PHOTO BY ZACHARY MARCO

LOOSE CANNON

Tippy's sex rhymes spice up rap.

Men want her . . . and women want her, too. That’s understandable. Tippy exudes an irresistible, ultra-magnetic charm, not unlike the Death Star’s tractor beam. She’s downtown’s most enigmatic female rhyme-slinger, an artist whose carnal charisma is only eclipsed by her ear for rhythm. Girl’s got moves, trust us. With her deceptively laconic flow and late night tales of desire, lust and sexytimes, Tippy’s on the verge of breakthrough success. After self-releasing her debut, Come Feel My Rhythm, to iTunes last year, she’s been working on fresh sounds to move both minds and moneymakers. We refer you to “Hot Damn,” “Loose Cannon” and “Oh No,” any one of which will make you shake your groove-thang—guaranteed. We caught up with Ms. Tippy to talk about inspiration, perspiration, and how the two are often one and the same.
JONATHAN DURBIN

What brought you to hip-hop?
When I heard hip-hop it was like crack! The beats, the vibe, ahh...everything. That, and I was secretly a very perverted child, ha, ha, ha. But seriously, when I was growing up hip-hop was at one of its best moments in time. MTV was the only station of its kind and I would wait all day for the new Dre or Snoop video to come on ’cuz back in the day there was no way of telling what was next. Biggie and Tupac were alive, pumpin out hits like everyday. Everything coming out was ridiculously hot: SWV, Tony Toni Tone, and Jodeci, just to name a few.

What are your favorite lyrical subjects? Is expressing sexuality a priority?
Let me just say this. I’m sexual…point blank. It tends to come out in my music, I mean, how can it not? My first album was definitely an emotionally charged record, because I was a nutcase at the time I was writing it. Relationships are a bitch, ya know? But the record I’m currently working on is more of a party vibe because that’s where I’m at right now.

When you play live, all the boys and girls want you…
I just put it out there and accept anything that comes back in return. I’m a playful girl, what can I say? When I go to shows and there’s good music, something just makes me start to feel freaky. Either that or there’s some carnal attraction going on, and either way I dig it.

Why go from a beatbox to a full band? Any new surprises to the show?
I’ve been playing for a bit now with my D.J., Scott Melker. I felt like it was time to switch it up. So I made some phone calls and put together a really talented group of guys for the show. On drums I have Gunnar from the Exit, guitar is Cassonova Brown who’s in the studio recording his solo album called Dead Kings Society, bass is a great friend Nick Wendel, and Cri is helping out on some vocals. They’ve really made my tracks come to life. As for surprises, it wouldn’t be a Tippy show without ‘em. The show’s guaranteed to be a raunchy good time.

Sell yourself... Why should we come to your show?
Tits and ass? There’s gonna be some of that. Be prepared to party like a f*kin’ rockstar. Imagine, great music with a kickass band, liquor, and guaranteed attractives. How could you go wrong?

myspace.com/tippymusic

This story was published on August 24, 2007.