On the surface, The Stoop is a catchy pop album. But lurking beneath Adam Pallin's doo-wop echoes and Imani Coppola's honey-dipped vocals, you'll find the singer's undeniable hip-hop swagger, biting, riot girl lyrics and strong, unapologetic persona.

For instance, on "Black Barbie," Coppola pokes fun at celebutantes like Britney, Paris and Lindsay who've become more famous for flashing their crotches, going to rehab, and getting arrested than for any discernable talent. She sings, "I live the simple life/I am a socialite/Ain't got no appetite/And got no cellulite/Got a disorder/I eat all the time /I'm part Ethiopian/That's why I stay so thin." Coppola boldly points a finger at the media on this one saying, "This song is a sarcastic commentary...the media is so committed to exploiting these young female celebrities."

Similarly, "28 Butts" is rife with sarcasm and describes a reflective night at home for this single girl: "I really know how to party/Reminisce about the day while I'm swiggin' my Bacardi/28 butts in the ashtray/'Cause it's just me/Keepin' myself company."

Coppola calls the album's first single, "The World Should Revolve Around Me," her "anthem," explaining, "being an artist isn't conducive to having a healthy relationship. I've made a decision to be committed to my artistic ways instead of to a relationship." Coppola defiantly sings, "I've had a lot of failed relationships/I don't get involved cause I'm not equipped/I believe that the world should revolve around me/ I don't see the point of a partnership/It won't be long till they start to trip/Yes-sir-eee the whole world should revolve around me."

Taking an opposite approach to the isolated and drunken songwriting technique she used for "28 Butts," Coppola literally stepped outside and wrote the title track while sitting on the steps of her apartment building in the alternately beautiful-and-ominous Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.

"I live in a very lively neighborhood, with a constant undercurrent of danger that makes it even more electric," she says. "I tried to come out and be all introverted and write in my journal, but that doesn't work in the hood. There's almost a militant expectation if [a brother] walks by and says hello, he will not go until you respond. You gotta come off your high horse."

With her music, Coppola has created a space where she's free to be herself. Fitting in has always been a struggle. "I have a unique take to look at both races," she says. "The only thing I can really speak for in this life is as a woman."

"The World Should Revolve Around Me" Video


"Black Barbie" Video