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For decades, the official “Women in Hip-Hop” conversation focused on the rarity of female MCs with record deals. As the story goes, (straight) men didn't want to hear women rap. at best, they wanted to crush them.
The added cost of their makeup and hair was a popular police officer. And despite the brave displays of unity, such as “Not Tonight” by Lil' Kim video, the industry insisted there was only room for one queen at a time.
But in the last four years or so, the emergence of a post-Nicki Minaj has risen in the bumper “Rap Girls” has changed the conversation. This class of young, fun, profane and beautiful MCs includes Brooklyn's Lola Brookeof Atlanta LattoMemphis' GloRilla and Hackensack, New Jersey's, Coi Leray.
The aesthetic fairy godmothers are them Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown and Trina. Theirs best sale Big sister Nicki Minaj showed them how to combine raw sex and pop sensibility undeniable lyricism. Dear cousins Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion he taught them the value of brotherhood.
As a Gen Xer who is almost as old as the maybe-official date of birth of Hip-Hop, I'm glad to see so many female rappers becoming stars. But I'm also conflicted about what they're selling.
I'm all for girls to take the bag, but I worry about the materialism that sometimes means self-esteem. I dig p*ssy-power anthems like “WAP”, but I do so under his spectrum stereotypes of white supremacy of black sexuality. I'm interested in the queering of Hip-Hop by artists like Young MAbut i'm sick of anonymous women using visuals to compete with men.
So far, I'm not that aunt who once put it down “My neck, my back” but now she blames Sexyy Red for everything wrong with the culture. But I refuse to fake it misogynoir in Hip-Hop it doesn't matter anymore.
If she didn't, Megan Thee Stallion wouldn't have lasted years low blows and harassment because he was shot by a bald Canadian sadist. Oprah Winfrey would not have withdrawn her endorsement Unofficially, the HBO documentary about some of the women Russell Simmons allegedly raped. Serial abuser Dr. Dre he would not have a new one Global Impact Grammy to his name. And people would be no more bothered by the idea of Sean Combs having sex with men than he is by allegedly raping, trafficking and beating women.
Despite Hip-Hop's persistent misogyny—and American culture in general—more female rappers have been able to break through thanks in part to visual platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
“We're living in a time, a time, a moment where, I don't think we've had that many female rappers that have been successful at the same time,” she said. Ebro Darden Rap Life Review last March. “I don't know if there's ever been that many, and I think that's amazing.”
Sexually explicit lyrics were acceptable for decades, but girlishness was taboo. That's why it was so bad for Lil' Kim to hop on Mobb Deep's “Quiet Storm” remix and accuse her rival, Foxy Brown, of “i'm in the game for some modeling shit.” Nowadays, being model-pretty, ultra-feminine and thin-waisted is almost a prerequisite for making a hit song.
To keep up with the current crop, I watch video mixes curated by a DJ in Chicago named 3 Snapz. From 2021, she Queens The series has served as the epitome of bad-b*tch rap from all over the country. For example, the 2024 edition features mainstays like Meg and Cardi, pop stars like Doja Cat and Ice Spice, and an exciting lineup of Big Apple awesomeness — Scarlip, Armani Caesarand Connie Diamond with Remy Ma
But with few exceptions, viz Flyana Boss and the UK Cristale and Teezandosgraphics are drawn from a finite set of clichés: Tthe girls are banging a*s in the strip! They're hanging out in the parking lot with their friends! They are hanging from the windows of luxury cars in bikinis! They start with leather, fur and underwear!
The irony of this NC-17-to-XXX fever dreamscape is that most of these women are decent rappers. They may not have the gravity of a Ms. Lauryn Hill or the lyrical prowess of Nicki Minaj, but they know how to ride a beat, say their shit, and make solid records. And they don't do it to prove anything to men. They compete with each other. Latto illustrates this ethos in “Sunday service.”
“These bitches are spoiled, once the monkey see, then you know the monkey do/ Are you rapping or tweeting?
In the video, he punctuates the line with a “Get in the booth b*tch” t-shirt.
What is certain is that they always existed female MCs whose beauty, sensitivity and sexuality are just as important as their music. (Think Salt-N-Pepa, Eve and Trina.) But like Rhapsody She pointed out in her excellent Tiny Desk concert, there used to be more variety among the top acts.
“I'm trying to do something different because nowadays you see a certain image of us [as] lustful. Everything is real sexual,” the self-proclaimed “girl next door” he said. “Like I grew up on Lauryn Hill, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, Jean Grae. all of them were different. They had different styles and showed you all sides of what is sexy and beautiful as a woman.”
In a 2022 episode of Caresha please — an artifact of face-card Hip-Hop culture — Saweetie illustrated the limitations of beauty as a brand.
“I feel like I blew up really quickly, to the point where I was being booked for shows, for campaigns, for brands, and no one really cared about me going into the studio,” the Bay Area native said. “My love of music was put on the back burner.”
In an industry where it can be easier for artists To make more money doing brand collaborations, hair care lines and beauty commercials than selling music, Saweetie's commitment to getting into the studio is significant. Rappers love her shoulder attitude pioneers such as MC Sha-Rock;friendly rivals like Roxanne Shante and Sparky D., and the glamor girls of the late-'80s like it Oaktown's 3.5.7 and JJ Fad. And then there are the more obvious lineages: La Chat and the late great Gangsta Boo begat GloRilla, Latto and JT. Missy Elliott gave birth Tierra Whack, Leikeli47 and Flyana Boss. Ms. Lauryn Hill created a strip for Akua Naru, Sa Rock and Mumu Fresh. Queen Latifah and MC Lyte wrote the plan for Rhapsody, without a name, Chika and Flau'Jae.
Superstar Megan Thee Stallion continues to expand what it means for a female rapper to be the total package. Yes, she's known for her body, twerk proficiency and raucous lyrics. But she also fought to get out of an exploitative one 360 recordsconnecting a “groundbreaking” deal with Universal Records that will allow her to own her masters and releases while benefiting from the label's distribution system.
And while so many of today's female rap stars pride themselves on being pretty in the face, I love how down to earth they are. Like Brooklyn's Lady London purrs on Ciara's 'Da Girls' remix:
“This is for the girls on the grind/This is for the girl that's gonna work full time./ This is for the self-made girls, yeah, the self-paid girls/ You better never let them change your mind. / Girls who fly, girls who thrive, Living dreams that money just can't buy.”
Akiba Solomon is a NABJ award-winning writer and editor from West Philadelphia. The Howard University graduate has written about Hip-Hop culture and politics for The Source, XXL, Vibe, Vibe Vixen, Essence and Colorlines. Solomon is the co-author of two books: “Naked: Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Parts” and “How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance.”
