Like many artists who "tell it like it is," Philadelphia rapper/singer/dancer Amanda Blank doesn't shy away from singing about personal matters, especially her sexuality. And she's not embarrassed or sorry if she offends. "Yeah, I'm having sex, it's an incredibly important part of my life," Blank tells Spinner. "I'm 26 years old, I've been rapping since I was 20 or 21 -- what else is on my brain?"

Blank's forthright attitude and honesty can be heard throughout her debut full-length, 'I Love You,' to be released July 21 on Downtown Records. She recorded the album with M.I.A.'s producers, Diplo and Switch, and had help from various guest stars like Santigold, a close and personal friend.

According to Blank, her creative process is just as interesting as her provocative lyrics. "I have to be alone, by myself," she said. "I have this tiny little room, like a closet, that I record myself in. When I started doing it, it was very lo-fi, on 4-track, but I got it all set up now." She also says that when Switch saw the room he helped her fix it up with modern recording equipment. "He hooked it up," she said, laughing.

Thanks in part to being raised by a single mom -- though she says her dad is "dope" -- along with three older sisters, Blank takes being a female in the music world very seriously. "It's important to me to be strong in who you are as a woman," she says. "My mom was a total hippie, our bodies, our selves you know," she said, adding, "I don't need a man to take care of me!" We certainly believe that.