QUEENS OF CLUB RAP
Yo! Majesty is poised to take over the world, one dancefloor at a time
The three ladies of Florida trio Yo! Majesty -- Jwl B., Shaun B. and Shunda K. -- aren't like anything out there in current music, and not just because they're gay, black, proud and helping make club rap a viable musical genre. No, these women keep it candid and truly don't care what you think. They just want to see you lose it on the dancefloor to their fast, booty bounce-friendly beats, and so far people from Brooklyn to California have obliged. America isn't big enough for Yo! Majesty, though, and they're ready to take over the world (but are first stopping at Sonotheque July 13) and help people get free and find Jesus. Seriously. We chatted with Shunda and she explained it all to us. -Maya Henderson
How did the three of you meet?
I started as a solo artist back in 1998 as Ya Majesty. I met Shaun through a mutual friend who owned a gay club here in Tampa. I heard her spit and I was like, "OK, that's what's up." We started grinding, opening up for Trick Daddy and shit like that. Then the same woman who introduced Shaun and me introduced us to Jwl and we became Yo! Majesty.
I heard when you first got beats from David Alexander you weren't feeling them at all. How do you feel now?
We was like, "What the hell is this? How we gonna make people dance to this shit?" But then, you know, that kind of music stimulated our minds in a way typical rap and R&B don't. That's why we venture outside of the typical subject matter and stuff.
Club rap is having its moment right now. Do you worry that Yo! Majesty will get pigeonholed by this trend?
Hell to the naw! Yo! Majesty is gonna be around for life. We don't just talk about the club. We talk about everything from the church to the club.
Your sexuality comes up a lot, too. Do you get tired of being asked about it?
Don't nobody ask us about it because they know that we gay. You know what I'm saying? You listen to our music and when you come to our show we gonna be all up in your face so you understand. We had a nigga in Texas -- Jwl took her shirt off and he jumped on stage and was sucking on her nipple. We found this dude and smacked fire to his ass. I just referenced it two or three weeks ago in a song -- we got to make him remember and to use him as an example to the world to respect who we are. We don't promote our sexuality. We promote everything aside from that like encouraging people, teaching people and loving people -- we showing them how to have a good time. People say that our music is a refresher and that's exactly what it is.
Are you all best friends? Do you fight a lot?
Hell yeah, we fight. We can't really stand each other, to tell you the truth. But we understand that this mission is much larger than Shaun, Shunda and Jwl. This is a tactic that the Lord has given us to win souls for Him. So we humble ourselves because God will deal with us when we get out of line. We do bicker and fight -- we've even had a fist fight. We've broken up, got back together, broken up and got back together again. I left the group like, "Fuck ya'll." I have my solo shit going but I understand that Yo! Majesty is at the forefront.
You talk about God a lot. You must get a lot of flak for talking about God and then rapping about your kryptonite pussy.
Definitely. I do it to myself because I got a gospel album out right now and I'm like, "Lord, how can you do this to me?" But there's a scripture in Isaiah that says God pardons the iniquities of those who can serve. So, if my lifestyle is an abomination, God is pardoning that just so He can use me to win souls. We ain't got nothing but love for our fans. Our shows ain't even like a concert. Motherfuckers be crying and shit, like, "Oh my God, you don't know what you did for me." They feel free. We did a loft party in Brooklyn and these four girls got naked, just rubbing on they monkey, kryptonite pussy. We all felt good and nobody was fucking with them. We all had a good time, and if music can make you feel that good, then praise God!