When it comes to females in Hip-Hop, there are a very select few who can hold their own trying to survive in a male dominated industry. The majority of people expect females to be soft, exude sex appeal, brag about the designer labels they wear and how much money they are getting. Not Rah Digga. But then again, Rah Digga isn’t your average female emcee.

Ten years ago, Rah Digga came on the scene with a mission to prove that she could out rhyme even the best emcee, male or female. She made it clear that she wasn’t just about the party records. In fact, her true love for Hip-Hop consisted of her murdering the beat and penning rhymes that can make the hottest emcee double back into the studio to re-write verses.

It has been 10 years since Rah Digga dropped, but Dirty Harriet is back from the underground railroad of rap. “If you like the old Rah Digga, you’re gonna love the new Rah Digga!” Digga says. Continue.

AllHipHop.com: You’ve been away for quite a while. A lot people might be thinking what does Rah Digga have left to contribute to Hip Hop?

Rah Digga: Rah Digga is Hip Hop! One thing about me, from day one, I’ve always presented myself as someone who loves rhyming and who is an emcee first and foremost. I didn’t come to the game because of how I looked or how I dressed or how I did anything else except for how I rhymed. I think it’s just something that’s in me. It wasn’t something that was put together by a label. It wasn’t something somebody else invented. This is something I’ve been doing all my life. So whenever I’m allowed to do me, you’re always gonna get the best female emcee that ever did it.

“I just got tired of rapping for a buzz. It was getting corny to me. I had a second album getting ready to come out and then it didn’t. And then we got dropped from J Records.”

-Rah Digga

AllHipHop.com: What makes Rah Digga so raw?

Rah Digga: I’m real blunt with the truth. I’m one of those people who’s been studying Hip Hop practically from its own inception. I studied people like Rakim. I really learned to rhyme during a time when rhyming was raw. Rhyming was serious. Of course, there was always the different lanes and the different scope of artist. Some bring out the comical aspect, some bring out the colorful aspect, and then there’s some that are just raw. In the times of Mc Lyte and battling, that’s just what they did. And that’s when I learned how to rhyme and it’s always been something that’s stuck with me. I’m just a serious person. When I think of rhyming, I’m being analytical, I’m being philosophical. This is not just something I’m doing to make people sing along. You can pick the album apart for the rest of your life. I have lines with double and triple meanings and that’s what I consider fun when I’m rhyming. So, it comes off raw and serious. I’m such an educated person, so you’re not gonna get elementary rhymes.

AllHipHop.com: Did you go to college?

Rah Digga: Yes, I did. I did two years at NJIT (The New Jersey Institute of Technology). I was a wiz in Physics and Calculus. Math and Science were my strongest subjects. It was the lyrical stuff that ended making me pick up a career in it. Writing verses is almost mathematic for me. (Laughs)

AllHipHop.com: What caused the split between you and Flipmode?

Rah Digga: Personally, I just got tired of rapping for a buzz. It was getting corny to me. I had a second album getting ready to come out and then it didn’t. And then we got dropped from J [Records]. And then we spent like two years just being hot in the streets and doing mix tapes. So it just became real corny to me. So I stopped. I bought property in PA. I did the whole nature thing and just chilled.

AllHipHop.com: Do you think being on Flipmode overshadowed your raw talent?

Rah Digga: I don’t think they overshadowed me. I think I stood out being in Flipmode. Naturally, Busta was the captain of the ship. The label pretty much let us have our way but when they got serious about making their quota, they would sometimes push Flipmode to the side. Like, “Oh, we gotta do a Busta Rhymes album”. So a lot of times it was just circumstances out of our control. But that’s what happens sometimes when you’re signed to a label under a big artist.

(Story continues after picture)

AllHipHop.com: How did leaving Flipmode affect you?

Rah Digga: It didn’t really affect me in any way. Especially with it being something that I wanted to do. It was just getting to the point where I felt it I needed to be honest with Busta and let him know I didn’t feel like doing this anymore.

AllHipHop.com: Are there any other producers on the album?

Rah Digga: This album right here, Nottz is the only producer on the album and I’ma tell you why. I ended up going down there and getting a couple of beats and then I started learning about a label they were forming called Raw Koncept. And he’s putting out his own album that he produced.

AllHipHop.com: He’s an artist too?

Rah Digga: He’s a producer first, but he does rhyme. He’s been producing for over a decade. He’s done records for Snoop and Kanye. He’s the producer that other producers go get. Kanye, when he did “Barry Bonds”, Nottz did that. He’s done Scarface. He’s done R. Kelly. He’s that dude. He’s worked with the rawest of the underground to the most popular of mainstream artists. And it just flowed so well. He’s a producer’s producer’s producer and I’m a rapper’s rapper. As an emcee, I feel like the things that I do even when I get “street” still have the potential to be mainstream. I’m not a mainstream artist. I still “too street” vs. that “mainstream artist”.

“This year, it’s Nicki Minaj. At one point it was Remy. At one point, it was Kim. To me, everybody just takes turns. I don’t look at one person and say this is it for Hip Hop.”

-Rah Digga

AllHipHop.com: There’s not a lot of female doing it in the industry right now. What are your thoughts on Nicki Minaj and where she’s taking Hip Hop right now?

Rah Digga: I think she’s just one facet of it. It’s unfortunate that with the females, it only gets to be one at a time. This year, it’s Nicki Minaj. At one point it was Remy. At one point, it was Kim. To me, everybody just takes turns. I don’t look at one person and say this is it for Hip Hop. I think everybody brings all kind of different things to Hip Hop. As soon as I come, everybody’s like “this is the real Hip Hop!” Whoever is poppin’ is where it’s poppin’. (Laughs)

AllHipHop.com: Do you ever think women in Hip Hop will get the respect they deserve?

Rah Digga: Um, I think it’s important for females to do as much together as we can. We always say we wanna do stuff. And we might do some songs here and there. But we’re not really coming together. And it doesn’t help that soon as one of us puts a song out the public turns it into a dis’ song towards the next chick. I think there are all sorts of lanes for everybody. As long as chicks continue to do there thing and stand they’re ground, they’ll be alright. With me, it just about rhyming.

AllHipHop.com: In your mind, what defines success? Records sales or fans?

Rah Digga: What is successful to me is when people say that I’m the illest female emcee they ever heard. I don’t care about being famous, I just like to make money. I like to do positive things, be a pillar of the community, and make money. To me, it’s not about being famous. People gotta understand that this is a creative thing. It’s many different schools of product. For me, it’s about lyrics. I don’t care what else is going on. I don’t care what you sold. If your verse is corny, I’m not buyin’ it. Does it make you think? Are people still going to be talking about you 20 years later, like how they talk about Mc Lyte, how they talk about Rakim, how they talk about KRS, Nas, Biggie?

AllHipHop.com: Do you think you’ll be more successful now that you’re with an independent label?

Rah Digga: I just put out a leak record over an M.O.P. beat and I got the world flocking like it’s my it’s my first single. I’m doing an interview right now with AllHipHop because I put out some freestyle over an M.O.P. beat. It’s a mixtape joint for crying out loud.

AllHipHop.com: Will they be still talking about Rah Digga?

Rah Digga: They still talking about me now. I ain’t had an album out in 10 years. 10 years later, people are still talking about me and blogging about me. And that was based off of “Dirty Harriet”.

AllHipHop.com: What criteria do you think an artist has to fit in order to be considered the best? Do you consider yourself the best or one of the best to ever do it?

Rah Digga: Rah Digga being the best of all time is always gonna be an opinion. That just happens to be my opinion. If that’s not how you feel, I ain’t gon’ be mad at you because it’s a matter of opinion. Me saying, my album is a classic, it means, five, ten years from now, you’re gonna be able to pop it in the CD player and still be able to decipher punch lines that went over your head when it first dropped. It’s not gonna sound like it was a trendy sound at that time. The album I’m putting out right now, it’s not a trendy sound at this time. It’s a sound where if you love lyricist and Hip Hop, just beats and rhymes, boom bap. This is a sound you’re gonna love yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It’s a way of living. I’ve got a lot of stuff that you’re gonna be able to sing to yourself, 10, 15 years from now.

AllHipHop.com: Who do you think is your biggest competition?

Rah Digga: I think my biggest competition is myself. I’m the only person that inspires me to want to write a better rhyme. I listen to other people for entertainment. I listen to my own music for inspiration. I compare myself to myself. I don’t compare myself with other people. I feel like I’m in my own lane. I’m from my own school. Nobody else is cut from the cloth that I’m cut from. You do your thing and I do mine and hopefully the roads don’t ever collide.

AllHipHop.com: On your MySpace page, you say, “I’m gonna save Hip Hop next year and then do a movie about it”. What makes you feel that way? Are you really going to make a movie about it? How do you plan on accomplishing that?

Rah Digga: I got my own camera, I know how to edit. After I put this album out, I just might put it on the screen. You know, it could be something. It could be nothing. I know I’m gonna resurrect it. I know my album goes crazy hard. The fans are gonna be like “Wow! I haven’t heard this in a long time.” I feel like other emcees and other artists are gonna hear my album and be like, “ok, I might need to get back in the lab”. That’s what I think. I’ve had the opportunity to be “Dirty Harriet” again. 10 years later at this stage, instead of trying to collaborate with a bunch of people or make a certain kind of sound. I’m “straight spittin’”. And it’s working for me. It sounds incredible.

AllHipHop.com: Who is your top five, dead or alive? Male or female?

Rah Digga: Kool G Rap. Eminem. It’s so crazy. I have different categories of top five. I think lyrically, since I first started, I always felt Kool G Rap was the dopest lyricist. I think Eminem is probably one of the best lyricists. Me. I’m one of my top five. Me, Eminem, Kool G Rap, I love Jay-Z. I love the fact the grown up and sophisticated Jay-Z. Mc Lyte, of course. To me, she showed me how to do it as a female. She’s such a pioneer, she’s such an icon.

AllHipHop.com: Do you ever plan on putting the mic down?

Rah Digga: Eventually! (Laughs) I definitely wanna go out with a bang. If this were to be the last album. It’s gonna be damn good. Sade came back her exact same self ten years later and she killed em’. I feel like as long as I can be myself, that just shows me I can be Dirty Harriet and still command that same success because all my fans grew with me and the new ones are gonna know what the hell a real emcee is supposed to sound like.

USA Today reports that while Wayne was given a year-long sentence, there’s a good chance he’ll only spend two-thirds, or eight months, of his term behind bars, as in these situations inmate often get time off for good behavior. Wayne sat quietly next to his legal team during his sentencing, opting not to address the court and simply nodding his head when the judge asked whether he understood the charges he was facing. Upon exiting the courthouse, his hands handcuffed behind his back, he gave the crowd of 100 fans and supporters a slight bow before heading off to prison.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Weezy managed to avoid sentencing twice prior to finally being shipped off to prison today: Wayne’s initial sentencing was postponed three weeks so the rapper could undergo dental procedures — reportedly eight root canal surgeries — before starting his jail term. Last week, a courthouse fire forced Weezy’s sentencing to be postponed yet again, and Wayne celebrated his unexpected freedom by appearing onstage with Young Jeezy and Drake at Jay-Z’s Madison Square Garden concert. Wayne spent the rest of his last week of freedom on Twitter and Ustream, and unveiled on last pre-prison video for “Drop the World.”

According to the New York Post, the 36 year-old artist offered the female police officer $40 for oral copulation. He was immediately apprehended and charged with solicitation, the sources told New York Post.

This is not the first time that D’Angelo has been in trouble with the law. Over the last five years the singer has been arrested and charged with a slew of offenses as well as admitted to drug addiction including marijuana and cocaine.

D’Angelo is currently working on a follow up studio album to Voodoo, which was released in 2000. James River, the tentative name of the forthcoming album does not have a release date and has experienced countless delays because of his prior legal woes. No comments have been made to the public at this time by his management.

With a courthouse fire giving Lil Wayne at least another day’s reprieve before going to jail on gun charges, Weezy enjoyed his surprise freedom by making what will likely be his last pre-incarceration live appearance at Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 tour stop in New York City last night. According to MTV, after Jay-Z handed the mike over to his tourmate Young Jeezy about 45 minutes into his set, Jeezy informed the crowd of Weezy’s unexpected situation and brought out Wayne’s Young Money teammate Nikki Minaj, dedicating “Bedrock” to Tha Carter III rapper.

Following the song, the beat for “I’m Goin’ In” started up, and as evidenced by the shaky video above, Lil Wayne suddenly emerged from the area where Jay-Z’s backing band was assembled and a shocked Madison Square Garden crowd loudly welcomed the rapper. If Weezy alone wasn’t enough, he was also joined by his protégé Drake, who donned an all-white suit. “We with you 100 percent,” Jeezy told Wayne onstage after the performance.

As Rolling Stone reported yesterday, Wayne was set to be formally sentenced after pleading guilty last year to weapons charges stemming from a 2007 incident, but the fire at the courthouse postponed Weezy’s sentencing for a second time. Wayne was originally supposed to be sentenced on February 9th, but dental surgery for a reported eight root canals pushed back the hearing until March 2nd. As the 100 Centre Street courthouse fire was fairly serious — eight people reportedly suffered minor injuries from the blaze — it’s unclear if the courthouse will be reopened today. When Weezy is finally sentenced, it’s expected he’ll spend a year behind bars at New York’s Riker’s Island.

1. U2 $108,601,283
2. Bruce Springsteen $57,619,037
3. Madonna $47,237,774
4. AC/DC $43,650,466
5. Britney Spears $38,885,267
6. Pink $36,347,658
7. Jonas Brothers $33,596,576
8. Coldplay $27,326,562
9. Kenny Chesney $26,581,141
10. Metallica $25,564,234
11. Fleetwood MAC $24,751,540
12. Nickelback $23,674,124
13. Beyoncé $23,658,131
14. Elton John $22,141,315
15. Miley Cyrus $21,285,996
16. Il Divo $20,909,735
17. Dave Matthews Band $20,046,148
18. Andre Rieu $19,468,768
19. Rascal Flatts $17,996,964
20. Michael Jackson $17,301,639
21. Taylor Swift $17,204,646
22. Depeche Mode $16,035,102
23. Billy Joel $15,721,607
24. Trans-Siberian Orchestra $14,606,313
25. Kings of Leon $14,421,763
26. Celine Dion $14,326,129
27. Brad Paisley $14,299,322
28. Keith Urban $14,075,581
29. Tina Turner $13,169,806
30. Lil Wayne $12,866,174
31. Paul McCartney $12,203,170
32. Green Day $12,152,004
33. Toby Keith $11,941,345
34. Kiss $11,833,930
35. Cher $11,421,553
36. Andrea Bocelli $10,711,746
37. Phish $9,998,242
38. Bob Dylan $9,610,011
39. Leonard Cohen $9,511,958
40. Bette Midler $9,421,947

Billboards of another kind are causing outrage in Newark, New Jersey. Akoo Jeans, T.I.’s clothing line, has caused a bit of a stir over a billboard that depicts a woman on her knees with her face by a man’s legs, his jeans down, his underwear showing. A local ABC affiliate did a story on the billboard, which is on the corner of Market and Washington streets. Newark’s Mayor, Cory Booker, released a statement on the matter.

“So often when I am out in the community, I see kids wearing their pants too low and others using inappropriate language in public. I will work with my city council to see if we can address it so we don’t see these types of advertisements displayed in our city in the near future.”

For male assistance, Luda’s enlisted Trey Songz, Gucci Mane and Flo Rida for his March 9th DTP/Def Jam album.

The following is a tentative tracklisting:

1. Intro [Prod. by Xcel (for The Beatbangers)]
2. How Low [Prod. by T-Minus]
3. My Chick Bad (feat. Nicki Minaj) [Prod. by The Legendary Traxster]
4. Everybody Drunk (feat. Lil Scrappy) [Prod. by DJ Montay]
5. I Do It All Night (feat. Shawnna) [Prod. by B-Crucial & Tony Dinero]
6. Sex Room (feat. Trey Songz) [Prod. by Kajun]
7. I Know You Got A Man (feat. Flo Rida) [Prod. by Infinity]
8. Hey Ho (feat. Lil’ Kim & Lil’ Fate) [Prod. by Khao]
9. Party No Mo’ (feat. Gucci Mane) [Prod. by Bangladesh]
10. B.O.T.S. Radio (feat. Shawnna & I-20) [Prod. by The Runners]
11. Can’t Live With You (feat. Monica) [Prod. by Khao]
12. Feelin’ So Sexy (feat. Shawnna) [Prod. by Gaggie]
13. Tell Me A Secret (feat. Ne-Yo) [Prod. by Swizz Beatz]
14. My Chick Bad (Remix) (feat. Diamond, Trina & Eve) [Prod. by The Legendary Traxster]
15. Sexting (Bonus Track) [Prod. by The Neptunes]
16. How Low (Remix) (Deluxe Version Bonus Track) (feat. Ciara & Pitbull) [Prod. by T-Minus]
17. Rollercoaster (Deluxe Version Bonus Track) (feat. Shawnna & Dru Hill) [Prod. by Bangladesh]

As first reported on AllHipHop.com, Cash Money opened a website for Bronald Oil & Gas, an independent company focused on finding and utilizing oil and gas reserves in North and Central America.

In an interview with Ozone Magazine, Williams revealed that he also has his own oil company, and that he’s been involved in the business for close to 5 years.

“I’ve been in the oil business about 4 or 5 years now. That’s something me and my brother decided to do outside of music,” Baby explained. “I read about oil a lot and I was able to get in business. [My company] is called Browner Oil, and I’m making good money off that; that’s something for my kids and my kids’ kids. They can live off that money forever.”

The Bronald Oil & Gas company has been looking for investors to expand drilling opportunities that are both environmentally safe and lucrative.

With new albums from Drake and Nicki Minaj under development, and music to be released from Lil Wayne while he serves a 1 year jail sentence, Baby admitted that his oil business has not gotten as much attention as he would prefer.

But with the return he’s had on it to date, Williams plans to put more resources into the project.

“I did a few different deals. That was just one of them. When you’re dealing with oil, you buy in different areas,” Baby detailed. “Right now I’m active; I got pumps and s**tthat are getting money monthly. I like that oil shit. I’m gonna put some more time into it.”

Potential investors can contact Bronald Oil at http://bronald.com/about.php

The former B2K frontman, whose music may supply the soundtrack for lovers on Sunday (Feb. 14), revealed that the special day of love is not on his radar. According to Omarion, holidays in general are not observed at all by him.

“I actually don’t celebrate any of the holidays,” said the singer/actor, who cited “spiritual reasons” for his refusal to acknowledge the special days of the year. “..it’s more a spiritual thing. I have to go with my conscience. I just decided not involve myself in Pagan holidays.”

Omarion’s views echo many who list Valentine’s Day, along with Christmas and Easter, as a holiday with pagan roots.

According to History.com, the official website of The History Channel, “while some believe Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to ‘Christianize’ celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival.”

The site further notes that in Roman times, February was regarded as a time of purification as well as the official beginning of Spring.

It wasn’t until the Middle Ages when the day of romance concept for the middle of February took form. This was further enhanced by a common belief among those in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of the mating season for birds.

Omarion’s perception of holidays comes as he confessed to taking steps to become a Jehovah’s Witness.

Despite classifying his denomination as being Christian, the entertainer expressed a desire to explore the other religion.

“I’ve been studying to be a Jehovah witness,” he said. “I am not baptized yet; so I can’t technically call myself a Jehovah witness yet. But I have been studying.”

Musically, Omarion is focused on promoting his latest album, Ollusion. The album, which features rapper Gucci Mane and Marques Houston, comes as the singer replaced hip-hop choreographer Shane Sparks as a judge on the fifth season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew.

The 25th anniversary remake of “We Are the World,” which debuts tonight during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, features more than 70 performers including Kanye West, Brian Wilson, Pink and Celine Dion (the video is now available on the song’s official YouTube channel and on iTunes). But only one member of the choir overslept for his third-grade exam this week. Nine-year-old Ethan Bortnick, a singer and pianist from Florida and Tonight Show vet — he has credits at major philanthropic events and is about to film a PBS special concert — tells Rolling Stone’s Austin Scaggs he rehearsed for his big moment by listening to the original tune. He even got a little networking in at the recording session. “Will.i.am called me a few days ago, because you know the Black Eyed Peas are touring, and he said, ‘So dude, are you coming?’ So we went to his concert, and it was amazing.”

Bortnick says he was “excited to meet Barbra Streisand, the Jonas Brothers, and a lot of other cool people” and reports that Kanye West behaved himself. “Yeah, that guy was really nice. Very,” he tells RS. He deems the revamped rendition of the song “cooler” than the iconic original (which was recorded 16 years before his birth), and adds that “Quincy [Jones] also was awesome, he treated me like his little grandson.” Jones and Co. even reserved a prime spot for Bortnick “since I was really short, they had to put me in the front so I don’t get lost anywhere.”

Pink, Mary J. Blige and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine also took part in the “World” recording session, which went down the day after the Grammy Awards, and early footage of their turns at the mike have hit the Web (watch a montage above). Producer RedOne, who worked on the record, told RS, “I know that Lionel Richie has been asked like 150-something times to redo ‘We Are the World’ and he said no to everything until this Haiti thing happened. The moment he saw that it happened he was like, OK, ‘We Are the World.’ ”

Compare the new “World” to the original: