COVER – Free

106 & Park's Free dumps the whispering and delivers a sexually charged interview guaranteed to make noise

Don't be timid, she knows you're watching. Rather, it knows you're watching. "I have my own joke about how [my butt] walks behind me,” says 106 & Park's Free (née Marie Wright). Her frankness causes an awkward silence. Then she brings the noise: "It's its own person and needs its own time. I respect what God gave me. I love it.” n Birthday-suit blessings acknowledged, the Almighty also gave the 30-something Roxbury, Massachusetts, native the ability to dazzle in ciphers, a gift that has yet to be packaged for mass consumption. (Initially signed by Sylvia Rhone to Elektra, Free left the company.) But with an untitled album in the can and a saucy 16 on Ying Yang Twins' "Wait (The Whisper Song)” remix, Free may soon be plopping her softer-than-a-baby's-ass backside on the countdown's couch as a guest.