Realness—it’s the ultimate compliment and measure of authenticity within the hip-hop community.  If one is considered real they are thought to possess an innate ability to remain grounded and connected with the most significant priorities in life.  For one of the realest rappers in the industry, Queen Pen, those priorities are not money, platinum records, or industry accolades; but are instead the advancement of the underprivileged, underserved, and abandoned.

Known for her memorable appearance on the platinum hit "No Diggity", successful solo albums, and commitment to the community, Queen Pen has recently founded her non-profit organization, Silent Cries. The organization proves that if anyone hears the cries of the urban community it’s Queen Pen as she aims to address issues of domestic violence, teen pregnancy, and other issues affecting high-risk teens. 

As an inspirational woman who has survived her own share of abuse and struggle, Queen Pen, had no difficulty opening up to Sixshot as she talked the inspiration behind Silent Cries, her disappointment with the lack of support from others within the entertainment industry, the main difference between same-sex and heterosexual domestic violence, why at 35 she’s just learning how to be a parent and a woman, the lowest point in her life, her distrust of the gover nment, and her plans to return to the spotlight as she continues to uplift the people.     

What inspired you to begin your work in the community and to establish your non-profit organization, Silent Cries?

At the point when I did "No Diggity", I had two children.  I’ve been in the streets since I was 15 and on my own since I was 17 with two children.  So I was always a street girl and my life has always been a struggle.  Once I was blessed and finally got a record deal and did "No Diggity" with Teddy [Riley] and Blackstreet I started realizing that people are going to listen to me.  That’s when I came up with the idea of if the record label could make me bust my a** in every city and wear me out doing promo work, then I want them to put me in the inner-city school and the juvenile prisons. Wherever there was a need in that city I wanted to be because that’s where I come from.  I’ve been doing this on my own.  I’m just now doing my non-profit.  So the most support I had was David Patterson, the lieutenant governor who was the senator at one time of New York, and I have support from the Mayor of Jersey City.  I get their support but financially I pay for everything.

What are the main issues you’re hoping to address with your programs and tours?

I find that there’s a lack of self-confidence and knowledge.  I try to make the young women see life in a different way.  With the young men it’s a little bit harder because it’s hard to be an African-American or Latino man right now.  So I’m trying to break through that brick wall to get them to trust me.  I also have a program for women and children who are victims of domestic violence because I am a victim and survivor.

What events and practices do your programs consist of?

It’s motivational speaking.  Last year I started a big event for women of domestic violence.  What I try to do is a spa day with the women.  I try to give the women that one day of them not having to think about anything.  I do outings, teach them how to build relationships with other women, and I also deal with same-sex domestic violence.  People say I can imagine how you feel.  I can’t imagine.  I know how these people feel ‘cause I lived it.  I share a lot of stories with people and they say, “Oh that’s horrible.  I wasn’t aware that our young girls were out there like that.”  But in this business are the hardest people for me to reel in and help in my mission to the point where I don’t even ask them.  Everybody wants to know who’s gonna cut the check and I don’t get paid for this.  Nas and Michael Williams from The Wire have been some of the only people that will jump with no questions asked.

Currently there seems to be a trend for young women to have children.   What do you think of the glamorization of young pregnant mothers?

I think society and people who live outside of our hood come up with the term that it’s being glamorized.  I don’t think it’s being glamorized.  I think that society, the government, and the world like to throw up smokescreens to send a person another way instead of looking into the real problem.  We have issues.  There’s too many young girls having babies and too many of these boys not being there.  I think it’s easier for society to say this is a glamorized fad of girls having babies and then they connect it to hip-hop culture.  But the real issue is that you have a lot of young girls f****** out there and they’re not supposed to be.  That means you got a lot young girls that are not being brought up properly at home.  They are being easily manipulated into thinking that it’s okay to have unprotected sex and to not only have babies but to get HIV/AIDS.  That’s the other consequence these days. 

You mentioned the fact that there’s a lack of knowledge with these young men and women.  What do you think they need to learn in order to better themselves?

We are so screwed up as African-American and Latino people.  They need to get a knowledge of self.  I’ve been trying to tell people that they need a knowledge of politics.  What a lot of us don’t realize is that all the politics that goes on in the world—a lot of it is based on us.  There needs to be a knowledge of parenting.  Our parents that we have in our community are not even real parents.  Entertainment and merchandising is what’s raising our children in the hood.  It’s easier to build a child than to repair an adult.  That means it’s easier to start embedding things in the youth, so that as they make their transition into manhood or womanhood this is what they know and this is what they’re going by. 

I have stories with girls that are eleven years old and can’t recall how many men they slept with, but at the same time they have never been to a GYN doctor.  I had a girl who was fourteen.  She had a cold for six months and she’s in this group home.  I got a waiver and took her to the doctor.  The doctor said she had gonorrhea in her ear.  She had met this guy who told her he wanted to ejaculate in every hole in her body and now this girl will never have children.  I believe that there has to be a lack in knowledge with these children and then we have to look at who’s responsible for telling them. 

If the mother’s not fit, they look at us in the entertainment world.  They’ll listen to us before they listen to their mother, their teacher, or the preacher.  It’s sad but it’s the truth.  In this business we don’t’ want to take that responsibility and realize the power that we do have other than making a lot of money. 

You also address the issue of same-sex domestic violence.  What differences have you seen between that and heterosexual domestic violence?

Honestly, there’s no real difference.  The difference is that maybe same-sex domestic violence is not taken as seriously by lawmakers and by the law as heterosexual domestic violence.  Domestic violence between a man and a woman is not even taken seriously or even addressed properly.  I’ve had girlfriends and I’ve had boyfriends—that’s no secret to people.  So I know how a person could be looked at even if we’re not talking about domestic violence. 

So could you imagine having to pick up the phone and call 911 because your partner who happens to be the same sex as you is battering you?  That’s the only difference.  But as far as the act there’s no difference.  It’s human begins being intimidated, treated wrongfully, and having harm put to them.  That’s another mission of mine to make society understand, see, and accept that you do have same-sex relationships that have this problem.  If you want to turn your head and not accept it I’m going to make you see it and realize it.

Your own story is inspirational.  After becoming pregnant at the age of fifteen how did you make that very early transition into adulthood and handling the responsibility of raising a child?

I don’t honestly think that I made that transition until after my third or fourth child.  I have five children now.  That’s a transition that you can’t make.  No matter what I’m just 15 so it’s like I never made a real transition.  I’m just knowing now at 35 after my fifth child how to be a parent and a woman. 

It’s like no matter what I was 17 with two kids.  So how am I expected to make a transition into womanhood when I’m really not a woman?  What happened was I just had to learn responsibility.  I think that was the hardest point in my life because I didn’t know.

My first child’s father was a cuckoo bird.  He was abusive.  He wasn’t helping me with my son so I was on my own.  My second baby father which was, Buffy from the Fat Boys, who passed away, was I think the only true real baby father I had out of my five children. 

What was the lowest point in your life and how did you overcome it?

I was hustling.  I was going out of town with n***** drugs.  I was cooking up drugs and doing anything I could do to make money.  I never sold my a** but I did a lot of things to feed my children.  I think that was one of the lowest points—really not having anything.  My children having to eat tuna fish sandwiches and Campbell’s tomato soup four days in a row and struggling.  I overcame that because life is a struggle.  It could have been worse than that.

It could have been I didn’t have anything at all to feed my children. That’s how I got over it.  I’ve been Queen Pen and still have hit rock bottom and I’m okay with that.  That’s what makes me the strong person that I am.  So there’s nothing that a person can give me or take from me that can make me or break me, because I done lived it. 

I read that when you left your mother’s house and was hustling it was mainly because public assistance was not enough.  What do you think the government needs to do to help people who were in the same situation as you?

I don’t think I will even live to probably see this happen if it ever happens.  I’d like to see the government really try to help without ulterior motives or strings attached.  They’re not set out to really help us and that’s another smokescreen.   A billion smokescreens have been put up so that we can’t see.  I believe a lot is set up for us to fail.  If that wasn’t the case we would have a long time ago been further than where we’re at.  I believe that the government uses mental warfare on us.  It’s just not physical like it was years ago.  They know us better than we know ourselves.  They know how to conspire, what to do and not to do, to make us either further as much as they want us to, or not to further at all.  I want to see them help us and really want to help us. 

What more do you have in the works to address these issues and to continue spreading your messages?

Well I figured out that I had to get back out there to get a certain leverage so I can be able to spread my message across the board.  I’m putting another album out.  I just started back recording with Teddy [Riley].  I have my second book I’m about to turn into Simon & Schuster.  I’m working on making a couple of other things as far as film and television happen.  I’m doing all of this not just because I have five kids and I do need to pay my bills, but I need to be back out there so I can use that to do my real work.   I truly believe God has made me Queen Pen and made me an entertainer so I can be at a certain level in life where it’s easier for me to complete my mission.  I’m just about my people.  I love my people and I’m about the betterment of my people.

For more information on Queen Pen please visit:
www.myspace.com/queenpen55