There’s a clear distinction between hearing someone and actually listening to them. Make no mistake; A.B.Y.S.S. is definitely someone that heads need to listen to. Hailing from Plainfield, NJ, the lyrical dynamo pulls no punches on the mic and is as deep as her name suggests. “The meaning behind the name leads to an acronym, Ask Before You Speak Stupidity,” she explains. “If you know the definition of the word abyss, you know that there’s a depth to it where one couldn’t possibly know about everything it contains. I feel that’s similar to myself because you never know what to expect from me. There’s always a twist, I keep it spontaneous.”
Born in Williamston, NC, A.B.Y.S.S. moved up North to New Jersey with her family as an infant and was introduced to music early on. Blessed with a natural vocal ability, her initial form of creative expression was actually singing. At the age of four she sang Lena Horne’s “Stormy Weather” in a pre-school talent show and immediately fell in love with the art of performing. Her connection to hip-hop would develop a few years later as she began listening to artists like MC Lyte, Queen Latifah and Naughty By Nature. By 1995, A.B.Y.S.S. was penning her own rhymes and going flow for flow with other aspiring rappers in local ciphers. “I’ve loved music since I was a baby but when hip-hop caught my attention, I couldn’t get enough,” she says. “I just listened to different styles—from artists having fun with it to those that spoke their minds and telling real-life stories—and that helped me to mold my own sound.”
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