Sexploitation
So I caught something on cable tonight about the girls of music video and how there was exploitation in the rap industry. Karrine "Superhead" Steffans was one of the speakers, and a couple of other chicks I'm familiar with/heard about/worked with, etc.
You know, I think that Karrine "Superhead" Steffans is getting a really bad rap that isn't really deserved. She had a rep when all that stuff went down. I'd heard of her. So if those guys didn't want to be put on blast, they shouldn't have been creeping to begin with! Especially not with someone who was known to be a "trick" at that time. However, I also think that she's giving the modeling industry a really bad rap that it isn't really responsible for, just because she had a bad experience.
They call her a "video vixen", but I want to know who was her agent? I never saw her at any castings or auditions like the other girls so I can't say she was ever a real model. Did she hit the pavement and stand in lines just to prove herself out of thousands. Did she even have a comp? Probably not. Nope. She sucked folks off for her shine. That's not judgment, that's just the truth. So I think the term groupie or concubine is more suitable for her position at that time. She was never a legitimate model.
Let me just say for the record, for the most part that I can't speak for anyone but myself, but the modeling industry and working in videos and hip-hop has been pretty good to me. I don't have horror stories that are modeling related. I just saw it as my job, you know? I was a part time mom and wife, and a part time model, and it was absolutely GREAT and I'd never change a thing except to have maybe gotten more out of it. But hell I got a book deal out of it so I have absolutely no regrets. Yes I was a major fuck up at certain times in my life, and I've done lots of dumb shit, but I know that videos had absolutely nothing to do with it. Just like videos didn't make Karrine S. be all out there. I think the coke was more of a culprit than the camera. Hello! She would have been like that regardless being all strung out on that white. Everybody knows that yeyo has no love.
But when it comes to my career in videos, yes there were highly irritating moments, but no one ever really stepped to me too crazy, I always got respect, and I know it isn't because I don't look good! I just carried myself in a way that commanded respect. I wasn't out there like some young chickenhead; I had goals.
When I think of the people I worked with, or were close with in the industry, I actually have some pretty fond memories. I'll share a few now, a few later...Yep, I can give these away because they're so tame. No Confessions of a Video Vixen stuff here. Just little factoids.
Styles P. really is a gangsta and a gentleman. On the set of "We Gonna Make It", there was a point where he was behind me, and I was in a thong. I was like "stop looking at my butt, it's ugly" because frankly, I hate my butt. It looks cute to death in pants, but at that time my son was like 8 months old and my body still wasn't back so I was self-conscious. He was like "nah, you tight." But he wasn't lecherous. And I could tell he was sincere. I'm sure he thought that I was attractive, and I was feeling his whole thug-vibe, I really was, but it never went further than that. I wouldn't have minded if it had, I'll be honest, because I was just really feeling his personality and the "ghost" is real sexy to me. But he was just mellow and mad cool, and really respectful.
Jadakiss was a character. Mad funny. "Mr. Raspy" was real easy to work with, real respectful. During the hot tub scene of "We Gonna Make It", let me tell you, it was ugly. A whole bunch of sweaty bodies that had been baking in the Miami sun were all piled into a little Jacuzzi, including a whole bunch of models with their different oils and sprays and perfumes. There was visible scum on the water. It was so gross that I showered for like an hour after that shoot. Ewwww! Jada was putting his feet on folks and cracking jokes. There was an ashtray floating on the water with some really good smoke in it. A shoe was floating on the water. But believe me when I say that water was so gross you wouldn't believe how we looked like we were having fun. Whenever the director Jesses called cut we all tried to get out the water and he was like, no it'll just take a second, stay there, which it didn't. But Jadakiss kept it lively and fun.
OK, Jarule was a little irritating. Not necessarily him so much, but his voice. I don't know how Karrine could spend weeks at a time with him. And he is so short. I mean, like tiny. Petite. And maybe I'm biased because I believe short men to be rather dangerous. But to this day there are very few JaRule songs I can even listen to without being like PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, turn it off!!! Always on Time is like Chinese Water Torture. And he and Irv Gotti seemed to have very little love for Black chicks when it came to casting. At least when it came to casting me. Not my favorite videos; they tended to run way too long.
Too Short was a really super nice guy. I never worked with him, he was just a personal friend. Very mannerable. His songs would really say otherwise. Yes all those broads he rapped about were real. But if you weren't a ho, he didn't treat you like one. He's someone I can say was a true friend to me when I lived in Atlanta, and it never went beyond a platonic relationship. But there were a few times when I really needed an escape from classes and life and just wanted to be free and happy, and he made that possible on more than one occasion. Good people.
I was with Lil Jon ("What? What?! OKAY!") during the low speed chase with OJ Simpson and the CHiPs. He was a DJ in many Atlanta strip clubs before he was the king of crunk. He was off and just chilling and I was "entertaining" at Nikki's Too, doing a lil shakey shakey for him &his boys when the whole club just stopped. Everybody was like Run OJ, RUN! To this day whenever I see Lil Jon, (but it's been a WHILE) we're like, "OJ!!". He's a funny, nice guy.
So hey, it's been all good for me, because I had a plan. It took for freaking ever, but things finally materialized. Don't go judging every rapper and every "video girl" too hastily. Yeah I think hip-hop needs to change, DRASTICALLY! But I think that rather than just demonizing the genre, people should start with themselves, ya heard? Just a lil sumpin sumpin. I'll be back.
Peace & Positive Vibes,
M.
You know, I think that Karrine "Superhead" Steffans is getting a really bad rap that isn't really deserved. She had a rep when all that stuff went down. I'd heard of her. So if those guys didn't want to be put on blast, they shouldn't have been creeping to begin with! Especially not with someone who was known to be a "trick" at that time. However, I also think that she's giving the modeling industry a really bad rap that it isn't really responsible for, just because she had a bad experience.
They call her a "video vixen", but I want to know who was her agent? I never saw her at any castings or auditions like the other girls so I can't say she was ever a real model. Did she hit the pavement and stand in lines just to prove herself out of thousands. Did she even have a comp? Probably not. Nope. She sucked folks off for her shine. That's not judgment, that's just the truth. So I think the term groupie or concubine is more suitable for her position at that time. She was never a legitimate model.
Let me just say for the record, for the most part that I can't speak for anyone but myself, but the modeling industry and working in videos and hip-hop has been pretty good to me. I don't have horror stories that are modeling related. I just saw it as my job, you know? I was a part time mom and wife, and a part time model, and it was absolutely GREAT and I'd never change a thing except to have maybe gotten more out of it. But hell I got a book deal out of it so I have absolutely no regrets. Yes I was a major fuck up at certain times in my life, and I've done lots of dumb shit, but I know that videos had absolutely nothing to do with it. Just like videos didn't make Karrine S. be all out there. I think the coke was more of a culprit than the camera. Hello! She would have been like that regardless being all strung out on that white. Everybody knows that yeyo has no love.
But when it comes to my career in videos, yes there were highly irritating moments, but no one ever really stepped to me too crazy, I always got respect, and I know it isn't because I don't look good! I just carried myself in a way that commanded respect. I wasn't out there like some young chickenhead; I had goals.
When I think of the people I worked with, or were close with in the industry, I actually have some pretty fond memories. I'll share a few now, a few later...Yep, I can give these away because they're so tame. No Confessions of a Video Vixen stuff here. Just little factoids.
Styles P. really is a gangsta and a gentleman. On the set of "We Gonna Make It", there was a point where he was behind me, and I was in a thong. I was like "stop looking at my butt, it's ugly" because frankly, I hate my butt. It looks cute to death in pants, but at that time my son was like 8 months old and my body still wasn't back so I was self-conscious. He was like "nah, you tight." But he wasn't lecherous. And I could tell he was sincere. I'm sure he thought that I was attractive, and I was feeling his whole thug-vibe, I really was, but it never went further than that. I wouldn't have minded if it had, I'll be honest, because I was just really feeling his personality and the "ghost" is real sexy to me. But he was just mellow and mad cool, and really respectful.
Jadakiss was a character. Mad funny. "Mr. Raspy" was real easy to work with, real respectful. During the hot tub scene of "We Gonna Make It", let me tell you, it was ugly. A whole bunch of sweaty bodies that had been baking in the Miami sun were all piled into a little Jacuzzi, including a whole bunch of models with their different oils and sprays and perfumes. There was visible scum on the water. It was so gross that I showered for like an hour after that shoot. Ewwww! Jada was putting his feet on folks and cracking jokes. There was an ashtray floating on the water with some really good smoke in it. A shoe was floating on the water. But believe me when I say that water was so gross you wouldn't believe how we looked like we were having fun. Whenever the director Jesses called cut we all tried to get out the water and he was like, no it'll just take a second, stay there, which it didn't. But Jadakiss kept it lively and fun.
OK, Jarule was a little irritating. Not necessarily him so much, but his voice. I don't know how Karrine could spend weeks at a time with him. And he is so short. I mean, like tiny. Petite. And maybe I'm biased because I believe short men to be rather dangerous. But to this day there are very few JaRule songs I can even listen to without being like PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, turn it off!!! Always on Time is like Chinese Water Torture. And he and Irv Gotti seemed to have very little love for Black chicks when it came to casting. At least when it came to casting me. Not my favorite videos; they tended to run way too long.
Too Short was a really super nice guy. I never worked with him, he was just a personal friend. Very mannerable. His songs would really say otherwise. Yes all those broads he rapped about were real. But if you weren't a ho, he didn't treat you like one. He's someone I can say was a true friend to me when I lived in Atlanta, and it never went beyond a platonic relationship. But there were a few times when I really needed an escape from classes and life and just wanted to be free and happy, and he made that possible on more than one occasion. Good people.
I was with Lil Jon ("What? What?! OKAY!") during the low speed chase with OJ Simpson and the CHiPs. He was a DJ in many Atlanta strip clubs before he was the king of crunk. He was off and just chilling and I was "entertaining" at Nikki's Too, doing a lil shakey shakey for him &his boys when the whole club just stopped. Everybody was like Run OJ, RUN! To this day whenever I see Lil Jon, (but it's been a WHILE) we're like, "OJ!!". He's a funny, nice guy.
So hey, it's been all good for me, because I had a plan. It took for freaking ever, but things finally materialized. Don't go judging every rapper and every "video girl" too hastily. Yeah I think hip-hop needs to change, DRASTICALLY! But I think that rather than just demonizing the genre, people should start with themselves, ya heard? Just a lil sumpin sumpin. I'll be back.
Peace & Positive Vibes,
M.
posted by Meta Smith @ 2:25 PM
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