Photo Credit: Shannon Tripplet
It’s no secret that men dominate the rap music game. From worldwide platforms to opportunities such as Detroit 107.5’s cyphers, we’re familiar with the grind of male artists pushing to tell their story. Week 32 of the Hot 107.5 cypher spotlight marked a new beginning as aspiring female artist Talyya ‘Leya Starr’ Hamilton blazed a trail for future female contestants.
There’s something special about hearing a female’s voice rap over a dope beat, even acapella against other men in a rap battle. Leya Starr wasn’t afraid to show her male opponents they were in the presence of a star during her first on air radio experience. Inspired by Nicki Minaj, Hamilton took her love for rapping at school talent shows to quick hallway verses with her peers. She blew audiences away with her charismatic bars and her broad voice.
“I want to empower females and I wanna take this past the city and let females know you can achieve anything with confidence,” she said.
Photo Credit: Shannon Tripplet
Reppin’ the men, Andre ‘Dre Agney’ Haywood is a skilled lyricist who has competed in 27 cyphers this year. For Haywood, taking advantage of this opportunity means not losing the spot that he has earned. Each week as he improves, he learns that he’s able to articulate more through his music without cursing on air. “With the cypher I gained a more diverse audience and learned some rapping techniques. I actually started to read more too so my words would flow a little better,” Haywood shares. He also shared that this platform made him realize that the more indie artists come together, the more motivation they’re able to feed off of each other.
It’s safe to say Leya Starr’ has created a lane for young aspiring female artists for the Friday cyphers.
What are your thoughts on the diversity of Detroit’s 107.5 cypher platform?
