When it comes to female rappers, I have many ways in determining just how good they are. She has to be dope to the point where when I'm listening to her music, I forget I'm listening to a female. This was the exact feeling I had when I first listened to Nitty Scott, MC. Now there are a lot of dope female rappers out but very few fit this description. Nitty fits it to a T. The first time I heard her was in 2011 on a freestyle she did over Dr. Dre's "Deep Cover" instrumental. I was literally blown away. Her hard hitting lyricism, punchlines and old school throwback flow was something I haven't heard from a female rapper in quite a long, long time. She sounds so much like a combination of MC Lyte and Roxanne Shante. Two of the first ever female rappers of the 80's. Her style seemed very underground, New York battle rap like. Which again is something you don't see in most femcees. The freestyle was featured on her debut mixtape The Cassette Chronicles. After listening to that tape, the follow up Doobies & Popsicle Sticks, and her 2012 EP The Boombox Diaries Vol. 1, I was most certainly eager to hear this. Her debut album The Art Of Chill. Now coming off of two dope mixtapes and a dope EP, I was kinda expecting that same hard Brooklyn edginess of hers to be present on this project because that's essentially what turned me on to her (besides her looks). After listening, I am overly impressed with this album. It was great and far beyond what I expected. Nitty kinda goes out of her lane and takes on a concept conscious album. The concept comes straight from the albums title. She's showing you "the art of chill" by making a album filled with more calmer and more relaxing sounding tracks. You know..."chill" music. The album just gave off such a peaceful and positive vibe. But what really stood out the most is the very deep and emotional topics of discussion on a few songs. Especially the ones where she opens up about her past demons (I'll address that in a moment). This album made me reminisce back to The Mis-Education of Lauryn Hill (who some compare her to). Minus the singing, it presented the same kind of soulful sound and positive messages and stories being told. For the kind of rapper that Nitty is, this is quite a tough concept to tackle. I mean there are some male rappers that have trouble with this. But she nailed it and did an excellent job. I have tons of positives about this album so I'll get right to it. Off top I gotta start with the one thing that stood out the most...the emotion. "Still I Rise" is the emotional and saddening story of Nitty's dark past. She talks about being sexually abused by her step-father. Then talks about how her mom wasn't there for her during that situation, or in other words how mom put him before her and how much it devastated her. You would think such a beautiful person like Nitty would have never experienced anything like that. I truly admire her bravery for coming out and telling this story to the world for the first time. Sexual abuse and/or rape is a serious issue. It occurs way too much in today's society and it needs to be talked about. Especially by these rappers who kids are kinda looking up to now. Nitty probably isn't the only person in the game to suffer such a tragedy but she's one of the few bold enough to open up and talk about it. Kudos to her for being strong about it. Love the song. The album begins just as the album title describes. Very chill and very relaxed. It starts with "Generation Now (Psychedelic Little Buddha)". A fiery flow filled with some of the more dope lyrics on the album. The beat is very calming and mellow just like much of the production on the album. The following track is "Apex" which features Ab-Soul. I love the jazzy sound of the beat with the horns and all. Again, super dope lyrics especially from Ab-Soul guest verse. The word play from both of them was just so awesome. She then gets a little braggadocios on "Feng Shui". I mean she wasn't too over the top flaunting her swag. It was at a tolerable rate. Plus on such a laid back beat you can't really be that over the top anyway. Tracks like "Lily Of The Valley" and "Little Sister" are so poetic and sounds as if she's doing spoken word poetry. These songs also serve as lessons being taught to the young ladies of today. Which so much negativity surrounding majority of young women today, it's songs like these that need to be heard so they can realize what life really has to offer. Hopefully they get motivation from it. Right in the middle of the album is where the sound kinda changes to something more faster and kinda mainstream-ish. "Knowbody Knows" is the only song on here that sounds anything close to a single. The beat is very uptempo and a total pace changer from the rest of the album. Again she continues her poetic skills by actually doing spoken word this time over the hook. Her words are actually quite deep and inspiring once you sit and listen close. But this is one of my favorite tracks on the album. I love it. The pace continues to pick up on "U.F.O. (Unfiltered Offering)". I like the alien/galactic/spacy sounds on the beat and within her lyrics. Most of which was referencing things dealing with outer space and extra terrestrials. I even like how on the hook she changes her voice to sound like an alien. Awesome track. Now of course, she's a female so there will be at least one lovey-dovey song. Or...something like that. The track is "Pyrexxx Pink" and on it she compares her sex game to a drug and how it's got her dude addicted. Fiending for more (which is also said in the hook). It's a real interesting twist on that kind of topic because most of these thirsty guys out here today do act like fiends towards these women because the sex is that good. Had this song been made by any other female rapper it just would have been you're typical X rated sex fest. Also her flow on here was very uptempo and mainstream. As if she was rapping on a trap beat. I found myself to like this though after a few listens. My negatives for the album aren't nothing serious. I was a little bothered by all the interludes. Each one was nothing but this string sounding instrument being played. Almost sounds like relaxing meditation music. I know it supposed to tie in with the concept but I don't know...I guess it was just too many of them. It made it hard for each song to transition into the other perfectly. Nothing else more than that though. Well, to close, I am overly pleased with this album. Nitty has certainly impressed me with her ability to master this conscious style of rap and being very poetic. I give this a final grade of a A-. Without question, Nitty Scott, MC is a breath of fresh air for the female division in hip hop. With so many of them sticking to the same generic script, it's so refreshing to see one, especially one as young as her, come to the game with something more different and unique. Instead of looking up to femcess like Nicki Minaj, Trina, Lil Kim etc, these young girls today should consider taking a listen to Nitty Scott, MC. She's is obviously here for them and to be a role model to them. Showing them you can still be sexy, still be fly and have swag but at the same time be smart about it and don't make terrible decisions that could change the course of your life. I mentioned how this album took me back to Lauryn Hill's hay day. I honestly believe that we may have now stumbled onto the modern version of her. Possibly someone who will follow down that same path to greatness. This was to me...The Mis-Education of Nitty Scott, MC. End.
Final Grade: A-
CREDITS
Executive Producers
Michael Clervoix
Giuliano Jules
Lead Artist
Nitzia Scott
Production
Chuck Strangers
Yuri Beats
Brandon Sene
David Willis
Jay Jennings
Ty Real
Big Blesson
Collaboration
Herbert Stevens IV
Brandon Sene
Robert Regis
Thomas Jones
Stacy Barthe
Kendrick Duckworth
Label
Boombox Family Entertainment
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