We here at 100 Bars Magazine have
a policy: “If you have bars, we want
to hear them; regardless of gender,
race or anything else. We do not
discriminate, at all.” Personally, I
get bothered by how closed-minded
battle rap can be. Enter No Shame,
the first transgender battle rapper.
His battle went viral faster than
Dizaster spitting in doubletime.
Fans seemed shocked at the concept
of a transgender battler, paying
far more attention to the battler’s
orientation than they did to what
No Shame actually spit. And what
No Shame spit was rapid fire, solid
and precise. I followed No Shame on
Twitter after seeing the battle and
when Zilla gave me the Bat Signal,
I was intent on an interview. Ladies
and gents, I present No Shame.
Majin: OK. Let the people know
where you’re from and what town
you rep.
Noshame: Born in Phoenix,
Arizona; living and putting it
down for Dallas, Texas.
Majin: How is the battle scene out
there? I peer in from time to time,
but don’t see much.
No Shame: Dallas is kind of
quiet. There is a league called
“Live from the Block”, but they
don’t mess with me. So all in-all,
it’s quiet. Im trying to get AHAT
working in Dallas.
you into battling? Was there a
defining battle or was it the scene
itself?
No shame: I have always
rapped. I got into written rap
while preparing for a freestyle
competitionx I had friends kind
of push me back into it. Ahat
is the first league I came across,
“ARTI vs. Nov”.
Majin: Was this in Phoenix or
Dallas?
No shame: This is in Dallas. I’ve
lived here a good minute. I was
freestyle champ on 97.9 The
Beat in like, 2003 and 2004.
Majin: It’s always good to have
a rep before entering battle rap.
How did you end up in AHAT?
No Shame: I sent in a freestyle
and was booked at AHAT’s next
event, by Nicholas Fonseca, the
president of AHAT Utah. That’s
the real reason I got a chance.
Majin: Did they eventually
discover the fact that you
were a transgender or was this
foreknowledge?
Noshame: They knew that I
transitioned three years ago. I
started battling again one year
ago and came to AHAT nine
months ago.
no shame
DONT SLEEP
Majin: And now, one of the
questions everyone wants to know;
what sparked that transition?
No Shame: I never felt right
in my skin. When my dad was
dying, I knew I couldn’t hide
anymore. I wasn’t going to waste
my life being who I wasn’t.
Majin: Not alot of people are
comfortable with just being
themselves these days. I commend
you for that. Did you expect the
turnout for your battles to grow
so fast? It seems that you’re the
battler of the hour right now.
No Shame: Everyone in battle
rap has secrets. I’m the only one
who aired myself out. I thought
it might get big quick, but this is
“omg” fast. I just found out that
if I continue to do well, I can get
a Proving Grounds battle.
Majin: A PG? Really? I think
that’s dope. You’re already in the
crosshairs of Spawn a.k.a Daylyt.
What are your thoughts on what
to expect?
NoShame: With Daylyt, I have
no clue. I haven’t gotten the
PG yet; I have to earn it, but
Norbes said he would never
discriminate. I plan on just
riding the wave.
Majin: Glad to hear that. I saw
your last battle and you were
impressive. Did you expect your
opponent to go that route?
Majin: That would be a good
boost to the city. What got
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