Ursula Rucker, Sun., Feb. 26 at the Painted Bride.

Ursula Rucker

A.D. Amorosi
Philadelphia Inquirer
Published: Friday, February 24, 2006

Before poetry's rhythmic pentameter got Def Jammed and slammed, there was Ursula Rucker, Philly's sweet, frank mistress of bare-knuckled language, femme empowerment, and all-over sociopolitical awareness.

Philly.com Music · Concerts A-Z · Bars & clubs · Go to Nightlife

Working with the then-burgeoning local underground of smart soulsters the Roots and King Britt, Rucker made formidable contributions to their catalogs before her debut, 2001's epic Supa Sista.

She still has a devoted local following. Check out her rivetingly percussive new CD, Ma'at Mama, and its old-school centerpiece, "Church Hip Hop." Check the credits - there's beat-maker Rob Yancy and poet Sonia Sanchez.

"Aw man . . . that is so vital," Rucker said in a recent interview. "Can't move forward without that connection to what shaped and formed you, to who and what blazed the trail to make things possible. Plus . . . if it ain't broke, don't fix it; just improve upon it."

Improving upon the past for Mama meant pulling the ribald "P--- Tang Clan," an unreleased Roots song, out of mothballs ("too cryptic and intellectual at the time," Rucker said of the intended Illadelph Halflife track) to show that women in hip-hop have made few inroads since the song's 1996 creation.

"I'm always down for the cause of dispelling false stereotypes, for sure," Rucker said.

It also has meant showing off the balance in her life while consciously creating an album so much more organic-sounding than her electro-laced CDs.

"I do think that sound pigeonholed me, hence my decision to step out of the safety zone," Rucker said.

Despite Mama's being what she sees as the conclusion of a trilogy - the other CD is 2003's Silver or Lead - there's nothing safe about Rucker.