Bless Roxwell (BR): My most recent project has been “Bless Roxwell: Evolutions. It’s now available on iTunes at itunes.com/blessroxwell. On February 4th, 2010, there will be a "She's So Fresh" Showcase III / Invincible's Birthday Celebration hosted by Tasty Keisha at Sputnik in Brooklyn, New York. Also, I am - building J.A.G. Music and Media, LLC, a non-exclusive media platform that supports women in the arts and women in Hip Hop. You can check out updates on the music at www.blessroxwell.com and information on “She’s So Fresh” at www.wesofresh.com.

BR: Well, when I decided to pursue Rhyming as a career path, I have to say it wasn't as it is now. Growing up with it, I had so many sistas to look to for inspiration to model myself on as an artist, from Queen Latifah to Lin Que to Bahamadia. It’s a much different place now than it was then.

BR: [Laughs] Well, it's interesting in that I AM very much the extrovert. I'm very friendly and have no problem talking to people, but I am not that one that needs to be the center of attention. I'm very comfortable with who I am, so I never feel the need to push myself on people. However, I am an artist, so there is a place I can go to as an artist that can be very shy. When you create art you're sharing a piece of your soul with the world and that can be intimidating. So in that respect, yes, I am shy.  I am extremely private in that I don't talk about my personal life too much. I've learned in this industry in particular, people will take advantage of perceived weakness, so only a select few people at any given time truly know how I'm feeling, what I'm dealing with at that moment in my personal life. If I put it in my music then that's how I choose to share. I value those that I do share with on a personal level so much because they support me, even knowing my weaknesses, as well as my strengths. 

BR: Honestly, I don't know. I know that it's hard for ANY artist these days, as well as labels, radio stations… You name it. Right now there is such a major shift occurring and has been going on for the last couple of years that I think whether or not you are male or female, you're going to have a hard time. Now, why do we still hear more from male artists than female? Well, why are there more male CEO's than female? Why are there more male politicians than female? I believe part of it is the society that we live in that places a lower value on the wisdom of women in general and that has been translated to Hip Hop. One of my main issues with it is that there are so many young people paying attention to Hip Hop. They’re watching these artists' every move. They’re not doing that with CEO's or politicians, not in the same way.

BR: I think it's time for us to own our creativity. [Laughs]. I look at the Jay Z's, the Wu-Tang's, and even Metallica, and see that they all started their OWN. They either got tired of waiting, didn't want to wait, didn't want to be dictated to, or whatever their reasons were and they took that initiative. I'd like to see more females do that than to wait on these labels to take them where they want to go. I know Invincible has hers, Emergence Media, I have J.A.G. Music and Media and I'm sure there are many other sistas all over that have started entities for themselves. I just feel that's the way to go. If they aren’t trying to open the door, I will make my own. No harm, no foul.

BR: I think that with the internet it is a whole new arena for artists, labels and anyone else looking to get to the masses. The game has changed and we have now no need to wait for a label or anyone else who slow rolls on you. You have the power in a way unprecedented in human history, and especially the history of the industry that is music. So take advantage of it. The days of sitting there complaining about labels not giving you opportunities is over. That's so 1998. [Laughs]

BR: Lin Que told me this tale: There was a man who died and went to hell. There he found rolling green hills, blue skies with puffy white clouds, and a picnic table that was as long as the eye could see laden with all the most scrumptious foods one could imagine. Sitting at the table were people and tied to their arms were forks and knives, each 2-3ft long, and they were starving to death because they couldn't feed themselves. This same man was then taken to heaven. There he found rolling green hills, blue skies with puffy white clouds, and a picnic table that was as long as the eye could see laden with all the most scrumptious foods one could imagine. Sitting at the table were people and tied to their arms were forks and knives, each 2-3ft long, but they weren't starving, because they were feeding the person across from them and as a result being fed also.

Feel me? That stayed with me because the only way to move forward is to support each other and feed each other. All I ask is that you come to the table with something.  Not just” I'm an artist, so gimme gimme.” Because I don't want to feed you and not be fed.  That defeats the purpose, or as a wise brother once said to me, “One hand washes the other and then both hands wash the face.” I love doing "She's So Fresh.” There are too few of us to be seeing each other as competition. That divides and conquers. There are too many of us to not have our voices heard somewhere someway somehow. Hopefully "She's So Fresh" can help that mission.

BR: I've had the pleasure of doing interviews with artists that have been out for a long time and considered veteran,s as well as new sistas that are up and coming and doing it in their way. From Mystic, Lin Que, Toni Blackman, Cynical Smith of Bucktown USA and Invincible, to RA the MC, Eagle Nebula, Letia Larok, and Contro'Versy. I ask them questions mostly about their experiences in Hip Hop, their creative process, how they handle discrimination when it has touched them, and also words of wisdom to impart to young sistas that may be reading and aspiring to do what they do.

BR: That it wasn't all fun and games. That it was work. That there is a lot that goes into creating music. That you have to build skill. If your team isn't tight, it WILL affect you and your movements. I haven't always listened to those lessons, [laughs] but I learned from them.

BR: I think there is a lot of hope. The sistas I speak to all believe that we can positively affect and influence this art that we love so much. There is a possessiveness to it, because we have been apart of it from the very beginning, so it's as much ours as anyone else's. I don't ever find hopelessness. Like “Ok, I'll just take my clothes off too. [Laughs] Never. It’s always “Nah, I'm not going to stand for that, and if you're not going to make the way, I will make that way myself. “

BR: Well, I have received so much this year in everything that I've been doing that for me, it's my way of saying thank you. I hope it gets attention. I hope people respect my efforts, and continue to support. I hope that it opens me up to a wider audience than may have thus far heard what I'm working with.

BR: Focus, but diversify. Don’t depend on other people. Be proud to do you and create what you are creating. Know that there is a positive and negative side to everyone and on occasion you may see more of one side than the other. But don't let that discourage you. If this is what you love and are passionate about, find a way to do it.