My Ruin vocalist Tairrie B. Murphy, who started her music career as a rap artist before launching Manhole as her stepping stone into metal, is gearing up for the release of her new Vintage Curses rap album in August. Amoeblog has posted a new interview with Tairrie tracing her career as a hip hop artist before turning to metal - where she has remained for the past 20 years - and finally returning rap. An excerpt is available below: 

Amoeblog: What qualities (if any) do you see heavy metal and rap music sharing?

Tairrie B: "Rebellion and a musical lifestyle. Much like hip hop, heavy metal is a counter culture that not everyone can relate to. There is a certain consciousness, frustration and emotion surrounding both genres and for the authentic artists in each, a certain catharsis. Metal purists are much like hip-hop loyalists in terms of elitism when it comes to their music. I found this out early on in my career when I chose to change my path. Coming from the hip-hop world, I was not openly accepted at first. I think many people were skeptical and rightly so. I had to work hard, pay my dues and develop myself as a vocalist. I cut my teeth in metal and over the years I grew as a performer and lyricist. I’m sure there will be people on both sides who will question my intentions behind recording a new rap album and wanting to re-open that door as well. At the end of the day music is the great connector and you have to do what you feel you need to do as an artist to nourish your soul and keep it sacred. Inspiration comes from within and you should feel free to follow your muse wherever it takes you. Passion is something both genres have in common from the fans who listen to the artists who create."

Amoeblog: Specifically what would you like to accomplish with the release of this new album?

Tairrie B: "I have already accomplished it. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present to represent a milestone in my life and I’ve done that. This album was a long time coming and I did it for the love of the art. It’s basically a prelude to my upcoming book and hopefully it will get people excited to want to read it."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Tairrie B. recently posted the following message to her fans online:

"I founded my first band (Manhole) back in '93 after seeing Ice-T perform with his band Body Count. The power of the heavy riffs against his rap vocals spoke to me in a revelatory way and I soon decided to change my path in music which ultimately led me to My Ruin and has come full circle to lead me to back to my rap roots today. I love this video because it reminds me of where I came from. Thank you to those who have been with me since the beginning and to those who are re-connecting all these years later to follow me on my new journey."

Released to popular and critical acclaim, and available now for free download Bandcamp.com, "Beware The Crone" follows My Ruin vocalist Tairrie on a dark and witchy journey back to her hip hops roots with an old-school West Coast influence.

And now comes the stunning official video, beautifully shot in black and white with bewitching, esoteric visuals. Says Tairrie of her vision for the video: "It's been a while since I recorded a hip hop album, let alone a video with me rapping. Like the songs themselves, I didn't want to mimic what so many other women in music seem to be doing at the moment. I'm not a fan of bright colourful imagery or over-the-top sexuality. I wanted there to be a strong and empowering, yet darkly visceral and magical sensibility to the visuals."

Directed by Tairrie B herself, the mystic maven explains of the filming process: "I shot many of the scenes myself and others were filmed by my good friends Jill and Gary Bandfield of TourBusLive.com - talented husband and wife photographers. They understood where I wanted to go visually so I asked them to collaborate with me in bringing a few songs from my new album, Vintage Curses, to life."

"We shot all the nature scenes in the back woods of Griffith Park which is one of my favourite places to hike in Los Angeles and somewhere I have loved since I was a child. The rest of the video was filmed in Hollywood, in our studio and our home."

"Beware The Crone", is now available for free download via Bandcamp. Check it out via the player below.

Vintage Curses will be released on August 14th. For additional information and updates check out Tairrie's new Facebook page here.

Photo by Jodie Cunningham