Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jean Grae goes against the grain of contemporary hip-hop diva style, as is immediately apparent from the cover photo to This Week. For one thing, she's wearing more than lingerie; for another, she's depicted writing amidst a sprawl of books. As she affirms in "Not Like Me", she's not like other Jeanies from the block - she enjoys reading, chess, cooking and conversation, and is unimpressed by ostentatious displays of wealth: "They're not like me/ Baby you know it's not easy/ To come across a girl like Jean." But boy, can she spit images. Take "A-Alikes": "I burn sky, scorch the earth's flesh/ At the same time the murderous text/ Unrolls like a phoenix with the glow of death." She's unafraid to admit her fears, and possessed of a self-image that swings from articulate assertiveness to disgust at her shortcomings, such as her paranoia and what she regards as her borderline alcoholism. "I'm an insecure failure/ I can barely maintain/ I wanna scream like Mahalia," she admits in "The Wall", and vividly conveys in "Goin' Crazy" the routine terror of a woman walking home alone: the kind of thing most rappers would deny through hip hop's pervasive gang mentality. But Jean Grae's clearly one of a kind, with her own agenda. As she observes, "This ain't Gray's Anatomy/ Some of it's talk therapy/ Some of it's sketch parody/ With lyrical dexterity."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments