The Conscious Daughters

Emerging from the socially conscious, Afrocentric environment that defined early-'90s Bay Area hip-hop, the Oakland-based female rap duo known as The Conscious Daughters comprised Carla Green and Karryl Smith. Militant and ultra-political rapper Paris became an early supporter, overseeing every aspect of their 1993 debut Ear to the Street by writing and producing its entire tracklist while also performing on the recordings alongside engineer Eric Valentine. Its lyrical content mirrored the prevailing “thug-life” outlook found across contemporary West Coast hip-hop yet filtered those themes through an explicitly female lens, as heard on cuts including “Princess of Poetry,” “Wife of a Gangsta,” and “Crazybitchmadness.” The pair next contributed guest verses to Paris’ 1994 release Guerilla Funk, appearing on selections such as “Bring It to Ya.” In 1996 the duo issued their follow-up album Gamers, this time sharing production duties with Studio Ton, Tone Capone, and their steadfast ally Paris. The project showcased an extensive roster of collaborators—Nate Fox, Harm, Suga T, Mystic, Lil Kristen, Rose, Sandy Griffith (da Old Skool), Saafir, Father Dom, Money B, and C-Funk—many of whom converged on the closing track “All-Star Freestyle.”