Prince's DJ is Fiercer Than Prince

Not even three days into the website, and Strutter has a case of coverage envy.

Pitchfork scored a Q&A with Pam the Funkstress, the legendary DJ from the Bay Area who is now DJing at Prince's Piano and a Microphone Tour after-party. If you think getting tickets to Prince's show is hard, imagine how tough it is to get into the after-party to hear Pam's set of funk/classic hip-hop.

When Prince saw Pam in action, it's obvious that game recognized game. Check out this video of Pam holding her own at the DMC USA* West Coast Elimination battle back in '94. (S/O to Christie Z-Pabon at dmcdjchamps.com for video permission.)

In the Pitchfork Q&A, Pam the Funkstress talks about her DJ beginnings in the '80s as part of the freestyle battle scene, backing up The Coup, jamming with Prince, and her catering company. With all her accolades, she still faced scrutiny as a woman in a predominately-male field. Pam describes what she endured to book DJ gigs with Pitchfork contributing editor Stacey Anderson:

"Say you have this cute girl over here who doesn’t know how to mix water, and then here you have a down-to-earth sistah who’s a little overweight but has the skills to rock the party? They’re gonna take her over me, regardless."

However, Pam sees a change in the DJing world for the better: "All those little Barbie doll DJs that were coming out with their bikini tops and short-shorts, I don’t see them so much now. Now it’s about skills and talent. That I have, and you can’t take my talent away from me. Now there’s a lot of female DJs, some of ‘em good, some of ‘em bad, but we’re getting more respect." If you get a chance to see Prince in concert, push your luck and try to score an invite to the after-party to see Pam The Funkstress in action. Lightning can strike twice.

*Disclosure: Strutter once worked at DMC USA for its print publication Mixer.