You can’t get away from them, no matter where you go; they’re always going to be around in the world of television. If its not The Maury Show rounding up ‘baby daddies’ for paternity test, then it’s watching middle-aged people trying to survive on an island, and if it’s not that then its an army of ‘so-called’ hopeless romantics vying for the attention of a C-List celebrity in order to be their love interest, or better yet—the ‘Crème Da La Crème’ of them all; “This is the true story of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, to work together, and have their lives taped. Find out what happens, when people stop being polite, and start getting real; The Real World.”

For a while there, a few of the people reading along probably had no idea on where that quote is from, but the name at the end part gave it away. The Real World, MTV’s bread-n-butter has paved the way to make it cool for a camera crew to be shoved in your face six days a week, while you cry, cheat on your boyfriend/girlfriend, and get drunker than a sailor on leave.

If anyone is oblivious to the show, (which is utterly impossible even for grown adults) they put a bunch of 20-somethings in a house that should be on MTV’s sister program; MTV Cribs, give you a dream job, and make sure an infinite supply of hard liquor is at your beckoning call, (next to t he hot tub of course).

The show has given birth to many spin-offs on other networks, and contrary to what some may think, this particular writer was and still is a fan of Sean Combs’ Making The Band series. But that show focuses on a group effort trying to achieve one objective. This year on VH1, they added another musical reality show to their roster reminiscent of White Rapper Show from a few years back. The sequel is called Miss Rap Supreme, and [MC] Serch of 3rd Bass fame is back to play the no-nonsense head of household (if you will) that’s going to teach hungry young MC’s about the Hip-Hop game.

Accompanying him on this journey is Yolanda “Yo-Yo” Whittaker from the 90’s Hip-Hop era and an affiliate of Ice Cube back in his jheri curl days. And together they do their best to mold a bunch of female MC’s into the next big thing, which happens to come along with a recording contract and a check for $100,000.00. The format is relatively the same as the other programs, you have to show and prove your skills in order to make into the awaiting house where all the ‘drama’ takes place. During the last qualifying round, twenty-five constants were scrambling for ten available slots. One of the spots was awarded to Hip-Hop’s most notable chiropractor in Khia who sang ‘My Neck, My Back (Lick It).’ When eight of the ten positions were filled, Kay Slay protégé Hedonis da Amazon auditioned her raw and patented Philly-flow and was quietly passed over by judges Serch and Yo-Yo.

You can always visit her Myspace page at www.Myspace.com/HedonisDaAmazon to hear how she feels about Yo-Yo personally (ah-la diss record). As the show completes its first month, and the competitors start to bow-out due to lack of rapping techniques, or failure to complete challenges, one of the new faces for female MC’s; the always vocal, passionate, and emotional Hedonis shares her experience and gives a behind-the-scenes look of how real ‘reality’ isn’t.

How did you first find out about the show?

Um, actually VH1 called me; they got in touch with me. They saw my Myspace, and called people that knew me, but I really didn’t want to do it. And that’s because I was on VH1 before, on one of the first reality shows that they ever did. But the big thing to me was to try and do it; or regret not doing it. Because it was still an opportunity to be seen, but it was still something that I wasn’t really flattered about doing. But I had to because of my grind, and just to take another step in order to be seen. 

What type of selection process did you go through in order to be one of the Top 25 females before entering the house?

Actually I went up to VH1, I was invited up to the office, and I had my interview with the executives. Because normally they went into each town and each city to hold auditions, but I actually went up there and had a personal interview. So the contest was a little different for me, because they went and picked me out. They went through 25,000 women just to get to that last 25, and when I got over I LA, I thought they picked some of the top chicks, until I got there and realized they just wanted a story. Just because I have a little name out there, they thought I would just expose some of myself, when I was just trying to get my talent out there. And when I got there, it was so much bullsh*t, that I was just so disappointed but it was too late to turn back. So once I got there, and I saw the females that they picked, and all the comedian-type of things that was going on, it seemed that they weren’t really focusing on the hard work and the grind of these females.

They basically wanted to focus on if they were lesbians, on drugs, came from a abusive relationship—and just things that would capture a television audience. I kept talking about my frustration while I was there which they didn’t like, but I was really disappointed in all the executives there, in Yo-Yo, and in Serch. I was jut like, “Why would you choose female rappers to do this sh*t to?” I really didn’t understand, we been in this game just as long as these men been in the game. We were the first ones to bring Hip-Hop to the radio, so where’s the respect in that? They didn’t want to get n*ggas and play them, because n*ggas wouldn’t even let you play with them like that. 

How good do you think your chances were when you saw your competition?

There was no competition. First of all, they knew there wasn’t any competition when it came to me. But they did treat me really nice, I was the only chick there with the biggest suite. They really wanted to keep me, but it was just the fact of me being too advanced as far as writing. They would come to my room and be like, “Write me something in ten minutes.” So I would come back, and have the sh*t down-packed, and that sh*t wasn’t nothing for me. I would be done with my rhyme in less than ten minutes without even using the paper. Then they were like, “This b*tch is way too advance, and we’re trying to teach chicks how to rap.” Then I was like, “That’s f*ck up, how are you gonna teach us how to rap?” “I’ve been doing this for 20 years, teach me how to sell my CD!” When I saw Khia there, we were talking about some real business sh*t. There’s no way I should’ve been off the show, maybe it was a blessing, but it was a curse too. 

Speaking of Khia, were you surprised when you saw an established artist like herself trying out for the show?

Nah, because I understood why Khia was there right when I first saw her. Right now the movement for women is taking risks, and treating yourself as a business. The reason why I went up there is because I wanted to be seen. And when I saw Khia, I was like, “She done went and got free promotion of these mothaf*ckas.” She sold her own records, and the money came back to her—she’s living the American Dream of a rap chick. She was the format for the new era when it comes to selling records independently for female MC’s.

So basically she was doing the right thing for her business; which is she. And I can’t hate on that, because I’m doing the same thing for me. I can’t step in a meeting without hearing the blueprint of [Lil’] Kim or Foxy [Brown], you know what I’m saying? And how I should follow that. Or I hear things like, “What n*ggas are you rolling with that’s popping right now?” So in my opinion the show was some bullsh*t, because I think they’re exploiting females, especially black females. Even them white chicks on the show—they can probably go back home and get an independent overseas deal. But as a black woman [we] have to come back to the ‘hood as failures.    

So you think they chose females with a lot more drama rather than females with a lot more skills?

They chose females that were open about exploring their sex appeal, and open about really personal things to them; they weren’t even concerned about chicks rapping. That’s all-good for TV, and I have to respect that, but I was mad because the people that represented the show were on some other sh*t. I mean, how can you stomach that bullsh*t?

So that’s how you felt about Serch and Yo-Yo?

Serch and Yo-Yo were standing on our backs trying to get a f*ckin’ dollar, you know what I’m saying? And this is the wrong group to do that to. The game has been looking for the next female rapper for about four years now, and these people are like, “Okay, we’re going to give the people what they want” and then you go and give them some Flavor Flav bullsh*t. 

[Laughs] So what types of emotions were running through your head when they didn’t pick you?

I felt relieved. Because I know the method of this sh*t. Females have to want to be you, and n*ggas have to want to f*ck you.

Do you think Yo-Yo and Serch were being a little dishonest or fake during your experience there?

First of all Yo-Yo and Serch—I don’t think that were fake; but what they’re doing is using survival tactics. They’re doing sh*t for a dollar which I understand, but my whole thing is we have to stand up for ourselves. We have to let people know that it’s not cool to keep on disrespecting female rappers, and it’s not cool to keep thinking that what I do doesn’t mean anything. I’ve sacrificed a lot of things just to really work on my craft. I’m very intelligent and I choose to do this sh*t, I have a college degree. People like Serch and Yo-Yo put themselves in my way, and they sh*tted on me on the show.

I should stand on Yo-Yo’s back and crush that b*tch’s head into the mothaf*ckin’ pavement for trying to be something that she NEVER was. Yo-Yo ain’t me, and a lot of chicks during her time had to prove a lot. She got posted up, and they put her in a position to spit. I don’t have an Ice Cube behind me, even though she came out by herself, she still had a crew behind her.    

Some people might just think you’re crying sour grapes, because you didn’t get a chance to win the $100,000.00 Grand Prize. What’s your response to that?

I say to those people I’m glad I wasn’t picked on the show. On the show you saw me for who I was, and you saw my artistry. You saw a real artist that was trying to get what I needed to get—which was that $100,000.00 to push my music. A lot of them chicks were just standing up there ‘rapping.’ They’re not artists. People know the real, and when people saw me not get picked to be on the show, they knew it was some cornball bullsh*t. I’m tripping ain’t I? [Laughing]

Nah, you’re good. You’re just airing it out… [Laughing] Do you watch the show now and feel happy you’re not on it, or do you watch still wanting to be a part of it?

When I look at the show, I look at it from a regular person’s point of view, like I was never on the show. The way those chicks were in the beginning, they changed whenever the camera came on, and that was really corny to me. Because none of those chicks were outspoken or none of that sh*t on a regular basis. But when I watch the show, I just see us dying, I see another 10-plus years for us to really try and be successful. This type of sh*t hurt females rappers really bad. They got them chicks portraying themselves as being gay, needing help with their craft, and all other types of things on the show.

What about the business part?

I still haven’t seen Yo-Yo and Serch do a [Donald] Trump move, and teach them how to try and sell their CD’s, and also learn how to market yourself, or “Here’s a contract, read it and tell me what it says.” I have yet to see any of that; you know what I’m saying? And I wanted to show people that so bad, so that’s what made me upset. I wanted everybody to see the grind of a real chick that does this. The show is phony, because they’re dealing with chicks that have been rapping for a year. How are you grown, and you only been rapping for a year? All of them are up in their 20’s and they just started rapping. Rapping should hit you when you’re a child. Yo-yo is a disgrace because she put her face on something they created meaning VH1, and she helped package it up like we really act like that. They have us looking like we’re some non-business type of chicks; and she put a face on that—her and Serch.