Hip-hop’s had a problem with how the culture and industry present female entertainers. There’s the tendency to only allow one female rapper at a time, while overlooking other viable talents, needlessly pitting transcendent female talents against one other in the spirit of only allowing one rap “queen,” and overtly ignoring female rappers that don’t use sex as a selling point. Oh, and then there’s the blatantly creepy, misogynist attitude that women who rap are nothing more than sex fantasies for men.
Queens, NY rapper Dai Burger wanted to create a song that inclusively represented for all the ladies, whether blonde, brunette, single, married, thin, thick, feminine, masculine, or androgynous, and so “Where My Girls At” was conceived to empower “girls in every shade.” In the same spirit, her video for the uplifting single features a “no boys allowed” backyard BBQ, where her friends are encouraged to cut loose and let it all hang out (literally) with no fear of judgement.
It’s a mission that extends to her confident, debut album, Soft Serve, a nine-track offering of empowering anthems and introspective reflections on love, life, hustle, and femininity. After getting her start as a back-up dancer for Lil Mama, she started her musical career with her independently-released 2010 project MyMixxxytape, hosted by fellow NY rap rebel Junglepussy. Since then, she’s honed her craft, releasing three more mixtapes and an EP, all the while sharpening her fiery flows and lilting melodies into a poppy style that never loses its edge or turns into bubblegum.
Burger’s first offering is a strong one, firmly establishing her pen skill and unique stylistic sensibility. Soft Serve opens with “New Everything,” less an intro than a mission statement/brag session that sets the stage for her bossed-up raps on tracks like “Dolla Slice,” where she drops incisive, swaggering witticisms like “Yes b*tch, I’m the chips and the dip / No free refills, better sip quick / Wouldn’t touch these n*ggas with a ten foot stick / Call me Gladys Knight, n*ggas all behind me like the Pips.” She softens her tone only a bit for the bubbly, R&B-flavored update on MC Lyte’s “Ruffneck” formula, “Tatted Up,” an ode to the fellas with an abundance of ink. Check out Soft Serve below, and keep an eye out for more from Dai Burger to continue her mission of changing the game.
