The Rap Wives Club

I was at a rap show with Paul last week and I didn't see too many of the usuals. I've gotten to the point where I can walk in and recognize quite a number of people, so it was weird to see such a different crowd. This made me realize how far along I've come in Paul’s world. I used to feel totally out of place. It was a community where I had nothing to contribute. For the most part, I only attended shows when Paul performed. But now I actually look forward to shows like Yule Prog- a large, well-attended, annual holiday rap show hosted by Nasa- because I know I’ll see a ton of familiar faces.

A rare 2010 appearance at a rap show. Can you find me in
the crowd? I look less enthusiastic than Paul...
Photography: Victoria Holt

It's helped that so many people from the scene are also Paul's clients. So I often run into them in my kitchen. And since Paul mixes and masters their albums in the other room (and that involves listening to songs over and over again), I become reaalllly familiar with their music. So when I go to a show now, I can almost always sing along to the rapper's hook or chorus.

I've also made it a point to get to know rapper’s wives and girlfriends. The rap world is a bit of a boy’s club. Big surprise. And they pretty much only talk about rap. So I source out the other ladies to chat about non-music things. We do rap double dates too, because then we can all chat about general life stuff. I like the behind-the-scenes look into rap lives, especially when they're married. It's nice to be able to relate, ya know?

It may have taken six years and I might not look like I belong, but I’m beginning to feel part of the rap community. Especially since I've started this blog, I'm not just Willie's wife, I'm also known for Rappers In My Kitchen. Paul slipped so easily into my world, but it takes a little longer for a girly-girl to find her place in a rap world.