Cover of Nasty Gal
Betty Davis
Nasty Gal/Is It Love or Desire
By: Mildred C. Fallen
Betty Davis was arguably one of the funkiest artists of the 1970s and one of Hip Hop and Punk-Funk’s first influences, but her reputation for having vulgar lyrics and a nasty girl image preceded her talent in the eyes of critics. Maybe this generation, who’s used to hearing women sing and rap dirty ditties will be less remiss to call Davis’ soft core pillow talk X-rated and find her CD reissues ahead of their time. But what critics often overlook—the lyrics aren’t just graphic—they’re autobiographic. She addresses her critics on “Dedicated to the Press,” and Davis’ influence on Prince is obvious, down to her spine-tapping shrieks and lyrics about whether her freakiness traces back to her Mama. Her raps to ex-husband, Miles Davis on “Stars Starve You Know” size up the black and female rocker’s lament of being the wrong color and gender looking for gigs. She flaunts her anti-disco sentiments on “Bottom of the Barrel,” and in a melodic rap style like West Coast femcee, Medusa, she unremorsefully gets inebriated seven days straight on “Bar Hoppin’”. Vocally, she’s no Aretha; she’s a growling, self-gratuitous dominatrix one minute (“Nasty Gal”) or purring like a starved kitty the next (“It’s So Good”) and she’s often scratchy sounding like liquor and late nights take their toll. A nameless band of musicians from Louisiana pick and play some of the swampiest, gut-bucket funk that ever came out of the Bayou. What’s not to like?
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Check out some Betty, and you’ll see why this got a “LOUD” rating in Ghettoblaster Magazine last year.09-betty-davis-bar-hoppin
Discography:Betty+Davis
Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him, from They Say I’m Different, used by IceCube on “Once Upon A Time in the Projects”:
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