00:00And we're back, ladies and gentlemen.
00:02Man, I don't think you understand.
00:05Ooh, what's happening right now?
00:08Pretty V!
00:09Honey, we got salt, we got pepper, we got ease.
00:12Oh, my God!
00:13We got pepper in the building.
00:14Salt in the building.
00:15Oh, my God!
00:16Oh, my.
00:17Ladies, hi.
00:19Hi!
00:20How the hell are you?
00:22Good.
00:23How are you?
00:23It is great to see you both.
00:25My friends is here.
00:26Yes.
00:27He kept, when he was seeing y'all, he was like,
00:28oh, my friends in the building.
00:30Look.
00:31Our friend is here.
00:32Yes.
00:33My peoples are here.
00:34Definitely.
00:35I get so excited when this happens.
00:37Yeah.
00:38Because I'm a student and I love to see it.
00:39Yeah.
00:40We are here at the Essence Fest.
00:41Yeah.
00:42What does Essence mean to you guys?
00:43Oh, my God.
00:44Everything.
00:45Culture.
00:46Every culture, like, everything.
00:49I mean, I don't remember a time in my life from a, like,
00:52child, like, through my career that I've not heard about
00:56or been Essence in the house with every, it's everything.
00:59Everything.
01:00Yeah.
01:01Yeah.
01:02You know, keeping it up on all the hottest, the latest,
01:04you know, throughout the careers.
01:07Yeah.
01:08For black culture, it's very important to show and be able
01:12to recognize the worth and how, you know, where we came from.
01:16Yeah.
01:17We are still celebrating 50 years of hip-hop.
01:19Yes.
01:20Yeah.
01:21You mentioned 50 years.
01:22The ladies are representing me.
01:23Yes.
01:24Always.
01:25Always.
01:26What does it mean to each one of you that we have reached 50
01:29years and where are we going in the next 50 years?
01:32Mm.
01:33I mean, you know, what can I say?
01:36It means so much to really be here.
01:38Coming from an era, a time when the number one question was,
01:42you know, we were counting down the time of that.
01:45And to be here 50 years later, celebrating how, you know,
01:50how in culture and it crossed over in music and different genres,
01:55it's just, it's amazing.
01:56Yeah.
01:57I mean, honestly, even today, like when we were at rehearsal,
02:00you know how much I love that.
02:01I'm like, hey.
02:03But I was like, I get, I got semi-emotional because I'm like,
02:08I'm sharing the stage with legends for me.
02:13If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't want to be me.
02:17So, like, the fact that we gone that far and for women to be
02:21representing on this night and to be acknowledged, like,
02:25it's a beautiful, beautiful thing.
02:27Definitely.
02:29And speaking of that, Pep, you are a pioneer in the game.
02:32You've been doing it for years.
02:34Yeah.
02:35How does it feel?
02:36We have females, like, leading the Essence Fest.
02:39Three female rappers leading it.
02:41How does that make you feel?
02:42I know.
02:43It feels amazing.
02:44And it feels more special when we got my girl, like Eve.
02:47Yes.
02:48When she, you know, say that, that's what we do.
02:50We just got to keep, you know, pushing on, paying homage.
02:53And we always talk about each other.
02:55I think it's very important to always recognize, say,
02:58yo, that's Eve, that's this, that's that.
03:00Like, just keeping us and keeping the new generation knowing and
03:05where the music came from, how it arrived, what we went through to
03:09break down some barriers to be here today to celebrate on such a level.
03:15Yes.
03:16The ladies are up in the game right now, and you help raise a lot of them.
03:21You help raise a lot of them.
03:22Yes.
03:23Yes.
03:24There are some at home watching right now.
03:26Give them the best piece of advice you can give any female MC out there right now,
03:30each one of you.
03:31Oh, wow.
03:32Wow.
03:33I think it's important to kind of really stay true to yourself, you know,
03:38and stay focused.
03:39Understand there's good and bad out there.
03:41Just understand that, you know, and just keep, just keep going.
03:45Just keep pushing it.
03:46People don't come through and try to stop your flow, but just keep going.
03:50Understand the ones that's for you and the ones that's not for you.
03:52Absolutely.
03:53Absolutely.
03:54No, I agree with all of that.
03:56That's all real.
03:57Like, I think also it's an amazing time because all the shit that we went through or stuff.
04:02I don't know if I can say shit, but that we went through, it's so beautiful to be able
04:08to see like the landscape of females that are out right now is more than I think it's
04:13ever been since I was in the business.
04:15So like, yes, we need you.
04:18Like, we need your voice.
04:19We need the representation.
04:20Like you said before, do not stop.
04:21Like, we need you.
04:22That's it.
04:23Yes.
04:24Because it was such a male dominated feeling.
04:25Like Eve said, look at it now.
04:26Yeah.
04:27Like controlling the stage, closing out stages.
04:29You know, us.
04:30That's amazing.
04:31Women.
04:32And headlining.
04:33Yes.
04:34That's amazing.
04:35Yes.
04:36Yes.
04:37Yes.
04:38Yes.
04:39Yes.
04:40Yes.
04:41Listen, I am very proud to say that I have shared some of the last 50 years with y'all,
04:45well, all of the 50 years with y'all.
04:46of the 50 years with y'all damn it because i'm 50.
04:52i told i told tig he benjamin button oh for real agent look no seriously you all look so good
04:58thank you look at this too we came a long way though a long listen lessons upon blessings
05:04upon blessed honored and privileged to be sitting next to y'all i am happy y'all were here at essence
05:09fest happy y'all represented for the ladies 50 years in hip-hop yes v is in the build listen
05:14listen i think you should stay tuned we got a lot more coming up shout out eve shout out pepper
05:19said where's salt yes no i don't answer that i don't threw her in there in the beginning
05:26we got a lot more coming up tonight we live on hulu baby
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