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Rap-Rockstress, "Pull On My Weave"

Atlanta is one of the entry points to music industry success and Phoenix the Firestarter is bangin' on the door. The young female MC sells her own CDs, performs around town at the drop of a hat (or rather a beat), and has even taken the novel approach of distributing her very own DVD.

"I rap, but I rap like a rock star," she explains. "It's very energetic, very hyped and you're in for a real hyped show."

No kidding, since Phoenix regularly swan dives into the audience. The name is no gimmick either.

"It's a mix of Phoenix, which is my real name, and a reference to the movie Firestarter, because I definitely start the fires," she says with a grin. "I'm Jamaican, so that rock, roots, reggae thing definitely was in my vibe anyway."

Female MCs are far from novel, so what separates Phoenix from other female rappers? "What makes me unique is that I speak more to women than to men. A lot of female rappers feel they have to be extra sexy or extra hard," she asserts. "The perception is that if you're not 'Hey' or you're not 'Ho' you don't have a place in hip-hop. I don't have to be a man and I don't have to do all types of sexy stuff either."

Her first single, "Pull On My Weave," got its first airplay in late April when 107.9's King Arthur started playing the song on his mix shows. Getting in rotation on 107.9 was a major coup for Phoenix. She has parlayed that into appearances on MTV's "My Super Sweet 16" and Patchwerks Studio's mixtape. - g. mcclaren forde

To sample some of Phoenix's music, log onto www.myspace.com/phoenixthefirestarter.

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