BIOGRAPHY
n 2005, indie recording artist FELONi, from Detroit, self-released one of the most controversial songs in hip-hop's history by a female called "Brand New" which was 1st featured on Russell Simmons & WJLB-FM 98's 2005 Detroit Hip-hop Summit Mixtape: Detroit's Finest, Vol. 1. Due to FELONi's "racy" lyrics addressing taking a man's girl for her own, WJLB-FM 98 only allowed 16 bars of the song to appear on the mixtape that ultimately sparked an entire movement of lesbian rappers.
In 2006, FELONi was discovered by MTV's LOGO network on MySpace and was offered her own episode on a reality documentary show on "Coming Out Stories" featuring her music and documenting her coming out as lesbian to her father and brother. Her episode was filmed by Oscar nominated and four time Emmy Award winning filmmakers, Karen Goodman & Kirk Simon. To date, FELONi's episode continues to air randomly on MTV's LOGO channel where she has built a growing cult following.
In 2007, FELONi became the 1st urban, lesbian rapper to release (internationally) an album--A Woman's Revenge--speaking exclusively from a lesbian's perspective on the homophobic world of hip-hop. Her album addresses misogyny, womanizing and physical/sexual violence in a raw, direct, honest, yet humorous style.
In 2010, FELONi released her 2nd single "I Ain't Scared of U" addressing physical and sexual violence. The track was created by 2Much of BTP ( the producer of "Ice Cream Paint Job"). Feloni has stated that although she has never gone to a label seeking a record deal, and rarely spends on marketing, she was approached by a few A&R reps who advised that they could help her cross into mainstream if she were willing to change her "tomboyish" appearance to a more "feminine" appearance. FELONi refused to sell-out, stating she did not want to change her image to gain acceptance by mainstream. Unlike most female rappers today, and in the past, it's almost a requirement to be co-signed by a successful mainstream male rapper to gain acceptance and recognition in hip-hop. However, to date, FELONi has stood her ground stating, "I'd rather be hated for being who I am, than be loved for being someone I'm not."
In 2011, FELONi's collaboration with Billboard's Dance Charting artist, Lori Michaels, on the song "Girl Thing feat. FELONi" landed as background music on VH1's new TV series, "Single Ladies" Ep. 2 (Indecent Proposal), on the first season. The show's executive producer is Queen Latifah.
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