Choice sounds like the humidity and heat of a Houston summer night filtered through a blown-out car speaker. Her music is defined by the heavy, thumping basslines and dusty drum machine loops characteristic of the early Rap-A-Lot era, providing a rugged foundation for her sharp, confrontational delivery. It is music that refuses to be background noise, demanding attention through its sheer audacity and rhythmic weight.
What truly distinguishes Choice is her fearless subversion of the hyper-masculine rap landscape of the early 90s. While her male contemporaries were boasting of their prowess, Choice used her lyrics to flip the script, employing raunchy humor and biting satire to dismantle male egos. She pioneered a specific brand of sexual agency that was less about seduction and more about power, using explicit language as a tool for dominance and social commentary.
For those looking to understand the roots of the 'bad bitch' archetype in modern rap, Choice is the essential starting point. Her work bridges the gap between the street-level storytelling of the Geto Boys and the provocative stardom of later icons like Lil' Kim. Start with her debut to hear a rapper who wasn't just joining the conversation, but actively trying to shut it down.
Kim Davis, better known by her stage name of Choice or MC Choice, is an American female rapper based out of Houston, Texas. She is best known for her album The Big Payback, which first came out in 1990. Signed to the label Rap-A-Lot Records, her strident, sexually explicit album prefigured the image and sound of later female rappers such as Lil' Kim, with music journalist Roni Sarig mentioning Choice in Third Coast: Outkast, Timbaland, and How Hip-Hop Became a Southern Thing as one of the U.S. south's underground kings and queens of rap alongside the Geto Boys and Street Military. She first appeared on Willie D's 1989 album Controversy (with him then known as "Willie Dee"). The release ended up peaking at #53 on the U.S. R&B Albums chart. Ironically, Choice would soon criticize Willie D in a diss track also aimed at various male MCs of the time (such as Ice Cube). Choice belongs to a more "sex"-based lyrical school of hard-core female rappers as opposed to those with a more "gangsta" sound. Artists in this subgenre espouse female-in-charge sexuality in their lyrics, often mixing being assertive in what they want while also mocking the exaggerated sexual boasts of male rappers through put-downs. Specific song examples of Choice's strident image include the oral sex-themed track "Cat Got Your Tongue".
Shares boom bap, gangsta rap, hardcore punk (subgenres); rap, intense, deadpan (vocal style)
Shares gangsta rap, boom bap (subgenres); defiant, aggressive, confident (moods)
Shares boom bap, gangsta rap (subgenres); basement show, dive bar, urban night (atmosphere)
Shares gangsta rap, boom bap (subgenres); basement show, dive bar, urban night (atmosphere)
Shares boom bap, gangsta rap, hardcore punk (subgenres); rap, intense, deadpan (vocal style)
Shares boom bap, gangsta rap (subgenres); lo fi, sample based, analog warmth (production style)
Shares gangsta rap, boom bap (subgenres); lo fi, sample based, analog warmth (production style)
Shares gangsta rap, defiant, boom bap, aggressive (subgenre)
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