Chart entered : 4 February 1989
Chart peak : 37
Number of hits : 11
Here's another artist who's largely slipped under my radar. I can vaguely recall one or two of her hits through the samples used but that's all.
Monie was born in Battersea in 1970. She got into the nascent British hip hop scene as soon as she left school and joined a group called Jus Badd who released a single "Free Style" on an independent label in 1988. Monie shares the lead vocal with an MC Mellow and the track is a lo-fi version of the more laid back rap sound of the Jungle Brothers. The edge is provided by Monie's feisty delivery.
Monie was also performing a rap using The Whispers' late disco smash And The Beat Goes On as her backing track during 1988, including an appearance at the DJ Mixing Championship heats in Bristol. Vicar's son and DJ , Tim Westwood heard it and wanted to sign her to Justice, the label he was setting up . However he didn't get his act together and Monie went to Cooltempo to get it released.
Though "I Can Do This " went out in Monie's name alone , the track was co-written with her friend from Jus Badd DJ Pogo. The trio who wrote The Whispers' hit are also credited. On the back of the sample and some added electronic percussion ,Monie launches into a confident rap about her prowess as an MC without pausing for breath. Later on, a Public Enemy- style high-pitched drone is added. To me it sounds one-dimensional and boring as hell but it not only got her in our charts but attracted the attention of the New York crowd as well.
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