Female hip hop stars are akin to major metropolitan areas in the central United States: they can be few and far between. In a male-dominated industry that some perceive as generally misogynistic, it takes a strong voice both literally and lyrically to stand apart and prove that hip-hop is more than a boys’ club. Nicki Minaj has proven her skills at the age of 25 by being signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money label and putting out four mixtapes in the last four years that combine samples from other artists with Minaj’s original work.

Although Minaj has had to work through the same issues that have plagued many female emcees, namely sex appeal being valued over substance and public scrutiny of her sexual orientation, her work is picking up thousands of fans and showing the viability of different forms of expression for young females everywhere.

It’s 2010, and Cul de sac is back in session. We decided to kick it old school by starting off with our nouveau classique series, Musician Mondays. Marina Diamandis is a 24-year-old Greek-Welsh singer based in London who plugs into sounds ranging from ’80s new wave to modern pop, dance and synth-rock. Her surname literally translates as “Diamonds” and is used as a stage moniker to denote her fans, not her backing band. Marina and the Diamonds‘ debut album, The Family Jewels, will be released on February 22 in the US.

Marina’s voice recalls strong female alt-musicians from Kate Nash and Lily Allen to Kate Bush and Imogen Heap, and her lyrics touch on identity-formation, commercialization and female sexuality. She is currently touring her native UK, heading across the pond for a few dates in New York this March. The first single from the album, “Hollywood” is set to be officially released on February 1 (our editor-in-chief’s date of birth!), but you can watch the video below:

by Jacob McPherson

British indie-powerhouses The XX and Friendly Fires are touring together.  They will be playing a sold-out show at Bottom Lounge in Chicago on Tuesday, December 1st.  Although the two produce music that differs greatly from each other, the pairing is unsurprising.  The XX debuted in August of this year and create music that shows influences of R&B and 80’s guitar.  Deep bass complemented by well-tuned vocals drives their sound.

Friendly Fires have been on the scene since September of 2008.  They create a sound that can be best described as Britpop dance-punk.  It seems appropriate that The XX are opening for them, as they will get the mood started out right for the high energy that Friendly Fires will bring.  Both artists are on the Beggars roster and are of equal caliber.

Although I will not be seeing this show, I have seen both of these acts separately.  The members of Friendly Fires are true rock stars and will have everyone dancing to tracks like “Jump in the Pool” and “Photobooth.”  The XX forces the audience to pay attention and become part of the music.  With tracks like “Crystalize” and “Islands,” a melodic journey is sure to take place.

by Jacob McPherson

Friday night, I ventured over to the Metro to experience the Peaches concert.  Amanda Blank opened, and I was a little underwhelmed with her performance, given all the hype around her.  However, she was still enjoyable and made an appropriate opener for Peaches.  Since this was my second time seeing Peaches, I knew what to expect from the performance.

I first saw Peaches at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. Drag personality Sherry Vine was in the VIP section; it is very hard to compete with that, but Peaches still delivered an incredible show.  What I enjoy most about her is that she truly is a performer.  She wears the most ridiculous outfits, walks across the crowd, and brings a third dimension to her music.

As expected, the majority of the crowd was queer.  With risqué songs like “Tent in Your Pants,” “I Feel Cream,” and of course, “Fuck the Pain Away,” it was pretty much like a Friday night at Berlin.  Although her latest album, I Feel Cream, put out by XL Recordings, has been out for a while, it is still a must for any party mix.

by Jacob McPherson

Sweden keeps producing strong musical acts.  Saturday night, I thoroughly enjoyed myself when experiencing the music of Little Dragon.  They played a free show for the fifteenth anniversary of Double Door in Chicago.  It was one of those concerts where the energy of the music was absorbed through the entire crowd, creating a surreal atmosphere.

Led by Japanese vocalist, Yukimi Nagano, the group pumped out electronic soul music that sounded retro yet modern at the same time.  Nagano’s vocal skills were well complimented by beats created by Erik Bodin, Fredrik Wallin, and Hakan Wirenstrand.  Although the group can be compared to acts such as Bjork, Miike Snow and Kate Bush, their experimental sound sets them apart.  There are traces of 80s pop and jazz, all blended into one amazing package.

If you haven’t been actively avoiding Wal-Mart like it was H1N1, now you have more justification: a gay couple was recently banned for life from the chain after being harassed by Niles, MI store security for reportedly shoplifting, claims that were quickly verified by local police as untrue. Litigation to sue the couple at ten times the amount of items claimed as stolen is underway, the rationale being they were “uncooperative” by refusing to enter a closed-off detention room with their 11-year-old twins. While the couple talked to the police, the young boys were kept in the detention room and are now experiencing nightmares and other emotional trauma. The smiley-face mascotted store that purports to be family-friendly apparently stops short of that definition when it comes to same-sex couples.

On the other side, current enemies to gay rights legislation may be seeking some unity with the LGBT community: Salt Lake City passed two bills endorsed by the Mormon Church that ban employment and housing discrimination against LGBT people, the first city in Utah to do so. Even with a predominately Church-affiliated legislature and a governor who has stated that discrimination against LGBT people should not be made illegal, things are starting to look on the progressive side for the state.

An open and affirming church in (veh-ry) conservative Orange County, CA has decided to stage a performance of the controversial play “Corpus Christi.” The play follows a narrative positing Jesus as a gay Texan man in the 1950s, which is sure to angry up the blood of more than a few Bible-thumpers in the area. Church of the Foothills state that their intention is to begin a dialogue about the intersection of sexual orientation and spirituality with what they deem a respectful handling of the issue by playwright Terrence McNally.

An Alabaman teen who was recently denied attendance to her school’s prom if she brought her girlfriend as a date may be able to attend after all. After intervention by the ACLU and a near-cancellation of the entire event, Tharptown High School officials say the will allow Cynthia Stewart to attend with her girlfriend as long as the out-of-district teen passes a screening. Stewart is part of the prom planning committee and helped raise more than $200 to fund the dance.