“woman”. Instead it unabashedly reads “man trying
to look like woman”, which only adds to the running
joke. But are we as a culture so far gone that we can
boo Hitman Holla for recycling his entire third round
versus Conceited, yet can’t react to No Shame calling
out Kidd K for the same? Correct me if I’m wrong,
but recycling is one of the cardinal sins of hip-hop.
Danny Myers, President of AHAT battle
league and ascending battle rapper, was asked if there
was any concern that No Shame’s appearance with the
league could hurt the league’s brand. He responded,
‘Yes, we had concerns about negative backlash; but
we also felt that discrimination is worse than backlash
and we feel that as long as a person has bars, we don’t
care about their personal life.’ But to that, I wonder
of AHAT and Danny Myers, “Why label all of No
Shame’s battles as the ‘Transgender Rapper vs.’ or
all female battles as, ‘Female Rap Battle - ____ vs.
____’? Is that not a form of discrimination? Letting
No Shame battle on such a widely known league
was a risk in itself, but why supplement the blow of
a horrible opponent by attaching a tag that will be
nearly impossible to wipe off? If you can’t practice
acceptance, at least practice tolerance and respect.
No Shame is exemplifying bravery and hunger, all
qualities needed to make it as a battle rapper.
Do I think No Shame will begin a revolution
in battle rap and bring about mass acceptance of
homosexuality and the transgendered amongst all
other emcees? Not right now. But I see hope for battle
rap’s consciousness. Check the first round of her battle
with Michael White. When she spit, “See, approval
I don’t need it. I never searched for the stamp, but
you doubt me, that’s why I concentrate on your
camp.” the crowd exclaimed, ‘whoooooo!’ For that
moment she was equal. All pretense evaporated and
her bars outweighed her joke. So maybe this isn’t the
revolution, but it can be the start of a conversation.
The progression of this culture depends on the
advancement of our mindsets. The world is changing
and remaining the same isn’t how you change with it.
Let Sara Kana — President of Barz and Brastraps —
tell it, “There is a gay man in every ‘hood in America
today, but if that gay man said, ‘I have bars.’ everyone
would deny him. Bars over everything. Even sexuality?
Will everyone overlook his sexuality and just see a
battle rapper or emcee? No. All they see or hear is,
“he is gay.’” She’s right. No Shame being received in
battle rap doesn’t mean the jeers and jokes will stop.
Jada Raye has been loudly proclaiming her affinity
for women since her first Sparring Session. Has
that stopped men from hitting on her every chance
they get? Battle rap is not a friendly sport and the
players can be meaner than a mother to a red-headed
stepchild. Acceptance is your personal choice, but
respect is earned. In the words of K. Prophet, “When
your soul is real, those who sustain the same will
know the deal.”
DANNY MYERS
Battle Rapper, President of AHAT battle league
So AHAT recently made a ground breaking move
by hosting a transvestite battler. With the sometimes
homophobic nature of hip hop and battle rap culture,
was there any concern that the No Shame battle would
hurt the league’s brand? Why or why not?
Yes we had concerns about negative backlash but
we also felt discrimination is worse than backlash
and we feel that as long as a person has bars we
don’t care about their personal life
What has been the overall response to the battle? Will you
have No Shame back on AHAT?
The response has been positive and will absolutely
have no shame back
While there was some backlash from the battle rap
13