24K 'Quotable' album

Everybody has a story to tell, but not everyone is adequately built for the rap game. Training to be a professional boxer, hip-hop's newest sensation, 24K (pronounced 2-4-K) approaches the microphone with the same intensity as she approaches the ring. But instead, her weapon of choice is a microphone. Quotable, 24K's debut album to be released on Madd Records, integrates thugged out lyrics, production by hip-hop hottest beatmakers, with a touch of dancehall riddims.

Left jab going to the chickenheads and the right to The Queen Bee who 24K has renamed Porno Kimmy on several songs on Quotable. "I had to go after her because she's just not representing right for women in hip-hop. Somebody confiscate her mic immediately, please!"

The Brooklyn based rhyme slayer began performing reggae and poetry in the early 90's in Montreal, Canada where she was born and raised. Drawing on her mixed West Indian and European heritage (father is Jamaican, mother is Greek), 24K would dazzle the crowd with her command of Dancehall music and lyrical skills. Having weathered the storm of her parent's difficult divorce, being singled out in school for her ethnicity, and growing up in the midst of a cultural rivalry (Haitians and Jamaicans) in Canada were some of the circumstances which prompted her to pick up a pen and later a microphone. "My mother and my grandmother are my inspirations," reflects 24K. "They both taught me really strong values that helped me to become the person I am today." Inheriting the backbone of her mother and the hard work ethic of her grandmother, 24K created her debut and soon to be classic album, Quotable. "I chose to name the album Quotable because for an MC, the lyrical value of the album should always remain at the forefront. People should be able to pick verses from your album for quotables. Lyrics are one of the distinctions that separate an MC from a rapper, not the production. "That's why Quotable represents 2-4. "No matter what I rap about I always keep it hip hop, I still rep as an emcee, I'll always say what I wanna say regardless of the politics involved, and you'll always hear something I spit that you'll wanna Quote me for saying."

While working the local dancehall circuit in Montreal, 24K integratedhip-hop into her show. She perfected her rhyming abilities to the point where her performances became mostly rap. Then known as 24 "K" Gold, her name grew within the Canadian hip-hop circuit, and so did requests for more performances. "Back in the day, I used to call myself to 24 "K" Gold with the K in quotes because my middle name is Keshia. As I got older, I dropped the gold part because I wasn't just about wearing gold jewelry. People have called me 2-4 for years. So I became 24K."

While establishing her name in the Canadian underground scene, 24K maintained good academic standing in school and started pursuing her other dream of becoming a professional boxer. Education always came first for the passionate scribe to the point that she would shy away from the music for a moment just in order to hold her spot at the top of the class. "Finishing school took a lot away from writing rhymes and doing shows," says 24K, "but as soon as I got my Psychology degree I was back at it. If I were to ever leave the rap game for a minute I would either become an attorney or a professional boxer or maybe both." 24K and her manager and DJ, Tha Madd Scientist a.k.a. OhMyGoOdNesS, opened a record store in 1999, and her love for hip-hop thrived. Soon after she graduated, the duo opened a successful marketing company. In Summer of 2003, 24K will launch her Quotable clothing line. "Being an entrepreneur has given me the freedom to make my music career a priority. After my album comes out, I'll begin designs for my clothing company."

"Making the album pushed me to challenge myself and taught me how to make songs that can gain you respect as an emcee while still keeping your fans entertained by your creativity. My goal with Quotable was to give 200% and make every song hot enough to be "single" material. Working under pressure in studio with a lot of important people examining my work made me versatile and caused me to mature as an artist. When people hear the album I'm hoping they say I'm dope period. Not she's dope - for a female rapper that is. I like to battle with the big dogs, I can bite just as hard!"

On Quotable, 24K worked with a slew of well-known producers including Swizz Beats, The Beatminerz, Cool & Dre, Ayatollah, Ghetto Pros, and Sean C. to name a few. Artist featured on the album include Doug E. Fresh, Tragedy Khadafi, Mashonda (Full Surface), Sadat X (Brand Nubian), Buck Shot (Duckdown), Sean Price (aka Ruck-Duckdown), Mr. Ruck/ tha Jackal, PhD and LS.

On the first single, "Skully," featuring Mashonda produced by Just Blaze, 24K comes harder than the male boxers who she spars with when she's training for a bout. "I chose this for the first single because I felt it was a good introduction for Quotable and who 2-4 really is. I've always rolled with the boys. I keep my circle tight, especially with female friends-there's too many clucks out there. I'm a lady, but I can still throw down and hold my own like the boys do. The "Skully Remix" features her labelmate, Terror Squad's Triple Seis who recently signed to Madd Records. Mashonda (Full Surface/J Records) who sang the hook for Eve's "I Got A Man" and Jay-Z's "Girl's Best Friend" provides the melody again on "Peel Off" a song for the ballin ladies, riders, and motorcycle crews produced by Swizz Beats.

Incorporating the various aspects of hip-hop, 24K rhymes over a beatbox from the master himself, Doug E. Fresh who appears on the intro and outro on the album. "For the beatbox intro I used all the song titles of Quotable and wrote a battle rhyme verse around them," explains 24K. Doug E. Fresh takes her back to the dancehall when he switches to a reggae beat halfway through the intro. 24K moves into another aspect of hip-hop on the scratch interlude, "Me And My DJ" performed and produced by her DJ OhMyGoOdNesS and ITF World Champion, Boogie Blind.

Evil Dee and Mr. Walt of legendary production duo, The Beatminerz, take you back with 24K to the crowded Friday Night hip-hop at the Tunnel on a remake of one of hip-hop's classics. While in a New York City nightclub, The Beatminerz gave her a CD of beats and later while listening to the instrumentals, 24K had an idea. "I heard one of their songs and I started humming 'Punks Jump Up' along with the melody and from that inspiration, 'Punks Still Jumping Up' was conceptualized. I thought it would be dope to get Sadat X (Brand Nubian) on the track since he was part of the original 'Punks Jump Up' and after Sadat was confirmed, Buckshot and Sean Price (Ruck from Heltah Skeltah) came into the picture. The rest is history," 24K adds, proclaiming what an honor it was to work with both the Beatminerz and Sadat X.

2-4 morphs herself into hip-hop's savior on "Superheroet" produced by Ghetto Pros, wielding her microphone at all the wack MCs most notably The QueenBee. She lyrically knocks Lil Kim out on two tracks, "Chickens Move Out" and "Superheroet" where she sends the notorious Queen Bee back to her corner for not writing her own lyrics, raising the arms of real emcee's like herself in victory. In fact, 24K is not afraid to speak the truth having even given Lil' Kim the new moniker of Porno Kimmy on the album. "Lil Kim is an example to me of why female MCs have to fight for our credibility. She's helped created a standard where those coming up feel they have to take their clothes off, be trashy, and slutty in order to get the attention of hip-hop fans. And that whole mentality is what's created the smutty videos. If we as women don't demand a position of respect and don't distinguish between being sexy and being slutty, then the kids have a horrible example of what it takes to make a hit record in this industry. My goal is to prove to the world that a female can rep with her talent, mic skills, and overall well-rounded personality. Kim needs to put on her sweats, get her identity back, and come back into the ring, back to the corners where real hip-hop
rests her mic. "

Although 2-4 will be known as "the female who featha plucks chickens" and for "blastin clukadees with hoe degrees," Quotable tackles several serious issues like self-esteem, abortion, young people and violence, loving and living hard, friendship and survival. "Rico" produced by JAO discusses the importance of self-esteem. "I've seen too many friends fall victim and get caught up in sweet nothings. You know that 'I love to love you baby' stuff you hear when he's creeping on you and you're caught up in that loving and are unable to see how your self-esteem has been shattered by accepting bad treatment for love." "Invincible Baby Beauty" featuring Rasheeda Wallace produced by Sean C is about a young couple in a relationship and the boyfriend convinces his lady to get pregnant and then he decides that he's not ready for the responsibility of fatherhood once the reality hits him. She gets pregnant to keep her man, but is now faced with the decision of having an abortion to make him stay.

"Clak Clak, " produced by Ayatollah is dedicated to her friends who have rode with her through the years, "Fallen Soldiers" produced by Dart La featuring Mr. Ruck (Jackyl) and Tragedy Khadafi is an audio mural dedicated to all her friends who have met violent ends. 24K's reggae/dancehall background resurfaces on "A Who Dat" produced by Nomad, co-produced by 2-4 where she chants in Jamaican patois riding the reggae rhythm. A true female MC passes the test when in battle cipher with the fellas and much like her boxing career where she trains by fighting men, 24K spars with the guys on "3 Way Battle" featuring Bronx MC, L.S. and PH.D from Montreal. Rising production team, Cool & Dre provide the soundscape on "Whatcha sayin now."

Much of her lyrics tell the story of truth...a story that is built on the foundation of solid lyrics with a microphone in one hand and a boxing glove on the other. The winner by unanimous decision, 24K, with her microphone raised in triumph.

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24K - Quotable