Jump to content

Cheeky Blakk

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cheeky Blakk
Birth nameAngela Sherrie Woods
Born (1975-04-03) April 3, 1975 (age 50)
New Orleans, Louisiana, US
GenresBounce music
Years active1994-present
LabelsTombstone, Mobo, Total Respect, Danger Zone, Take Fo’, Blakk1 Entertainment
Websitecheekyblakk.com

Angela Sherrie Woods (born April 3, 1975), known professionally as Cheeky Blakk, is a New Orleans-based rapper and performer. She is recognized as a pioneering female artist in the male-dominated New Orleans bounce scene.[1][2] Her 1994 track “Twerk Something,” the first to use the term in a song, has been called one of the essential songs of the genre.[3][4][5]

Blakk has worked with artists such as Trombone Shorty, Galactic, Charmaine Neville, and Kermit Ruffins and the Rebirth Brass Band. Her film and television credits include HBO’s Treme and FX’s American Horror Story.

Early life and career

[edit]

Cheeky Blakk was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and grew up in the Lower Ninth Ward.[6][7] She graduated from John McDonogh High School in 1992.[8]

When she was 14, she began her career as a dancer for Cicely “Ju’C” Crawford McCallon, one of the first female bounce artists.[9][1] Her rap career was influenced by Edgar "Pimp Daddy" Givens, a Cash Money Records artist and the father of her child, who encouraged her to develop her lyrical skills.[10] Their relationship became the basis for a well-known lyrical rivalry, culminating in Pimp Daddy’s track "Boo-Koo Bitches,” which features the line, “Here’s another ho by the name of Cheeky Blakk.” Blakk’s response diss track included the line “Well, Pimp Daddy it’s about that time/Cheeky Blakk tell you bout your funny, fake ass rhymes.” [11][12][2] Before Pimp Daddy’s death in 1994, they performed the songs together.[9]

Blakk’s debut album, Gotta Be Cheeky (1994), was produced by Mobo Joe and released under Mobo Records; it featured "Twerk Somethin," which was the first song to use the term twerking in the title.[1][13][14][15][16] She released Let Me Get That Outcha, produced by Mannie Fresh and DJ Tee on Tombstone Records in 1995, which contained the popular single "Bitch Get Off Me."[1][17] Other bounce artists, including DJ Jubilee and Sissy Nobby, have used the eighth-note clapping pattern from the song, the “Cheeky Blakk beat,” on their own tracks over the years.[18][19][2] She released F**k Bein' Faithful with Tombstone in 1996.[20] In 1998, she released the EP Whores Pimp Niggaz 2 on Total Respect Records. That year, the Times-Picayune cited her as Total Respect's most popular artist. In 2000, now on Danger Zone records, she released Cheeky Gonna Be Cheeky; the track "Wyld Boy" also features her son Darrol "Lil' Pimp" Woods.[21]

Blakk has also collaborated with other New Orleans artists on songs that showcase her as a bounce artist. In 2001, she recorded “Pop That Pussy” with Rebirth Brass Band, which was nominated for the Big Easy Entertainment Awards Best Song of the Year, earning her city-wide recognition. In 2005, she recorded "Act Bad With It" with Trombone Shorty, and her 2010 collaboration with funk jam band Galactic, "Do It Again (again)," was one of several tracks on the record that included major bounce artists.[22][23][24] In 2019, she joined Choppa and DJ Jubilee to form the supergroup Bounce Royalty, which released ”Twerk Baby Twerk” on the revived Take Fo’ Records label.[25] In 2022, PJ Morton released a new version of “New Orleans Girl” with Cheeky Blakk and the Rebirth Brass Band, which appears on the Petaluma Records soundtrack for Take Me to the River: New Orleans.[26]

She first performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1996.[27] She continues to perform at festivals such as South by Southwest, Jazz Fest, and Voodoo Music + Arts Experience.[28][29] She has also appeared on the long-running video program Phat Phat N All That.[30][31]

She now releases music under her own label, Blakk1 Entertainment LLC.[32]

Legacy in bounce music

[edit]

Blakk participated in "Where They At," a documentary photography and oral history project on the history of New Orleans bounce and hip-hop, produced by music historian Alison Fensterstock and photographer Aubrey Edwards.[33] First shown at the Smithsonian-affiliated Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the exhibit also traveled to several U.S. cities and Berlin.[33][34] The materials, including Blakk’s interview, an interview with her son, and a portrait of the two are now housed at the Amistad Research Center.[35][36][37]

Blakk is credited with bringing “twerk” into the lexicon; journalists and musicologists argue that her contribution is often ignored because she is a Black woman from New Orleans.[38] She is often an authoritative voice on bounce history, appearing on panels at South by Southwest and in courses at Tulane University.[39][40]

[edit]

Local DJ Davis Rogan, who inspired the Treme character Davis McAlary, was fired from his WWOZ show The Brass Band Jam in 2001 for playing “too much hip-hop,” including Blakk’s music, on air.[41][42][43][44] She has appeared on stage with Rogan and performed with Steve Zahn’s McAlary character in Treme, where they sang a duet called "I Quit."[45][46]

Personal life

[edit]

Woods is a graduate of Delgado Community College and the Delgado Charity School of Nursing.[33] She works as a registered nurse[6][9] and has one son, Darrol "Lil' Pimp" Woods, who died in 2023.

After Hurricane Katrina, she was displaced to Houston.[47][6] She returned to New Orleans and lives in the 9th Ward.

Discography

[edit]

Albums & EPs

[edit]
  • Gotta Be Cheeky (1994)[48]
  • Let Me Get That Outcha (1995)[49]
  • F**k Bein' Faithful (1996)[20]
  • Whores Pimp Niggaz 2 (1998)[50]
  • Cheeky Gonna Be Cheeky (2000)[51]

Singles

[edit]
  • "Lef Cheek Rite Cheek," Shake Twerk & Wobble Vol. 1 (2007)[52]

Music videos

[edit]

Appearances

[edit]

Film and television appearances

[edit]
















































Year Title Role Notes Source
2012 Treme Herself S3, Ep 10 [58]
2013 Treme Herself S4, Ep 1 [59]
2014 American Horror StoryHungry WomanS3, Ep 12[60]
2022 Take Me to the River: New OrleansHerselfDocumentary[61]
2020 Hip-Hop EvolutionHerselfS4, Ep 1[62]
2008 Ya Heard Me?HerselfDocumentary[63]


References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Clapp, Jake (2023-11-18). "Q&A: Cheeky Blakk on 'Twerk Something,' her early career and paving the way". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  2. ^ a b c Jones, Jalisa (2017-08-01). "Top Ladies In Bounce Music Hash Out Sexism, Equality, & Being A Boss". VIBE.com. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  3. ^ "20 Essential New Orleans Bounce Songs – Rolling Stone". archive.ph. 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  4. ^ Rao, Sameer (2017-03-17). "New Orleans Bounce Artists, Documentarians 'Bring That Beat' to SxSW". Colorlines. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  5. ^ "A Brief History of Bounce". Oxford American. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  6. ^ a b c Hahne, Elsa (2013-02-01). "The Gravy: In the Kitchen with Bounce Rapper Cheeky Blakk". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  7. ^ "Bounce Legend Cheeky Blakk In New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward". Viceland. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  8. ^ "John McDonogh High School". New Orleans Music Map. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  9. ^ a b c "Cheeky Blakk: Queen Be Hustlin' (Cover Story)". 2018-07-28. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  10. ^ Madden, Sidney MaddenSidney (2016-04-18). "Today in Hip-Hop: R.I.P. Pimp Daddy (1976- April 18, 1994)". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  11. ^ Dickel, Simon; Kindinger, Evangelia (2015-06-15). After the Storm: The Cultural Politics of Hurricane Katrina. transcript Verlag. p. 85. ISBN 978-3-8394-2893-1.
  12. ^ Murphy, Michael (2016-04-18). Hear Dat New Orleans: A Guide to the Rich Musical Heritage & Lively Current Scene. The Countryman Press. ISBN 978-1-58157-582-8.
  13. ^ "Twerking: A Complete History | Music News + Gossip | VH1 Tuner - Page 2". 2013-08-29. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  14. ^ zengernews (2021-08-31). "Louisiana Legends: The story of New Orleans music pioneer Mobo Joe". New Pittsburgh Courier. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  15. ^ "Giving Cheeky Blakk The Flowers She More Than Deserves - Blavity". Blavity News & Entertainment. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  16. ^ Cheeky Blakk - Gots 2 Be Cheeky, 1994, retrieved 2025-03-21
  17. ^ Cheeky Blakk - Let Me Get That Outcha, 1995, retrieved 2025-03-21
  18. ^ "Afropop Worldwide | Let the Beat Build: A Bounce Rhythm Primer". Afropop Worldwide. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  19. ^ "Bounce". 64 Parishes. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  20. ^ a b Cheeky Blakk - F**k Bein' Faithful, 1996, retrieved 2025-03-23
  21. ^ Cheeky Blakk - Cheeky Gonna Be Cheeky, 2000, retrieved 2025-03-23
  22. ^ a b Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews & Orleans Avenue - Orleans & Claiborne, retrieved 2025-03-23
  23. ^ a b "Galactic Premieres "Cheeky" Video". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  24. ^ "Galactic noodle a mix of N.O. now and then". Picayune Item. 2010-04-04. pp. 9C.
  25. ^ a b "Take Fo' Records returns with Bounce Royalty supergroup (Video Premiere)". OffBeat Magazine. 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  26. ^ a b c Folk, Antwane (2022-03-15). "PJ Morton Reimagines 'New Orleans Girl' With Cheeky Blakk and Rebirth Brass Band". Rated R&B. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  27. ^ "Jazz Fest winds down this weekend in New Orleans". Biloxi Sun Herald. 1996-05-04. pp. C2.
  28. ^ Times-Picayune, Alison Fensterstock, NOLA com | The (2010-04-24). "The first ladies of NO rap rock the mic at New Orleans Jazz Fest". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2025-03-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Staff, OffBeat (2013-01-10). "More New Orleans Music Announced for SXSW 2013". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  30. ^ PHAT PHAT N ALL THAT TV (2019-11-25). Cheeky Blakk interview & on stage performance. Retrieved 2025-03-22 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ Clapp, Jake (2024-02-26). "Radio Waves: Wild Wayne on his career, New Orleans hip-hop and how the radio game has changed". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  32. ^ "Ya Heard Me! New Orleans Bounce | SXSW 2016 Event Schedule". Archived from the original on 2016-08-08. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  33. ^ a b c "Where They At: New Orleans Hip-Hop and Bounce in Words and Pictures. Aubrey Edwards and Alison Fensterstock. New Orleans 2010". 2016-03-24. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  34. ^ "Alison Fensterstock". Faulkner Society. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  35. ^ "Interviewee: Cheeky Blakk | ArchivesSpace Public Interface". amistad-finding-aids.tulane.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  36. ^ "Interviewee: Lil' Pimp Darrell | ArchivesSpace Public Interface". amistad-finding-aids.tulane.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  37. ^ "Visual artist, collaborative anthropologist, and memory worker with heartstrings tied to New Orleans, presently running wild in Wyoming". Aubrey Dawne Edwards. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  38. ^ "Who Owns Twerking, Who Owns the Bounce? New Orleans Originators Have a Roundtable". 2016-10-20. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  39. ^ "Cheeky Blakk to help lead Tulane's "Business of Bounce" bus tour". OffBeat Magazine. 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  40. ^ "Ya Heard Me! New Orleans Bounce | SXSW 2016 Event Schedule". SXSW Schedule 2016. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  41. ^ "Stirring the 'gangsta gumbo' 10 years after Hurricane Katrina: New Orleans rap gets a closer look". NOLA.com. 2015-08-27. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  42. ^ "Davis Rogan: In real life, a serious singer and piano player". NOLA.com. 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  43. ^ "Real World New Orleans". n+1. 2010-08-02. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  44. ^ Brown, Thomas (1994-11-06). "BRASS TRACKS". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  45. ^ Times-Picayune, Alison Fensterstock, NOLA com | The (2010-08-14). "A week's worth of good music starting Friday, August 13". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2025-03-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ svixar (2013-01-07). I Quit DJ Davis Treme 3 Episode 10. Retrieved 2025-03-23 – via YouTube.
  47. ^ "Cheeky Blakk & Lil' Pimp – Music Rising ~ The Musical Cultures of the Gulf South". Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  48. ^ Cheeky Blakk - Gots 2 Be Cheeky, 1994, retrieved 2025-03-23
  49. ^ Cheeky Blakk - Let Me Get That Outcha, 1995, retrieved 2025-03-23
  50. ^ Cheeky Blakk - Whores Pimp Niggaz 2, 1998, retrieved 2025-03-23
  51. ^ Cheeky Blakk - Cheeky Gonna Be Cheeky, 2000, retrieved 2025-03-23
  52. ^ Various - Shake Twerk & Wobble Volume 1, 2007-09-14, retrieved 2025-03-23
  53. ^ Rebirth Brass Band - Hot Venom, 2001, retrieved 2025-03-21
  54. ^ ANTI-. "'Do It Again (again) (featuring Cheeky Blakk)' from Ya-Ka-May (Deluxe Edition) by Galactic". Anti Records. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  55. ^ Japanther - Donut Shop Bounce EP, 2014, retrieved 2025-03-23
  56. ^ The Soul Rebels - Poetry in Motion, 2019-10-25, retrieved 2025-03-23
  57. ^ Clapp, Jake (2019-12-23). "DJ Jubilee, Cheeky Blakk and Choppa at Howlin' Wolf is a Christmas Day gift for bounce lovers". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  58. ^ "Treme S3.E10 "Tipitina"". imdb.com. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  59. ^ "Treme S4.E1 "Yes We Can Can"". imdb.com. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  60. ^ "American Horror Story S3.E21 "Go to Hell"". imdb.com. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  61. ^ Coviello, Will (2022-04-17). "Documentary 'Take Me to the River New Orleans' features recording sessions with a host of New Orleans musicians". Gambit. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  62. ^ "Cheeky Black (actress)". imdb.com. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  63. ^ Fensterstock, Alison (2012-05-30). "Bounce music documentary to screen Sunday, June 3, in Kenner". Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cheeky_Blakk&oldid=1288426488"