalist Coco Love Alcorn inserts a smooth, smoky lounge vibe into the mix with "On My Own" (which features an especially tight verse from guest male rapper JC). Dee One represents the up-and-coming generation of heads with her bumpin' club joint "Grind 'n' Groove"; Lady Precise exercises her melodic range in "Str8 With Myself"; and Róisín flexes her impressive beat-riding skills in "Cold Fusion". All in all, this release will make clear to the music-buying masses what observers of the local scene have known for some time: ladies in the 604 have got it going on.