When most people hear the name
“Melato Black”; they automatically
think of an aromatic hot new
beverage from Starbucks or a unique
biscotti at a fancy Parisian café.
However, they would be wrong. The
stage name of Melato Black belongs
to a beautiful, sweet, determined
and driven woman. Not only does
she have a smooth, melodic voice;
but she has bars! So if you do not yet
know who she is, this will give you
a brief glimpse into the awesomeness
that is Ms. Melato Black; trust and
believe you all will be seeing a lot of
her in battle rap culture.
are so many more I could name
though.
Novie Blendz: Where are you
from?
Novie Blendz: That’s great,
because a lot of people assume
that if you didn’t begin battling
on camera then those battles don’t
count; I disagree. What battle was
it that you saw, that made you
want to fully get into the sport?
Melato Black: New Jersey;
born in Trenton and raised in
Camden.
Novie Blendz: What initially got
you into rapping?
Novie Blendz: That’s great, you
have an even balance of conscious
and street rappers. Now when did
you decide to start battling?
Melato Black: Like seven to eight
months ago, on camera. I have
always been a battle rap fan for
a long time. I had been battling
rapping pre-YouTube. In these
past seven to eight months
though is when I really got into
it.
Melato Black: Oh, I’ve been
rapping for a long time. I think
it was probably due to the
fact that I sang; eventually I
incorporated the rapping into
the singing. Then I became a
hip-hop head; then after that it
was just rap.
Melato Black: Well there was
really no particular battle. I
come from the pre-camera and
YouTube days. I was that emcee
on the block battling men and
it was all off the top; so it was
just a matter of time before I
decided to really get into the
pre-written, on-camera type of
battles.
Novie Blendz: Who were your
greatest influences as far as rap?
Novie Blendz: How did you get
the name Melato Black?
Melato Black: KRS-1, Talib
Kweli, Common, Nas, Pac,
Lauryn Hill and Jay-Z. There
Melato Black: I got that name
from the n***as in the hood. I
was one of the only chicks who
melato black
rising star
could beat the n***as. Initially, I
was “Malicious” — in an all-girl
group who sang, and I sang and
rapped. Once I started rapping
more and stopped singing, I was
the chick that most the dudes
couldn’t beat. So they started
calling me “Melato”, because I
had the coolest white mother
in the ‘hood. She fed everyone
and even gave a few of them a
place to stay. She was everyone’s
mother. Then I added the
black for a few reasons. Doesn’t
matter what my ethnicity is, at
the end of the day I’m a black
woman. I have black woman
problems. Aside from having a
militant father, the best way to
sum “black” up is via the Talib
Kweli song with Jean Gray called
“Black Girl”; in Jeans verse she
talks about the misconception
of the mixed/black girl pain. I’m
OK with people saying I speak a
certain way, or have a name for
the type of hair they consider
mine, because of my ethnicity,
but at the end of the day I’m
black. Mixed or not. I get no
pass being half-Polish; but my
n***a Shizz named me that when
I was about 14.
Novie Blendz: Your story on
how you’ve gotten your name is
inspiring, interesting and dope.
I’ve also noticed you’ve battled
via the Trap House Battle League;
how was that experience?
Melato Black: The Trap is my
home. That’s my home league.
Shoutout to Bones and Pat —
RMR. The Trap was like the
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