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00:00I said, Essence Fest, how y'all feelin'?
00:06Y'all, can we make some noise for all of the wonderful
00:12Norland artists we just had on stage?
00:16Weren't they all phenomenal?
00:18They did what needed to be done.
00:20So make sure that you guys are adding their music to your playlist.
00:23And remember, Essence Stage puts y'all on, alright?
00:27Now, I cannot believe that our time together is coming to an end.
00:31But you know, we couldn't let anything, we couldn't let the day go by without a banger, alright?
00:37We cannot celebrate 50 years of hip-hop without celebrating a few of the women
00:42who have been the backbone for this evolution.
00:45Please, stand to your feet and join me in welcoming to the stage
00:50Chief of Staff and Diasporic Engagement, Boku Tubman,
00:54Actress, KD Aubert, and Grammy-nominated.
00:58Hip-hop pioneer, actress, and philanthropist, you can't play with her yo-yo, Miss Yo-Yo!
01:12Yes!
01:14Yes, yes!
01:16Look at my babies!
01:18Yes!
01:19Yes!
01:27Queens! Queens, nothing but Queens.
01:30Oh my God, this is amazing.
01:32So I got babies, and I got six-year-old triplets, and they're right there, Piper, Skylar, and KJ.
01:38You know I got to show the baby's love.
01:40Because you show your baby's love all the time on TikTok and Instagram.
01:42Yes, my kids are here!
01:43Sanai!
01:44Tiktok on!
01:45Yes!
01:46Sanai, Terry, and Tiffany.
01:48There you go.
01:49Okay.
01:50What's up Essence Fest?
01:53Everybody's having a good time?
01:54Woo-hoo!
01:55Uh-uh.
01:56Are y'all having a good time?
01:57Yeah!
01:58Y'all got Yo-Yo and KD up on this stage.
02:00This is like a big deal.
02:02So I'm excited and honored to be joined by these amazing women for a much-needed conversation around women in hip-hop.
02:11Full transparency, I am a woman in hip-hop for my professional life because I manage hip-hop artists.
02:18But I used to want to be a hip-hop artist.
02:21I used to want to be like you.
02:23So, Yo-Yo, we're gonna jump right in.
02:25Yes.
02:26You are one of the original female emcees of hip-hop.
02:30You-
02:31Yes!
02:32Give it up!
02:33Give it up!
02:34Give it up!
02:35Give it up!
02:36My name is Yo-Yo!
02:37I like to flow so swift, it's got to be a gift!
02:40Oh, come on!
02:41Yes!
02:42I am fangirling up here!
02:44Yes!
02:45Yes!
02:46You've made history now being-
02:48Now, you've made history.
02:49Yes.
02:50Lots of history.
02:51Yes.
02:52Being the 50th year of hip-hop, how does it feel knowing that you helped set the stage for the female emcees that we see so many of today?
03:02Because females, they taking over right now.
03:04I love it.
03:05I'm glad to see young women have a seat at the table. It's been male-dominated for so long.
03:12I'm inspired to be inspired.
03:14They encourage me to stay relevant.
03:17They kind of push me to the forefront a little bit.
03:21And I love seeing artists like Koi, you know, pay homage to women who have come before her like she did at the BET Awards,
03:30with honoring all of the women on her leather attire.
03:34I love that.
03:35And I think I know from Koi, she does not take her legend female hip-hop for great-
03:41And I love to see when they are authentic, when they are selling more than just sex, when they have a personality, when they know how to entertain, and when they can give something back, you know?
03:56Yep.
03:57One thing about this new generation is they want something right now.
04:00Absolutely.
04:01And I like to see these young, especially female artists, work hard for what they get because they'll hold on to it.
04:06Absolutely.
04:07KD.
04:08So, I love the dynamics of this conversation because KD comes from the age of where there were video vixens.
04:15The beautiful women that you saw in the video, and they were making their money, and people didn't realize that there were brains as beautiful as they are.
04:23So, KD, we know you from amazing videos, soul playing, you're an actress, you're an entrepreneur.
04:29You got on the scene at the time where video vixens were quintessential to every hip-hop and R&B music video debut.
04:36How did the music video scene help catapult your career?
04:39First, I want to say thank you guys so much for having me here.
04:43This is my first year at Essence.
04:45Woo!
04:46Yeah.
04:47What a great way to start, right?
04:50And then it's an honor to be sharing this stage with Miss Yo-Yo, who I adore in real life.
04:56Yeah, and so, you know, I'm really thankful that I got the opportunities that I did to do the music videos and be a part of the culture the way I did,
05:06because it reassured me that I was on the right track and getting into movies, getting into commercials and TV and things like that.
05:14And I learned so much behind the scenes, which helped me just knowing how things go.
05:21So, question for you.
05:23Stunningly beautiful.
05:25Both of y'all from the West Coast, by the way.
05:27Yeah.
05:28Stunningly beautiful.
05:30In music videos.
05:32Was there ever a time where you felt people didn't take you seriously when you wanted to do more than just being in the video?
05:37Because people don't realize that's real work.
05:40No, listen, I'm going to tell you, honestly, I take offense when certain people try to stereotype girls that did music videos as if we were all doing things behind the scenes that weren't appropriate.
05:53But I know for me, I always took it as a job.
05:56I was always on time.
05:58I was just, my whole thing was just, you know, professionalism.
06:01I knew professionalism would lead to longevity.
06:03And I knew that I wanted to make sure that I kept my image and my reputation a certain way so that I would continue to work.
06:10So, you know, it wasn't, it wasn't, everybody wasn't all doing it.
06:14It wasn't.
06:15Right.
06:16And you had to, I mean, even, I think this is for both of you, right?
06:19As women in hip hop around that time, just having to just kick in the doors, you know, doing what you did and looking good doing it.
06:28What are some of the challenges that you faced and that you've overcome?
06:32That you now, that's now helping you continue to build your career and stay relevant because you are staying super relevant.
06:45I think some of the challenges I had was being a young artist and having a lot of gatekeepers to open the doors for you.
06:54You know, being a label baby, you had a lot of people regulate your career.
06:58You had a regional rep in every city, you had someone, you know, A&R in your event.
07:04So you never got a chance to one-on-one have the relationship with the person that they were setting a lot of these events up with.
07:11You did all of this free press, all of these promotional events.
07:15You performed so many places and, but you didn't have the relationship.
07:19So some of the challenges for me was once I was thinking about getting on my own or doing things my way or trying to start my own, I realized that I had none of these relationships, all of these resources.
07:33So if I can tell anybody out here anything, you know how you give somebody else your phone and let them take the number down for you or take the pictures for you or keep this card and give it to me later.
07:47You have to hold on to your own resources and relationships because if you don't, management-wise and otherwise, when you leave management, when you leave a record company, they belong to them.
07:59So that was one of the challenges that I had, trying to recreate and not having those resources and relationships that I felt like I worked my ass to create.
08:10That is such a good answer. That is a really, really, cause I come from management. I come from management and I'm, but I'm also big on relationships.
08:21Cause part of how you were able to catapult your artist career is building relationships.
08:25And I always wanted people to get to know my artists, but there is a little, you know, line that you did draw.
08:30Cause you know, you're protecting them or you think you're protecting them and you got to make sure you do it the right way.
08:34Katie, you like, what are some of your challenges, you know, in your career that you faced and what have you done to overcome them to set you up for the next phase in your life?
08:43Cause you have a lot going on also right now.
08:46I don't know because I look at challenges differently. I tend to work better when my back is up against the wall or when I'm being doubted or second guessed.
08:54So, you know, a lot of times that's what ends up fueling my fire.
08:58Um, and it's true. You know, I think a lot of times because of the roles that I've had in my career, people tend to judge me and feel like that's all I got.
09:07Um, or, you know, think that that's how I am in real life or, you know, those types of, uh, those are the types of challenges, the stereotypes.
09:17The stereotypes.
09:18Yeah. Yeah. For sure.
09:19Yep. Yo-Yo, your career has blossomed way beyond being a female MC.
09:24Way, way beyond, you know, we were having a conversation about legends and icons and we were saying, and I just came from, from another event.
09:33And they were saying legends and icons are people who endured, have longevity and continue to do it.
09:39Cause you're deaf. You definitely fit that category.
09:42You are also heavily into activism and education with your school of hip hop and the intelligent black women's coalition.
09:50IBWC, by the way, I want to know, I want to get involved. Let me know, please. Where are you? Yes.
09:56IBW, where am I going?
09:58Okay, there you go, there you go.
09:59They are in the building.
10:00Whoa, I see you.
10:02Um, where are you mentor girls? Why was that important for you to contribute that way?
10:10Shout out to Washington Prep in the house. I see my folks. You know, um, I think when I started the Intelligent Black Women's Coalition, it was something I wanted to do from being a mentor at my high school.
10:22I never knew how impactful it would be. Um, I think the work that I do for the school of hip hop and the community work, the activism work, it came at a time when I started asking God to help me because I've been yo-yo since I was 17.
10:38I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go in life. You know, I felt like hip hop wasn't stable enough for me. This industry was just too fickle.
10:46So I started praying and asking God, like, God help me. Like, what do I do next? And God told me, if you want more, do more and to be more like he told me that the blessing that I'm asking for is not just for my mother and my kids.
11:00You know, he's not going to give me more space in my house. He's not going to give me a new car, no more furniture. You know, if you want more, do more.
11:08And at that time, during this transition, I realized that more for me meant, um, helping more, giving my service more, being of service more.
11:21And the blessings that I'm receiving now from the Disney show on Saturdays, from the, um, cooking show, Downright Delicious on Aspire. You can catch that every Tuesday, 8 p.m.
11:35There you go.
11:36The new host of BET Her Live, January 19th, it airs.
11:40Oh my God. Give it up.
11:41And Hip Hop Treasures on A&E, August the 13th, came because God then told me he was going to give me the desires of my heart for being obedient.
11:52Because doing that work, outside work, outside of me, asking for, thinking I just needed to elevate myself.
12:01He said, because of your obedience, now you can have the desires of your heart.
12:06Which I was thinking, now I can go get a new car, can buy a new refrigerator.
12:09Not like my daughter always says, I hate when you tell that story, because it makes you think you didn't have it.
12:13But when you are obedient, God will tell you, that money is not for that.
12:17You know, so I think because of my obedience, giving back, also from the outside, looking in, it made people understand who I was as a person.
12:27You know, he gave my name a new meaning.
12:29It wasn't about Yo-Yo the rapper, Yo-Yo the artist, you know what I mean?
12:33It was about humanitarianism, it was about feeding his, you know, and giving.
12:37And not just poor people or needy people, it was just about agape love.
12:42So, it's grown, thank you God, and now you can see a little bit more of Yo-Yo, because I gave a little bit more of Yo-Yo.
12:48Yes.
12:49You know what it sounds, I mean, I love that.
12:52First of all, I love all of you knowing where all of this blessing is coming from.
12:57I love that you know when you open up the windows and pour out of yourself, God pours more back into you.
13:02And that's something I had to learn.
13:04It's a hard lesson.
13:05Especially in the industry that you were in, it's a hard lesson.
13:08But it's also, you found your purpose.
13:11You found your purpose.
13:13And you know what?
13:15I used to feel like I didn't know, you know, confidence is something that comes.
13:20You know, people say, I want to be confident.
13:22You know, how do you get to be confident?
13:25You know, confidence came for me, because I've been an artist.
13:28They say, are you still scared to go on stage?
13:30And it was, I lacked confidence, because I wasn't sure if I looked right, if I was being the right professional, if I said the right thing.
13:39If I said, it came from living in my truth.
13:43And so I think, you know, it's just about doing the work.
13:47And I think, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah.
13:49I love that.
13:50We could have this conversation forever, because I think this is so important.
13:54Katie, you recently returned from living a few years in France, and gained your French citizenship.
14:03Bonjour.
14:04Bonjour.
14:05Comment ça va?
14:06Ça va, ça va.
14:07See, I got my French people in there.
14:09I got my nephew, and I love the competition.
14:11No, but you know what's so funny?
14:12I've actually been trying to, like, find people that speak French, because they say if you don't use it, you lose it.
14:17And so I haven't...
14:19It's so, so, so it's true.
14:21But can you explain the influence of U.S. hip-hop overseas?
14:25Like, what is the influence of hip-hop overseas?
14:28Well, um, you know what's funny is they actually have, um, they have their own hip-hop communities where they try to emulate what we have.
14:38So it's like, they have, like, their version of the Ice Cubes and the Yo-Yo.
14:43Like, they literally, and it's, it's like China.
14:46You know how China always kind of copies the artists?
14:48Yeah, but it's like that over in France as well.
14:51And, uh, they have lowriders and the Chola gangs and things like that.
14:56It was pretty, it was pretty interesting to see that in France.
14:59You know what's so crazy?
15:00So Dougie Fresh the other day was talking about the global impact of hip-hop.
15:04Yeah.
15:05And that's basically what you get to see when you go to Europe, you go to Asia, you go to Africa.
15:08They love hip-hop in France.
15:09Oh my gosh.
15:10You know, I think they love hip-hop everywhere because hip-hop is not just the music.
15:13Hip-hop is the culture.
15:14Well, you know, because they're known for not really being, like, that outwardly people.
15:17Yes.
15:18You know, so they're kind of, they could be considered kind of stiff, but they...
15:22Again, a true testament to what hip-hop is.
15:24And it's so funny because I hear so many kids nowadays say, let me take a picture with you.
15:28My mother loves me.
15:29I'm like, I forget, you know, it makes you remember, like, tag.
15:32Tag.
15:33We're at that stage now, 50 years of hip-hop.
15:35Yeah, 50 years of hip-hop.
15:36I'm like, take a picture with your mother, FaceTime her, and let me say something to her.
15:41I see you on them videos with your daughter.
15:43Listen, and it's such a good thing.
15:45My daughter, Sanai, Terry, and Tiffany, she has a music page, and they're behind me.
15:50My daughter just opened up her new music page, and my daughter, Sanai, is a makeup artist and a influencer.
15:56I guess that's what you call them.
15:58You're gonna make me turn all the way around to see you?
16:00Oh, yeah, come on out.
16:01You're gonna make me turn all the way around to see you?
16:04There you go.
16:05There you go.
16:06That's the baby of the bunch.
16:07There you go.
16:08I love that.
16:09Legacy continues.
16:10I like that.
16:11There's so much out there about women in hip-hop competing instead of collaborating.
16:16Yeah.
16:17But you have some notable female MCs who are good friends of yours.
16:21Yes.
16:22How have your friendships defied those stereotypes?
16:25And why do you think it's important that black women in hip-hop, I think black women in general, stick together?
16:31Well, it's very important.
16:34When I first got into the industry, they had one girl to one click.
16:38You know, they would shun you.
16:40You'd say hi.
16:41You know, you'd walk away like, damn, I shouldn't have said nothing.
16:44But I think along the years, when, you know, MC Light is one, Lady of Rage, Moni Love, Queen Latifah, Salt and Pepper.
16:53I mean, there's a lot of women, you know, who put their pride aside and didn't mind sharing their stories.
17:00I think it's so important because one thing we learn is we don't share stories.
17:03Yep.
17:04We don't share information.
17:07And people are so afraid.
17:09Like, you can't even ask a woman what kind of perfume she has on because she doesn't want you to smell like her.
17:14Imagine being in a crew of women where they only allow 10 of you to become successful and you're asking them about a contract or how much they're paying you.
17:25You know, you have women really have to, I think it's been successful for me to have women such as MC Light, Missy Elliott, who, um, who want to see you win.
17:35And I also think as all of them.
17:37And not want anything from you.
17:39You don't want anything from them because that's a difference.
17:41You have a lot of friends who just, you know, they just want to latch onto you for something, you know, and that's annoying.
17:48That, and then, well, those aren't your friends.
17:51Well, I mean, but you.
17:52And I know what you mean.
17:53Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:54I know what you mean.
17:55But I also think, and I, and I think it's really important to see, fun fact, I used to work for Flavor Unit in Latifah.
18:01I love her.
18:02I love her.
18:03But I think she's always been unselfish.
18:04I think all of you, as you've grown and matured and you understand and you've, you know, found your purpose.
18:10Yeah.
18:11And the reason why a coil array is important to you and, and, and is so genuine is because you know your purpose is to make sure she gets even more and treated better than you ever have.
18:20You know, I always wanted to, when I see some of these young girls in interviews and I see them on them, I always say, I want to, I wish I can tell them something.
18:28I wish I can have like two minutes with them and just say, you know, I, I, I'm not judging you.
18:34I love you, but I, I want you to know in order to make this work, you cannot be a puppet in this industry, you know?
18:40And you know, I, I don't mind you doing the coochie rap, but how long are you going to do that?
18:45Because I think it's over.
18:46Um, I'm not judging you, but, um, and you know, we can't keep talking about black excellence looking like black sluts.
18:53And, and I just want to say that to them without being, you know, I want to say that to them without them feeling like I'm judging them.
19:04Because I feel like we are growing and we are places we weren't before.
19:07So how can we keep going?
19:09If you got a big sister in hip hop and she ain't saying nothing to you.
19:12How can I be a big sister in hip hop if I'm not saying nothing to you?
19:16Okay.
19:17You know what? I think too, just if I can just chime in, I think that a lot of times people don't realize the influences that they have on, um, other, of other, other women and other generations.
19:27You know, it's, it's, it's kind of like a thing where, um, you see in certain cultures, certain things just don't fly.
19:35Like that's just not their, their get down, but they're, but, and then people try to emulate.
19:39I, I, I, I, I'm on the, you know what I'm saying?
19:42It's a, it's a touchy, it's a touchy conversation.
19:45If they knew that the power of the influence that they had.
19:48Cause people, a lot of people say, I'm not, you know, when we came out, we said, I'm, you know, I'm not the role model.
19:53It's not up to me to raise your kids, but when we realize the impact that we have in the black communities, when we realize why, why Muhammad Ali was so impactful,
20:02every black successful person out of their community community are leaders.
20:06They are heroes.
20:08Kids are watching.
20:09Yep.
20:10I'm going to stick to this, but I want to go to Katie.
20:12Cause I think, you know, with what we're saying to the next generation with, with these young girls who they want to be in music videos.
20:19Cause it's also sometimes catapults them into acting and other things that they want to do.
20:23What, what advice do you have for them?
20:25And what would you say to your younger self knowing what you know now?
20:28I'd say, keep doing it, girl.
20:31There you go.
20:32There you go.
20:33No, I mean, listen, to be honest with you, I'm very proud of the steps that I took.
20:36Um, I think that, you know, what I displayed and all the music videos that I did or the, whether, you know, the, whatever.
20:43I put a lot of thought before I accept the job.
20:49I don't just, all money ain't good money.
20:52I don't move out of thirst, you know?
20:55So, um, I always think about how is this going to catapult me to the next, to the next level?
21:00And, uh, yeah, so it's, it's, uh, you know, you know, so people always, when the term video vixen always, it was always like almost like a negative term.
21:11I, I, I think that again, black women are not a monolith.
21:15I think we have the right to show up in any which way that we want.
21:19Did that, is that something that ever bothered you?
21:21Or how did you?
21:22I'd rather be a video vixen than an Instagram model.
21:24I mean, I don't know.
21:25I just, I'm sorry.
21:26I just think that it just has a little bit more, you know, a little bit more class.
21:31I think it matters now.
21:32I think all of it matters.
21:33I mean, you know, we are, we're learning.
21:35Like I said, I'm learning from the younger generation.
21:37You know, my daughter put me on Instagram.
21:39I would have never got on it.
21:41But so I think it, like you said, there's enough for us to learn and for them to learn.
21:46I, I love it.
21:47I, you know, so, so for, for those that may or may not know, you know, the title of this panel is who you calling to be.
21:52Yes.
21:53And I think what I loved about that, what I love about what this conversation is, is we get to define what that is.
21:59Nobody can define us.
22:01Yeah.
22:02Before it meant something different.
22:03And we let that slide.
22:04Bottom line is video vixen, Instagram model, tick tocker, you're building something for yourself and you get to own and define what that looks like.
22:14You find your purpose and you keep it going.
22:16So that's what I love.
22:17I know we have to wrap up.
22:18Unfortunately, I'm loving this conversation.
22:20Yeah.
22:21But I want you both to, you know, Katie, we'll start with you also.
22:23Tell us what you're working on, how people connect with you.
22:26Well, I'm, I'm, I'm really anxiously awaiting this new movie I have coming out August 3rd on BET Plus called Sisters.
22:35Yeah.
22:36This is like the, this was the first time in my career I was able to kind of show a little bit of my thug side.
22:42Well, not a little bit, but I kind of went there.
22:44I really committed to that.
22:47It's a whole nother side.
22:49It's called acting.
22:50That means you're good at it.
22:51Well, yeah, yeah.
22:52And this is something I've been wanting to show people because it's, it's time.
22:55It's time.
22:56I love that.
22:57Yeah.
22:58Miss Yo-Yo.
22:59He was born 20 years ago.
23:00Just a pimp hose.
23:01Everyday new clothes.
23:02Look at the cut.
23:03Cool pose.
23:04On three.
23:05He's got the heat.
23:06So bluffing.
23:07Slanging 50 sacks.
23:08Cause it's more than 20 ducats.
23:09He struck it.
23:10Rich.
23:11Now his pockets looking straight.
23:12Slam the D's on the Benzo.
23:14His mom, she looking straight with her half.
23:16She got draped.
23:17Lounging in a new crib.
23:18That's about three states.
23:19Y'all know all I want to do is rap.
23:20I'm on Aspire TV every Tuesday.
23:23Downright Delicious with Yo-Yo.
23:25I am going to be the new host of BET Her Live on BET July 19th.
23:32And you can catch me on Hip Hop Treasures with LL Cool J Ice T on A&E.
23:40And what else is it?
23:42And I'm Cafe Mocha, host of Cafe Mocha Radio.
23:47Saturdays on Disney.
23:49Every Friday I play the role of duchess.
23:52And you can find me at Yo-Yo Fearless.
23:55And I hope to see you in New York for the New York Rock the Bells.
23:5850 years of hip hop.
23:59Oh, I gotta be there.
24:00Turning up and turning out.
24:01I have got to be there.
24:02Well, I am inspired and honored to have this conversation with both of you.
24:07Thank you so much for being here.
24:09Thank you so much for continuing to share.
24:11Thank you so much for continuing to thrive and pour into the next generation.
24:15Because that's what these conversations do.
24:17Please support both of these beautiful ladies.
24:19Give it up for Yo-Yo and Katie.
24:21Yo-Yo!
24:23Woo!
24:24Woo!
24:25Woo!
24:26Woo!
24:27Woo!
24:28Woo!
24:29Woo!
24:30Woo!
24:31Woo!
24:32Woo!
24:33Woo!
24:34Woo!
24:35Woo!
24:36Woo!
24:37Woo!
24:38Woo!
24:39Woo!
24:40Woo!
24:41Woo!
24:42Woo!
24:43Woo!
24:44Woo!
24:45Woo!
24:46Woo!
24:47Woo!
24:48Woo!
24:49Woo!
24:50Woo!
24:51Woo!
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