It’s no secret the life span of a hip-hop video model is a short one. It’s best that any ladies pursuing that path have something to fall back on. As is the case with Angel Lola Luv n.k.a Lola Monroe. Clearly, the 23-year-old stunner has the assets to cushion any fall from grace, but before the hands of time could give her an unceremonious boot from the modeling game, the Chocolate City cutie bowed out gracefully to pursue a career in rap.
Now, four mixtapes in, the retired video vixen with the unreal 34C-20-40 dimensions has officially switch sides. Nah, not like that. Though she did play a rather convincing lady lover in 50 Cent’s directorial debut, Before I Self Destruct. Lola is no longer the lovely accessory in your favorite rappers’ video; instead she’s the main attraction, the rap goddess spitting her own rhymes and recruiting other dimes to pose as video ornaments. Before hitting the studio to begin work on her still-untitled debut, Lola weighs in on the state of the video vixen game, domestic violence, the mis-education of Montana Fishburne, and her non-beef with Nicki Minaj.
You’re officially a retired video vixen/model, with a name change and all. What inspired the transition to grab the mic?
Well, music is always something that’s been a part of me ever since I was a child. When I was younger, about 12 years old, I used to write poems and when I got about age 14/15, I used to go through different family issues and young love and I would use music as my getaway. So I would rewrite R&B songs and just basically use it as a way to release different emotions. So when I got into the industry I knew that I would eventually get out of the videos and being featured in publications as a video model, and get into what my heart was in, which was music so it was about that time for me to make that transition.
Was it hard to make that transition?
When I made that transition I was at my peak. I was getting hella requests for different videos from different artists and directors, and I was getting a lot of offers with grants of money and I rejected all that ‘cause I had to make a choice. And I made that transition and I started putting out different mixtapes and I’m currently about to put out my fourth mixtape—my last mixtape was with [Lil] Boosie and it was called Untouchables and we recorded that about a week before he got locked up and we went in the studio for three days and we just knocked out the whole mixtape. So you know, it’s going pretty good right now.
Because of your modeling career and the lyrics of some female rappers, do people expect your lyrics to be more sexually based?
I think initially it was like that. I think that’s what they expected. Again, they were so used to seeing just sexy images—that’s all they knew of Angel Lola Luv. But they didn’t know where I came from, they didn’t know my background. They didn’t know that I came from the bottom. They didn’t know I had to overcome so many trials and tribulations in my life. So they expected me to only rap about having sexual content. So when I started putting out music, you know, they started listening. They knew it was more to me.
You mentioned working with Lil Boosie, you’ve also spent some time in the studio with prominent females in the game like, Trina, Diamond, and Rasheeda. How have those artists embraced you?
Well, I’ve definitely [felt] a good vibe… I’ve definitely gotten a lot of women embracing the whole movement, my movement, I have a “Boss Bitch” movement. My movement empowers women so I kinda get that back and I get good feedback from that and I get a good reaction being as it’s empowering women and I have a positive thing that comes out from my movement a lot of the female artists they back me with it and they definitely wit’ it.
So you haven’t experienced much of the catty competition that occurs between some female rappers?
I definitely believe that it’s there ‘cause women are women regardless and it’s a lot of competition and there can be a lot of competition especially in female rap because there aren’t a lot of us. But I’m actually… I keep to myself a lot and I do these features and the artists that I do work with I haven’t got that from, but I’m pretty sure it’s there with other artists in the game… You know, it’s competitive, the rap game is competitive, that’s what it’s about, so I’m sure it’s there but I don’t get that too much and if I do, you know, you really wouldn’t know about it… I really be into my work so much and I’m not really into the gossip and you know that part of the game so if it goes on I don’t really pay it too much mind.
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