I had never heard of her at the time and couldn't understand how this ubiquitously proclaimed influence had so completely escaped my notice. When I did start to listen to her stuff two things struck me: 1) her music seemed unremarkable and 2) she was a most unlikely looking pop-star - breaking all stereo-types for female success in the pop music industry. Because of that second point, I was very impressed by her character.
Over the years I began to see what I had been missing.
Da Real World is a fantastic album.
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Now for the French connection.
A few years ago - a spring afternoon- whilst wandering around the back streets of Bourges - that town that is geographically bang in the middle of France, I could hear in the near distance one of my favourite songs from Da Real World: "All N My Grill" featuring M C Solaar. (I dread to think what the lyrics mean.)
I began to search out the source of the music. As I went round a corner and was beginning to enter stray-dogs'-ville, I looked up and saw leaning from a 3rd storey window and staring belligerently at the world below him a bare-chested and shaven-headed young man and sat next to him the ghetto blaster that was blasting forth Missy Elliott.
Terrific sound reproduction and I would have stopped there and listened till the end of the song where M C Solaar raps in French: but a degree of fear was beginning to creep into my person and so I continued on my walk and left him to annoy his neighbours.
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| Bourges |
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