In the early days of hip-hop, female rappers were essential to the sound of the music. The wordplay reflected violent, dark, romantic and loving experiences. It’s easy to see the hip-hop world as a men’s club, but the females also shaped it with their independent voices coming into a male-dominated industry.
In today’s music world, female rappers are dominating the charts. It has become almost like a phenomenon because so many female rappers are becoming mainstream and reaching new heights.
The mid to late ’90s is when the evolution of rap began. Queen Latifah was one of the earliest female rappers in hip-hop. She made a name for herself by rapping about the lives of Black women.
Her lyrics were positive which was a change from the violent lyrics of the past. Songs like UNITY and Ladies First told stories about domestic violence and harassment making the New Jersey rapper a voice of change.
Lil Kim has remained one of the most gifted rappers of all time. Kim changed the rap game with her masculine swagger, video vixen style, and lyrics about dominating over males.
She took many by surprise because she was one of the first female rappers to empower herself while dressing feminine and rapped about fooling the male population. Along with Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Lauryn Hill and Salt-N-Pepper also made a name for themselves in the hip-hop industry during the 90s.
Fast forward to the 2000s, where the birth of a new wave of female rappers began. The rapper that started modern hip-hop was Nicki Minaj. The list of accomplishments is endless, the most awarded female rapper, the highest Billboard 100 amongst any female, and the most top 10 hits among women on the R&B Charts. After releasing her third mixed tap, “Beam Me Up Scotty”, her career took off.
Shortly after her third mixtape debuted she signed with Cash Money Label and became Lil Wayne’s protegee. Her lyrics proved that she could go toe to toe with her male competitors. Minaj’s career has cemented her as one of the top modern female rappers that changed the new wave of hip-hop.
One of the most promising young rappers at N.C. A & T had a lot to say about supporting female rappers. Chris Warren, a sophomore business major, known by his stage name “Cinco Millionz” expressed his support of female rappers.
“It is dope having so many females in the game. Rappers like Megan the Stallion and Cardi B have the kind of songs that you can play at the club and turn up to.”
Warren has plenty of experience as a rapper. He currently has two popular singles “Shake That A**” and “Best Friends.” When asked why he feels so strongly about female rappers, he said, “I personally know how it feels to work hard in the studio to make a good song. I’m never afraid to support any artist that I know is good. The females from the ’90s were also great rappers. They were running circles around the male rappers back in the day.”
When Rap is being discussed, the focus is mainly on the achievements of men. Women have accomplished just as much as men, therefore they should receive the same amount of praise and acknowledgment.
