The Daily News:

Straight outta L.I.,
rappers & role models
By REBECCA LOUIE
DAILY NEWS FEATURE WRITER

"Is there any more room for me in those jeans?" she croons as she pulls her headphones off in the Chelsea Bistro. Goodman, 25, is quoting a line by R&B singer Ginuwine.

"You just see him saying that to some girl and thinking, 'Hey, I should make that a song!'"

Her audience, Robyn (DJ Sprout) Goodmark, 27, and Correne (Guinea Love) Spero, 27, laugh. As members of the underground rap trio Northern State, they defy the X-rated rap regime that has shackled many female lyricists. Rather than flaunting their sexual prowess (Lil' Kim has sold records boasting of her skills with Sprite cans), Northern State laments Al Gore's 2000 defeat on their debut album, "Dying in Stereo." Lyrics refer to "The Bell Jar" and Anton Chekhov.

POLITICAL EDGE

It seems their degrees from NYU, Vassar and Oberlin, respectively, paid off.

"I think there is a long history of hip-hop groups with a political conscience, even if that's not currently the popular thing," says Goodmark. "There was Public Enemy. There's Dead Prez. I like to think of us as part of that legacy."

Naming themselves after the parkway they cruised while growing up together in Suffolk's Dix Hills - Goodman now lives in Manhattan while Goodmark and Spero have moved to Brooklyn - the childhood friends reunited three years ago, during hip hop's explosion into the mainstream.

"We were listening to a lot of hip hop," says Goodman. "Just goofing around, rapping. Then we were like, 'Wait a minute. Why goof?'"

They tinkered with instruments, practiced their recording technique and put pen to page to produce rambunctious, politically tinged lyrics backed by raw, simple beats. They played in small venues around the city as they mastered the legalese of contracts and met with record labels.

"If we got the feeling that people were seeing us as a gimmick rather than a serious artistic endeavor, we were out ," says Spero.

GAMBLE PAID OFF

They depleted their personal funds to record "Stereo," which is distributed by Startime International, and before its mid-June release, they were already signed to Columbia Records for their second album.

Northern State has opened for hometown heroes De La Soul and this spring joined the Grammy-winning hip-hop band the Roots for several gigs in the U.K.

"They will go in front of the most jaded, snobbish, hip-hop connoisseurs alive knowing they are the exact opposite of what a hip-hop show should be, being female, white, suburban and not glammed out and get up there and throw it down with the confidence of LL Cool J," says Roots drummer Ahmir (?uestlove) Thompson.

"Hip hop is so laden with sexism, how could we not address that in our music?" says Spero. "That would be so irresponsible."

"We get a lot of fan mail from younger girls who feel empowered by what we are doing," adds Goodmark. "We always imagine what might have happened if there had been a band like us when we were young. We want to fill that void for girls today."
Originally published on July 1, 2003

th' hell are they doin?

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Suburban white girls opening for De La Soul, getting props from cats like ?uestluv and comparing themselves to PE. I told y'all when I saw 50 something white people cheer Emenim at the Grammies this shit was over.

thats them right there

Finess said:

Now I see why some are calling them the Beastie Chicks

intha916 said:

Oh my GOD. Beastie Chicks - you KILL me! They remind me of the girls from Animal house - the "eeewww" crowd. Homely to the 9's.

intha916 said:

"beastie" my ass...

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Yeah...maybe the BEASTLY Chicks!

Interesting.
VERY interesting.


I had never heard of "Northern State" until this thread & now I must admit..

my curiosity has been piqued..!


ON TOP OF THAT,

LOOK at the poster way back on the wall where they're recording..


http://www.sonymusic.com/...oto22.html


I found this picture on their website, under "photos" & "Dying in Stereo"..

The real shame is a lot of black women have tried to do this or otherwise failed to do this without the hubbub.

That being said, if it takes white girls for people to pay attention to the growing cancer in hip-hop, then I say let'em rip.

If De La gives them props that is certainly enough for me.

mltijchr said:

Hey! They have Prince in a bikini on the wall of their recording studio!

They look like fake Luscious Jackson

oh no 0oh no oooh no! Why Why Why. What is goin on? This has gone 2 far. Funk need 2 cum back dammit. Im tired of hip hop actin like this!

paisleypark4 said:

Word!

KingSausage said:

KingSausage said:

you took the words right out of my mouth!!