Yo! Majesty

Little, it seems, can stop the improbable Tampa-based female party-rap juggernaut that is Yo! Majesty, not even the occasional near-implosion of the group itself. Earlier this year, some undefined internal meltdown sent home half of the group, the gospel-trained vocalist-turned-rapper Jewel B. The duo's backbone, the verbose and ass-kicking Shunda K, somehow pulled off the rest of the tour by herself with the help of various special-guest friends. Still, the two insisted the group hadn't broken up, even as they sometimes refused to conduct interviews or pose for new photo shoots together. But then, at Yo! Majesty's inception, their sun-bleached Florida hometown simply wasn't ready for tough women who rapped — and certainly wasn't ready for tough women who rapped who were also outspoken lesbians and evangelical Christians. Luckily, that sort of very American uniqueness goes down well in the UK, home of the group's current producers, Hard­feelings­UK. This unlikely partnership created the Yo! Majesty sound, an electro-ish space bump interlaced with raunchy lyrics and ready for the dance floor ("Club Action," "Kryptonite Pussy"). Yo! Majesty's eagerly awaited debut full-length, Futuristically Speaking...Never Be Afraid, finally arrived through UK imprint Domino last year, and the group has been working to regain its steam. It seems that Jewel B and Shunda K are on speaking terms again (perhaps), or at least touring together, and their audience is undeniably broadening.