The story is familiar.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow made a name for themselves during the Great Depression, leading their gang on a string of bank robberies. The Public Enemy Era, in which the FBI hunted these 1930s fugitives, was good for Bonnie and Clyde’s notoriety – that is, until their untimely demise in 1934, when the two were gunned down in Louisiana.

Using Bonnie’s name, New York native Marne Bruckner is expanding on this strong female image by introducing it to the hip-hop realm.

Already known for her skills as a poet and spoken word artist, 19-year-old Bruckner is the first female First Wave scholarship recipient to release a mixtape consisting solely of rap. Bruckner’s writing and songs deal not only with her bi-racial identification as white and Dominican but also her experiences as an inner city child.

In a recent interview with The Badger Herald, Bruckner sat down to talk about her evolution as an artist, culminating in her latest project, a mixtape entitled Toy Guns.

Originally known as Flaka Flow, Bruckner began the process of finding a new emcee name as Waka Flocka Flame’s popularity grew, causing confusion between the two. Bruckner was ultimately seduced by Parker’s sexuality and notoriety, finding herself similar to this long-deceased woman.

“Bonnie on the surface sounds like this plain Jane name, but there are many layers. It’s not just the image of my whiteness that I’m acknowledging,” Bruckner said. “[The name] comes with all these stories of shit I’ve been through, relating back to this notorious Bonnie, the one who really made Bonnie and Clyde what they were. All these things interconnect and interweave to create my character, the other side [of myself] people don’t necessarily know.”

Coming from adversity similar to this notorious duo, Bruckner began artistic processes from an early age, writing poetry at eight, performing spoken word at 15 and creating a one-woman show at 17. While she did not consider rapping professionally until the summer before coming to the University of Wisconsin, one of Bruckner’s earliest memories of rapping, or flowing, is from middle school.

“Growing up in New York City, it’s like you go outside on the block and dudes are rapping. That’s the dream that’s sold. They want to be rappers even when they know they’re not going to be famous. … It’s just something you do to pass the time. In middle school, I remember we used to do freestyle battles, and I used to be the only girl with her little flows,” Bruckner said.

While discussing her own personal brand of music, Bruckner stayed away from any one genre, as her music crosses several boundaries. Incorporating aspects of both industry and underground rap with conscious writing, Bruckner can be described as a mixture of Common and Lupe Fiasco.

While trying to avoid labels for her music at this stage in her “femcee” evolution, Bruckner delved into her own description of hip-hop and its culture.

“For those unfamiliar with hip hop, I would say it’s music that not only explores sampling, rhyme and rhythm [but] also is vulnerable and very into storytelling. [Hip hop] comes from a diaspora with roots going back to Africa and its drums, [incorporating] the many different groups that came to New York City,” said Bruckner.

As such, Toy Guns is not just the debut album of a bi-racial white female rapper but also an example of hip-hop’s continued growth, as Bruckner merges rap and spoken word. The record is split into three sections, each of which is introduced by a poem written and performed by Bruckner.

A tremendous addition to the hip-hop community on campus, Toy Guns has the ability to be relatable to many while also opening unfamiliar eyes to the other side of urban life.

“I feel like [Toy Guns] is first and foremost for females. Second, it’s for those who have been through struggles. And third, it’s for those who identify with the hip hop culture … not to say that other people can’t listen to my music. Just in terms of relating to [my music], I feel like you have to have a basis for those three things to explore it fully,” she said.

Toy Guns is available for free download at bonnieb.bandcamp.com. Bonnie will also be performing tonight at der Rathskeller at “Rough, Rugged & Raw!” and Friday at “Just Bust” at 9 p.m. in the On Wisconsin room of the Red Gym.