As the final three girls entered the homestretch of the competition, the air was a little bit lighter. With Chiba gone and no one left to hate in the house, the girls enjoyed their last few days together while gearing up for the final two rounds. The first challenge to determine the two finalists would be was a gritty no-holds-barred freestyle battle. Legendary battle emcee Roxanne Shante stopped by to school the girls on technique. As the girls spit venom back and forth, the crowd filled with “ooooh!” at each punch line. But in the end there could only be two finalists. While all three girls managed to hold their own, it was Ms. Cherry who didn’t take it to that next level and was eliminated.

After receiving well-noted tips from super-producer and artist Will.I.Am, the girls started the final challenge for the $100,000: a live performance in front of a crowd and guest judges Missy Elliott and President of Violator Management, Mona Scott. Both women gave their best performances of the competition and it wouldn’t be an easy decision: Byata had more crowd interaction while Reece’s hook was catchier. However, it was the secnd generation femcee, Reece Steele, who would come out on top.

HipHopDX finally caught up with the three finalists to reminisce about the lat days of the show, Byata’s version of her epic beef with Chiba, regretful moments, and turning a reality show into a realization of dreams.

HipHopDX: What made you wanna pick up a mic?
Reece Steele: The first time I ever spit around anybody I was in high school. The response from people made me realize I wanted to do this.
Byata: When I heard Lauryn Hill. My friend was like, “You need to listen to this chick,” when I was 15 or 16…and I listened and was like, “Oh shit!”…she opened up my ears.
Miss Cherry: Actually I started out singing. I had never had any lessons or anything. But people around me really thought I was good. Plus, I wrote poetry. And the poems I wrote were about real stuff and people would say, “That sounds just like a rap!” so then I just started rapping. When I would talk to record labels I would tell them I was a rapper and they would tell me to only sing; don’t try to be a rapper. But one day I slid in a rap in one of my songs…then they were like, “You should rap, don’t sing!” [Laughs]

DX: Do you think having a background in poetry hurt you in the Miss Rap Supreme competition? Because one of the criticisms Serch and Yo Yo had was that your rhymes sounded too much like spoken word at times.
MC: I think it’s a difference of opinion. They don’t know where I’m from, so they don’t understand the music. But I think in the end they respected me and my style more.

DX: What sounds inspired you growing up?
RS: MC Lyte [click to read], Queen Latifah, my mother [L.A. Star] , Jay-Z [click to read], Biggie, [Lil] Kim, Foxy [Brown]…R&B singers too like R. Kelly and Mary J Blige.
B: When I had just started out it was Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Beatles…then once I got more exposed to Hip Hop, it was Biggie and Lauryn Hill.
MC: Yea, Lauryn, she was such an inspiration. She held such a big spot in the game; there was nobody doin’ what she did. I think a lot of girls look up to her. Also, I liked Left Eye; she sang and rapped too—plus she was from Atlanta. Andre 3000 [click to read] has always been a favorite, T.I. [click to read], and Goodie Mob.

DX: Reece, Your mom-- who was also an emcee--had mixed feelings about you entering this competition. Why is she so weary of the industry?
RS: She loved Hip Hop as much as I do right now and it didn’t work out for her. She just doesn’t want me to be disappointed like she was. But you can’t just sit and be scared; you gotta take that chance. I love Hip Hop so I’ma take that chance.

DX: Now that you’ve won has her view changed at all?
RS: Yeah, she’s a little more excited now. She’s still a lil' scary about the business aspect. She tells me not to sign papers right away and all that…

DX: Would you ever consider doing a track with your mom? Y'all could be like Nas and his dad! [Laughs]
RS: [Laughs] I wouldn’t mind; I doubt she would do it though. Its weird, Hip Hop isn’t a part of her life at all anymore. She doesn’t even listen to it. She separated herself from L.A Star.

DX: Be honest Reece, within the competition who did you think was your biggest threat?
RS: I always thought it was Ms. Cherry. I thought Byata was a dope artist, but I thought Cherry was more lyrical—plus she sings.

DX: When we spoke with Chiba a few weeks ago she said you were one of the main reasons her friendship with Byata fell apart. How do you respond to that?
RS: I don’t know. I didn’t run behind anyone trying to steal friends. I didn’t have anything to do with that. She felt like I took her friend….but she’s a grown woman….i don’t know.
B: My friendship was ruined with Chiba [click to read] because she was jealous. She tried to school me and tell me I was a bad leader for our group… I’m like, “How could I be a bad leader if we won?” I just started paying close attention to her. She did a lot of things that TV didn’t air but I don’t wanna get into all that…

DX: She also accused you of spittin’ pre-written rhymes too even though that’s something you called her out on…
B: When we were in the house spittin’ on our own time or someone like Ghostface [Killah] [click to read] would ask us to spit; of course we spit pre-written rhymes…but when we were asked to spit a fresh rhyme [we did]. Chiba didn’t elevate and spit fresh rhymes. That was the problem. I don’t know what she was talkin’ about…she’s just a hater to be honest.

DX: Have you spoken to her at all since the show?
B: I haven’t spoken to her once. I’m not against it; I don’t hold grudges. But I don’t need her, I don’t wanna do any music with her….If she wants to reach out and say hey or whatever, then that’s cool but I’m not trying to reach out to her.

DX: We spoke with MC Serch recently and he said that women in Hip Hop have a hard time than even white men…do you agree?
MC: At the end of the day it’s a male dominated industry, not a black male dominated industry, so I definitely agree with that. We still trying to cross barriers even without being a rapper! [Laughs]
B: Women are getting into trouble and not working well together and it makes it look like we can’t handle the job. But that will change. [Miss Rap Supreme] proved that women can flow and they can be sexy and stylish and cute.

DX: Being a white female do you feel as if you have two strikes against you?
B: No, I actually feel like it’s an advantage. Anyone can be a white female that thinks she can rap, but I actually can. People look at me funny, but then when "the white girl" spits they like, “Oh shit! She can actually rap!”

DX: They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. But is there anything you regret doing or saying on the show?
RS: I don’t regret anything. That was me. I don’t like drama but if you cross me, I will get at you. That’s what it is. I rap and that’s what it is.
MC: In the first episode I wouldn’t have [gotten into an argument with Khia] [click to read]. For her age—for her to be 15 years older than me--she’s very immature. And I’m mad I let myself go there with her. Because afterwards, I realized it was all for show. It was all for the cameras. I kept tellin' her “Say it to me when you see me in The A.” I saw her [after the show] in The A and she had nothin’ to say to me.
B: I never hold any regrets…the only thing I would change is that I wouldn’t have allowed Chiba to get under my skin.

DX: Why did she get under your skin? You almost quit a $100,000 competition because of her!
B: Like I said, the TV doesn’t show a lot of stuff. For me, it was wack. She ratted on me to the producers about me smoking weed on the show—I had found some weed in my bag, and whatever, I rolled a lil' spliff and was smoking it and she went to the producers. Then, she found out that I knew one of the producers from the show and she started telling all of the girls “Byata’s gonna win 'cause she’s cool with one of the producers and she knows everyone on the show”…she was playin’ like she was my friend but behind my back telling the rest of the girls that they should all form an alliance against me and not fuck wit’ me because I was a “spy” for the producers! That wasn’t cool. I’m a Buddhist. So it was wack knowing that I come from a positive place yet I let her turn me into something I don’t wanna be. But that’s what the devil does.

DX: Cherry, in the second-to-last competition you couldn’t participate in the shooting range challenge because you were on probation. Inquiring minds wanna know what happened?
MC: I’m still on probation now…it was a pending case from years ago and I was out on bond…I got charged with three aggravated assaults with a deadly weapon—felonies. So when you have a felony charge you’re not supposed to be around guns…especially considering the fact that the charges involved a pistol.

DX: Damn…well after you were eliminated in the battle rap challenge you said you were surprised to be leaving instead of Byata. With no disrespect of course, what did you feel that you brought to the table that Byata didn’t?
C: A real battle rhyme. They said go all in and don’t pay attention to being friends-- and I felt like I did that.

DX: So what’s next for you ladies?
MC: My new album I’m working on is called Urban Beauty. Everyone saw me with my “A” hats on the show so I’m trying to get connected with New Era to come out with my own line of female-style hats. I’m open to whatever right now.
B: I Just built a studio in my apartment, so I’m making my songs, trying to get them mixed and mastered and working on distribution for my album. I haven’t spoken with Will.I.Am [click to read] yet but I’m trying to make that happen. I’m sure he’d love to do something with me. Hopefully, we can do at least a song or two. I have an independent movie coming out called The Rothstein Diamond. I have the leading role, and it’s going to be submitted into The Sundance Film Festival for 2009. I also have a jewelry company; I wore some of my pieces on the show.

DX: Reece, now that you’ve been crowned, what have you been up to? What are your plans for the $100,000 you just won?
RS: I’m trying not to spend it. I wanna stash it—I don’t wanna start poppin’ bottles, because $100,000 isn’t that much really. I think I wanna maybe get a little studio set up for myself—that would be the best bet. My next move is to put out a single this summer; it’s called “Cash Spendin’”, and I’m also trying to work out a mixtape deal with Koch.