Concetta Kirschner (born February 25, 1971), better known as Princess Superstar, is an American rapper and DJ. She has had two chart hits in the UK, "

Bad Babysitter "Bad Babysitter" is a song by American rapper and producer Princess Superstar, released on February 18, 2002, through Rapster Records as the second single from her fourth studio album, '' Princess Superstar Is'' (2001). The song was written by Pr ...

", which reached number 11 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 2002, and "

Perfect (Exceeder) "Perfect (Exceeder)" is a collaboration between Dutch musician Mason and American rapper Princess Superstar. The track is a mashup of Mason's 2006 instrumental dance track "Exceeder" and Princess Superstar's 2005 single " Perfect". It was used i ...

", which reached number three in 2007. She has recorded with Moby, The Prodigy, Arthur Baker, Prince Paul, and Grandmaster Flash, amongst others. During the peak of her career, she was acclaimed as Pennsylvania's top female Jewish rapper. Her musical style, as she describes it, is "flip-flop"—a mixture of hip hop, electroclash and

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

. In summer 2014 she debuted her reality television show ''I Love Princess Superstar'' on her

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel. In 2018 she released a children's record called ''These Are the Magic Days''.

Background

Kirschner was born in

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fi ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

father with ancestry from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, and a Sicilian-American mother who converted to

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...

. Kirschner identifies herself as a spiritual Jew.Westbrook, Caroline
Interview with a Jewish Princess
June 2, 2002, accessdate=2008-09-30 Her parents were

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the pre ...

s. When Kirschner was a child, the family moved to rural

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and then to the suburbs of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. She attended school at the

Germantown Academy Germantown Academy, informally known as GA and originally known as the Union School, is the oldest nonsectarian day school in the United States. The school was founded on December 6, 1759, by a group of prominent Germantown citizens in the Gree ...

, a private high school, where she was a member of the Theatre Club and the Black Student Union. She moved to New York City at the age of 17 and went to NYU, where she got her BFA in drama. She is an active member of Superstar Machine, and was a member of Mensa.

Career

In New York City she took up the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, and her interest in music surpassed her interest in acting. She joined the Gamma Rays, an all-girl power psychedelic band that recorded a 7" single called "Lovely" for TeenBeat Records. Their other recordings appeared on various compilations. Around the same time, Kirschner was composing hip hop-styled songs on a 4-track recorder.

Princess Superstar

In 1994, Kirschner made a demo tape, ''Mitch Better Get My Bunny'', under the name "Princess Superstar". She sent the tape to the ''

College Music Journal CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'' and to the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming) ...

Grand Royal Records Grand Royal was the Los Angeles, California-based vanity record label set up in 1992 by rap group Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records after the group left Def Jam Recordings. ''Grand Royal'' was also the name of a magazine written a ...

. While she got callbacks from CMJ and Grand Royal, she went on to sign with Dark Beloved Cloud Records, who released her song "I'm White" on their ''Sympathy for Count Pococurante'' compilation. In 1995, she teamed up with three backing musicians and signed with 5th Beetle Records. They recorded her debut album, '' Strictly Platinum'', which gained her some notoriety as being one of very few white female rappers. In 1997, Kirschner went on to launch her own record label, first calling it "A Big Rich Major Label", but then eventually settling on "Corrupt Conglomerate". She recruited a new crew of backing musicians and recorded ''CEO'', a concept album about

corporate culture Historically there have been differences among investigators regarding the definition of organizational culture. Edgar Schein, a leading researcher in this field, defined "organizational culture" as comprising a number of features, including a ...

. Her next album, 2000's ''Last of the Great 20th Century Composers'', was co-produced by Curtis Curtis and contains the song "Kool Keith's Ass", and a remix of "Do It Like a Robot" by

Blues Explosion The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was an American three-piece rock band from New York City, formed in 1991. The group consisted of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spenc ...

. Kirschner went on to collaborate with

Kool Keith Keith Matthew Thornton (born October 7, 1963), better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, known for his surreal, abstract and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Koo ...

on "Keith and Me" for the 2001 ''Princess Superstar Is'' LP released on Ruthless Records/

Studio !K7 !K7 Music is a music company based in Berlin, Germany that focuses mostly on electronic music. The name is an abbreviation of the company's original Berlin address, Kaiserdamm 7 (it has since relocated, first to Heidestrasse 52, and currently he ...

. The album, co-produced Curtis Curtis, has guest appearances by

Beth Orton Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician, known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall, ...

and

Bahamadia Antonia D. Reed (born April 22, 1966), known professionally as Bahamadia, is an American hip-hop artist and singer. Bahamadia released her debut album, '' Kollage'', in 1996, followed by the independently released EP ''BB Queen'' in 2000. She ...

. The single "Bad Babysitter" was number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. For 2005's ''My Machine'', a futuristic hip-hopera concept double album, she collaborated with various producers such as Arthur Baker,

Jacques Lu Cont Stuart David Price (born 9 September 1977) is an English electronic musician, DJ, songwriter, and record producer known for his work with artists including Madonna, Dua Lipa, The Killers, New Order, Kylie Minogue, DMA's, Example, Take That, ...

, Junior Sanchez, Armand Van Helden,

Todd Terry Todd Norton Terry (born April 18, 1967) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer in the genre of house music. Musical career Todd Terry was influential in moving House music beyond the early Chicago house sound of 1984–86. He crosse ...

, and

DJ Mighty Mi The High & Mighty is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rapper Mr. Eon ("The High", b. Erik Meltzer on February 16, 1972) and music producer DJ Mighty Mi ("The Mighty", b. Milo Berger on September 1, 1972). Career Their ...

. This went to number 3 on the UK chart in 2007. In 2008, Kirschner sang on the "Licky" single by long-time associate Larry Tee which was featured in ''

Get Him to the Greek ''Get Him to the Greek'' is a 2010 American comedy film written, produced and directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. Released on June 4, 2010, the film is a spin-off sequel of Stoller's 2008 film '' Forgetting S ...

'' and other movies and TV shows. In 2009, Kirschner was featured on

Grandmaster Flash Joseph Saddler (born January 1, 1958), popularly known by his stage name Grandmaster Flash, is an American DJ and rapper. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Hip Hop DJing, cutting, scratching and mixing. Grandmaster Flash and the ...

's record ''The Bridge'', alongside

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

and

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

. Kirschner produced New York rapper Kalae All Day's debut album, released March 17, 2010. In 2011, Kirschner released "Xmas Swagger" produced by the Rural. Princess Superstar released her sixth studio album, ''The New Evolution'', in 2013. The album was funded by Superstar's fans, using Pledge Music. In 2014, Princess Superstar began her Hip Hop for Kids classes at Rough Trade in Brooklyn. She also released the ''I'm a Firecracker'' EP in July with label Instant Records. That summer she launched the ''I Love Princess Superstar'' reality show on her YouTube channel. She also wrote the song "My Booty Is Efficient" with comedian

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...

. In 2015, she appeared with Margaret Cho on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second ...

''. In 2016, she appeared on '' Inside Amy Schumer'' on Comedy Central. In 2017, she recorded a children's album called ''These Are the Magic Days'' with producers Nacey, Steve Starks, C.Fire and engineered and mastered by Curtis Curtis (released on October 12, 2018). In 2019 She released a B-sides and Rarities record called "Look What I Found" featuring production by Junior Sanchez and Andrew Wyatt (Miike Snow, Lady Gaga.) In 2020 She released the track 2020 with an accompanying video shot in Santa Monica, CA. In 2021, she turned 50 years old and celebrated it by releasing the single and music video "Gettin' Older (Pussy Still Pop!)" with producer C. Fire.

DJ

Kirschner is also a DJ. She has released DJ recordings, such as ''Princess Is a DJ'' in 2002, ''Now Is the Winter of Our Discothèque'' in 2005, and ''American Gigolo III'' on

International DeeJay Gigolo Records International DeeJay Gigolo Records is a German electronic music record label run by techno artist DJ Hell (real name Helmut Geier). The label was founded in Munich in 1996 as an affiliate of label Disko B. It is Germany's most successful electro ...

in 2007.

Discography

Albums

* '' Strictly Platinum'' (1996, 5th Beetle) * ''CEO'' (1997, A Big Rich Major Label) * ''Last of the Great 20th Century Composers'' (2000, Corrupt Conglomerate) * '' Princess Superstar Is'' (2001,

/Rapster) * ''

My Machine ''My Machine'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Princess Superstar. It is produced by herself as well as well-known producers such as house music pioneer Todd Terry, DJ Mighty Mi from the High and Mighty, Jacques Lu Cont, Junior Sanc ...

'' (2005, Studio !K7) * '' The Best of Princess Superstar'' (2007, Studio !K7) * ''The New Evolution'' (2013) * ''These Are the Magic Days'' (2018) – as M.O.M.

EPs

* ''Mitch Better Get My Bunny'' cassette (1994) * ''I'm a Firecracker'' (2014, Instant Records)

Singles

Music videos

* "Smooth" (1996) * "Bad Babysitter" (2002) * "Keith n' Me" (2002) * "Jam for the Ladies" (2003) * "Perfect" (2005) * "Perfect (Exceeder)" (2007) * "Licky" – Herve Radio edit (2008) * "Xmas Swagger" (2011) * "I'm a Firecracker" (2014) * "Motherfuckin' Emojis!" with Margaret Cho (2018) * "Errybody Quarantine" (2020) * "2020" (2020) * "Gettin' Older (Pussy Still Pop!)" (2021) * "The 2 Party System is Broken" (2022)

DJ albums

* ''Princess Is a DJ'' (2002) * ''Now Is the Winter of Our Discothèque'' (2005) * ''Now Is the Winter of Our Discothèque Pt. 2'' (2005) * ''American Gigolo III'' (2007)

Guest appearances

* Interview on Channel V (Australia) with Yumi Stynes

006 Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film '' GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Ale ...

* MTV's "Made" - Made coach. * 1998: Double Dong, "Promises" (''Double Dong'') * 2000: MC Paul Barman, "MTV Get Off the Air, Part 2" (''

It's Very Stimulating ''It's Very Stimulating'' is the debut EP by MC Paul Barman, released in 2000. Critical reception Nathan Rabin of AllMusic gave the EP 3 stars out of 5, saying, "Self-deprecating, whip-smart, and adventurous, Barman is a true hip-hop original, a ...

'') * 2001:

The High & Mighty The High & Mighty is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rapper Mr. Eon ("The High", b. Erik Meltzer on February 16, 1972) and music producer DJ Mighty Mi ("The Mighty", b. Milo Berger on September 1, 1972). Career Their ...

, "The Jump Off" (''Presents Eastern Conference All Stars II'') * 2003:

Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...

, "Jam for the Ladies" remix * 2003:

Disco D David Aaron Shayman (September 21, 1980 – January 23, 2007), better known by his stage name Disco D, was an American record producer and composer. He started as a teenage DJ in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he helped DJ Godfather popularize the ...

, "Fuck Me on the Dancefloor" * 2003: Arthur Agent, "Return To NY" * 2003: Gonzales, "Soft Shoe Snoozin" (''Z'') * 2004:

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional ...

, "Memphis Bells" (''

Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned ''Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned'' is the fourth studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy. It was first released on 11 August 2004 in Japan, on 23 August 2004 in the United Kingdom by XL Recordings, and on 15 September 200 ...

'') * 2004: Munk, "Mein Schatzi" (''Aperitivo'') * 2005:

, "Unholy Matrimony" (''12th Man'') * 2005: XLOVER, "Darling Nikki" (''Pleasure & Romance'') * 2006: Lotterboys, "Iron Man" (''Animalia'') * 2006: Dr Octagon, "Eat It" ('' The Return of Dr. Octagon'') * 2006: DJs Are Not Rockstars, "European Accent" * 2006: DJs Are Not Rockstars, "V.I.P." * 2006:

Arling & Cameron Arling & Cameron (sometimes 'A&C') are a Dutch electronic music duo, composed of Gerry Arling and Richard Cameron. Their early music draws from French pop, spy movie themes, lounge, '70s light rock, Japanese Shibuya-kei and other music genres ...

, "Computer" (''Hi-Fi Underground'') * 2006: Diskokaines, "Lick The Alphabet" * 2006: Diskokaines, "Rock-A-Boogie" * 2006: LBL, "Goes Busters" * 2006: Larry Tee, "Licky" * 2006: One Fingered Pocket, "Pussy (Greenskeepers Remix)" * 2006:

DJ Yoda Duncan Beiny (born 1977 in London, England), better known as DJ Yoda, is a hip hop turntablist who uses samples to create an animated musical style. He is known for several awards and media industry achievements. Early life and career Af ...

, "Let's Get Old" ('' The Amazing Adventures of DJ Yoda'') * 2006: Agoria, "Lips On Fire" (''The Green Armchair'') * 2006: Fetisch, "Dayglo" * 2007: The Glimmers, "Wanna Make Out" * 2007:

Shinichi Osawa , also known by his stage name Mondo Grosso, is a Japanese musician, DJ, record producer and composer currently signed onto Avex Trax's Rhythm Zone label. Previously he was signed to Sony Music Japan's FEARLESS RECORDS division and released alb ...

, "Detonator" (''The One'') * 2009: Sharam Jey & LouLou Players, "Monday Morning" * 2009:

, "Those Chix" (''The Bridge (Concept Of A Culture)'') * 2009: Alexander Technique, "Rock U" * 2011: George Monev, "Blowdryer" * 2011: Zoo Brazil, "Do You Wanna Funk" * 2015:

, "Reanimated" and "80s" (''Good Times'') * 2015: Margaret Cho "My Booty is Efficient" * 2016: Amy Schumer "Amy's Girl Band"

References

External links

*
"I Love Princess Superstar" Reality Show

Interview with Princess Superstar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Princess Superstar 1971 births Living people American electronic musicians American women rappers American women singer-songwriters American house musicians American people of Italian descent American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent East Coast hip hop musicians American hip hop DJs American hip hop singers Electronic dance music DJs Jewish American musicians Jewish rappers Jewish singers Mensans People from East Harlem Rappers from Manhattan Rappers from Philadelphia Underground rappers Germantown Academy alumni American women in electronic music Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century American Jews Singer-songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century women rappers