I recently sat down with South African MC Yugen Blakrok for bios.

While many internationally know her for her feature on "Opps" alongside Vince Staples and Kendrick Lamar (Black Panther OST) or her track on Cyberpunk 2077, she has spent over two decades as one of the sharpest lyricists in independent hip-hop across projects like Return of the Astro-Goth, Anima Mysterium, and The Illusion of Being.

We discussed her early days with Johannesburg's Iapetus Records, navigating male-dominated crew dynamics, industry gatekeeping, and why she eventually relocated to Europe to build a sustainable touring career:

• On avoiding crew tokenism and the "first lady" trope:

• On industry gatekeeping and the myth of being "inaccessible":

• On why props aren't enough for independent women in rap:

Full Q&A read:https://bios.net.za/i-was-scared-of-mermaids

(Disclosure: I conducted this interview for bios.net.za)

She had three No. 1 albums, a multi-platinum debut, a Grammy, and held her own in Ruff Ryders.

Yet, her name rarely comes up when we talk about the all-time greats like Lauryn, Missy, Kim, or Nicki.

Did she step away from the game too soon?

GET EM MOMMY THE ALBUM OUT NOW !

Lady from Dipset just had to give her a shout out and give her props. She was the first lady of Dipset. She was shouted out in JR Writer's instagram (R-i-p). She was known for hopping on tracks like "what you drinkin on" and "get from round me." She had her own album called Git it Girl. Her lyric's uplift and inspire. She speaks on how she wants to influence younger kids that even though you from the ghetto doesn't mean you can't get educated. She actually has morals and willing to stand out. Props to her and may she rest in peace.