This list is by NO MEANS:
exhaustive, complete, ranked, compiled by the artist's best song, for educative purposes, overwhelmingly informative
I recognize that the sounds of Black women, as well as many women of color, are incredibly varied in rap but their contributions often don't get proper exposure. I want to make sure I listen to more of these stories. Any of my writing related to female rappers is -at least on a subconscious level- inspired by the work of Tricia Rose, specifically from Black Noise, her seminal research on rap music which you can buy here
Sasha Go Hard
Megan Thee Stallion
Angel Haze
Rah Digga
Tanya “Sweet Tee” Winley (ft. Paulette Winley)
Queen Pen
Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez
Day 22: June 22, 2019
Missy Elliott
“The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”
Dude, come on. Another level. Beyond "rapper." It's why she's about to be inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (although fuck the SHOF for real). I could put any song on here and it wouldn't matter. But nothing can really quite mimic the impact of this song and video when it first came out. The first few seconds of wind moving into the beat drop and the "me? i'm supa fly"s....the garbage bag outfit. If Jesus was a rapper I think this would be it.
Day 21: June 21, 2019
Queen Latifah
“U.N.I.T.Y”
Not the biggest Queen Latifah fan in terms of rap I hate to say that. But she is too important to rap to not include- and this song is a banger.
Day 20: June 20, 2019
City Girls
“Where the Bag At”
I am so into the idea that this generation is going to provide much easier access for female rappers to enter the market. I think most people first heard the rap duo City Girls on Drake's infectious single "In My Feelings." City Girls represent the intersection of the beautiful, multi-faceted characters the female rapper can play. What draws me to City Girls- even though I'm super new to their music- is that they literally give ZERO apologies for who they are, and I am here for it.
Day 19: June 19, 2019
Salt N' Pepa
“Shoop”
Unadulterated, unparalleled charisma. Record-breaking. Arguably, their success, according to Rose, changed the trajectory of women in rap: "It is difficult to ignore the massive increase in record deals for women rappers following Salt 'N' Pepa's double platinum (2 million) 1986 debut album Hot, Cool and Vicious. Such volume album sales, even for a rap album by a male artist, were virtually unprecedented in 1986. Since then, several female rappers, many of whom have been rapping for years...have finally been recorded and promoted" (154).
Day 18: June 18, 2019
MC Lyte
“Cold Rock a Party Remix”
"Cold Rock" is hands down my favorite Lyte song. THE BEAT IS SO FUN. Since its the remix in particular that gives me those hip hop goosebumps, which is actually a completely different beat (produced by Bad Boy's own Sean Jean aka Puff Daddy aka Diddy complete with his off-key yet confident background putterings) than the original AND has fellow female MC Missy Misdemeanor Elliott's famous cooings and guest verse, I had to put this version on. I'm not actually a huge fan of MC Lyte's style or sound, it's a little too...shit I don't WANT to say "traditional" but- underwhelming for me. However, you can't deny the plethora of contributions she has made to rap's cultural production as well as to feminist hip hop theory and it's why she's still constantly mentioned in said research and literature. She is credited as "becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album," so yeah, she's kind of a big deal.
Day 17: June 17, 2019
Cardi B
“Get Up 10”
You can't blame Cardi B for being one of the most exciting and compelling artists and rappers to come out of the 21st century. Bodak Yellow slayed the world, she is creating her own sound with each new release, she's smart AF and trained in the arts, and you know my single mom ass loves all her shout outs to motherhood that she peppers in her raps. More hype than the hype man.
Day 16: June 16, 2019
Bytches with Problems
“Cotex”
I found BWP through random searching for new music a few years ago. Thank god I did. I don't know how they haven't been co-opted yet by hip hop intellectuals. Some bitch needs to write a thesis on them. BWP seemed to have gained the most notoriety for their song and video "Two Minute Brother" which brought up the comparison to the male rap group 2 Live Crew, which, at the time, was embroiled in a controversy over their over highly sexually explicit lyrics and imagery. But BWP is so much more than a "female version" of 2 Live Crew. Check out this amazing segment from the Phil Donahue show, in which BWP explain how patriarchal society tries to diminish any form of agressiveness in women by using words like 'bitch' or employing tropes like women being on their period, which BWP then reclaims powerfully and independently in their raps.
Day 15: June 15, 2019
Lil Kim
“Crush on You ”
How do you write about the heavyweights of rap? You don't. This video created aesthetics.
Day 14: June 14, 2019
Lauryn Hill
“Doo Wop (That Thing)”
I was asked by the aforementioned Trina fan if Lauryn Hill should be included on the list since she isn't strictly rap, and in fact sings perhaps more than she raps on her solo album. But rap has never existed inside a vacuum and will always sway into soul and blues and other sounds authentically. Plus, even with just one rap song she changed the entire industry and today exists as a sort of mythical. She's one of the greatest rappers of all time, so she's going on the list. I first met Ms. Hill in one of my all time FAVORITE movies Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit in which both her voice and aggressive aloofness are somehow perfectly captured in her character. But of course, The Fugees gave us Lauryn the rapper, which was then solidified by the Miseducation. I'll never forget reading the review of that album when it came out in my mom's copy of Entertainment Weekly. It was 1998 and the world FREAKED OUT. Everyone and their mother was blasting "Doo Wop" and as a 12-year-old pudgy middle schooler I was about to experience a huge lifetime of ups and downs related to femininity, my body, and self-esteem and was already constantly exposed to a media that glorified an image of womanhood I would never obtain. I still remember seeing in print this line highlighted: "Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem." Subsequently, I still feel empowered by that line, and now having a daughter of my own I relate on an even deeper level; "It's silly when girls sell they souls because it's in." That's the line now. I have to teach my daughter as she navigates growing up as a multi-racial young girl that she doesn't have to waver from her authentic self because of pressure from societal expectations.
Day 13: June 13, 2019
Remy Ma
"Conceited”
So it turns out I really needed to do more research on the co-ed hip hop collectives. It turns out a lot of female MCs started out as members of famous groups or squads which propelled them into solo careers. For her part, Remy Ma came up in Fat Joe's Terror Squad and again the group's signature production sound is reflected in her first album. The exposure I have to Remy is mostly obsessing over her and Papoose's marriage on Love and Hip Hop and when she hopped on a random Mariah Carey single in the middle of her short-lived Nicki Minaj feud. Remy Ma is totally different than any other rapper I've heard, with a lyrical steadiness that mirrors her strength and grace shown in her real life.
Day 12: June 12, 2019
Mia X
“Yo Boyz”
I'm gonna have to segue right into Mia X because, like Gangsta Boo, Mia X is another southern female MC that was a part of a major rap group. Remember when I asked that earlier? Mouth foot etc. Mia X was the only female rapper signed to Master P's No Limit. Which-iconic. She's been a secret icon lurking amongst us.
Day 11: June 11, 2019
Gangsta Boo
“Kill Kill Kill, Murder Murder Murder”
Day Ten: June 10, 2019
Amil
"I Hate My Baby Daddy"
No, I had never heard of this song before this piece either. But I did know Amil, and you do too. She raps on one of the greatest and well-known songs of all time, "Can I Get A (Fuck You)" a call and response anthem. I also happen to know Amil because she was featured on an obscure Mariah Carey remix produced by Stevie J, which also featured another female MC named Mocha. Amil's syrupy voice could rap on top of any (pre)trap beat and psych you up for battle.
Day Nine: June 9, 2019
Nicki Minaj
"Chun Li"
I thought this song was really good but immediately thought there were some massive cultural appropriation and racist lines with the chopsticks, etc. I've been revisiting this because I wonder about the intersectionality of gender and race in her dialogue in the song and visuals; you can read some good articles about it here and here. This era felt more important as it highlights the media-orchestrated feud between Nicki and Cardi, which overshadowed Queen. I mean, they ultimately both fed into it, and I'll admit I didn't actually get into Queen. But too ever doubt that Minaj is one of the greatest rappers is idiotic. And she and Cardi B sound nothing alike. At the end of the day, beef is fundamental to rap culture and "feuds can..bring out the best in each rapper, lyrically- (because) no rapper wants to have a bad diss track," according to Kyle Hodge of Highsnobiety. It should e interesting to see what Minaj puts out next.
Day Eight: June 8, 2019
Diamond & Princess, formally of Crime Mob
"Circles"
Question: How many co-ed rap groups exist in pop culture? Answer: Crime Mob. I mean, I bet there are others, but Diamond and Princess plus their four male cohorts created a unique collective now indelibly frozen in hip hop hERstory. Both women display hypnotic cadences which verses that punctuate the other members-the point where the audience anticipates their arrival. Being from Atlanta I would really like to hang out with them. Can someone send this to them actually? I don't want to focus on how ~amazing~ it is that two women can work together in a traditionally male-dominated field, but it IS more than exciting to hear two dope female MCs on track after track. I saw them perform "Knuck if You Buck" at a Jay-Z concert in Atlanta yeeaaarrs ago and let me tell you -YES. It was just as mind-blowing as you would think.
Day Seven: June 7, 2019
Trina
"Da Baddest Bitch"
As soon as I told my friend Katherine aka KK Holiday about this, she said "Are you doing Trina? The Baddest Bitch?" Yeah, I'm doing Trina.
Day Six: June 6, 2019
Lady B
"To the Beat Y'all"
I pulled out The Anthology of Rap today to see what female rappers might be trapped inside the pages I truthfully had barely pursued. Lady B was the first to come up. Turns out To the Beat Y'all is one of the first rap songs ever recorded. Oh, and she invented the phrase, "To the beat y'all." I don't really think I need to say anthing else.
Day Five: June 5, 2019
Roxanne Shante
"Roxanne's Revenge"
Oh wow, how can you write just a blurb on this one; this is one of the most important rap songs of all time. "Roxanne's Revenge" is one the first response records/diss tracks and it happened to come from a 14-year-old living in Queensbridge, responding on behalf of Marley Mar and associates in a 7-MINUTE FREESTYLE. The group U.T.F.O has bailed on a performance and Marley's crew was pissed, so they took Shante up on her offer to respond to U.T.F.O's recently song disparaging a fictitious woman named "Roxanne" Though the track was eventually edited and reproduced it caused not only a response from U.T.F.O, (which was then followed by more diss tracks by Shante), but dozens of other groups responded to "Roxanne's Revenge". To this day Roxanne Shante is largely to thank for creating the platform of rap wars and diss tracks as part of rap culture. According to Berlant as discussed in Rose's 1994 book Black Noise, the immense vastness and attempts to humiliate Shante was due to the song being minimized to a "female complaint" (162). This process occurs when a "direct and legitimate criticism is reduced to 'bitching' or complaining as way of containing dissent" (162). However, Rose argues that despite "Roxanne's Revenge" and its' inevitable existence within what Berlant calls "'the patriarchal public sphere'" (162) where "the female complaint is devalued (and) marginalized" (162), Shante's song was not "ineffective in this sphere" (162). Instead, Rose counters that the song "did not go unnoticed, because it was a compelling voice in the public domain that captured the attention of male and female hip hop fans" (163).
Day Four: June 4, 2019
Khia
"My Neck, My Back"
I'm sorrrry I hate to be the one to say it, but: this song is super political. Just recently DJ Khaled, one of the most boneheaded but marginally likable men in hip hop, came under controversy for remarking that he didn't perform oral sex on women but expected them to do so. The perception of a guy rapping about oral sex versus a female rapper making a song about it is met with celebrating one's bravado while acting hysterically shocked when another does the same. I'll give two guessed as to which artist falls where within the social discourse. Also, this song pops, still. You killed it Khia.
Day Three: June 3, 2019
Da Brat
"Funkdafied"
OK, do to time constraints I'll keep this short. Da Brat is one of the more well-known rappers I'm pretty unfamiliar with, aside from her work with Mariah Carey aka my personal Jesus. Plus she's BFF with Atlanta's hometown hip hop hero and So So Def founder Jermaine Dupri so I'm not sure what never clicked with me. This is supposed to be one of her biggest hits, but strip away the reductive Isley Brothers' sample and JD's vocals and there really isn't anything special here.
Day Two: June 2, 2019
Day One: June 1, 2019
Nine-teen mother fucking ninety-nine. Hip hop. Ruff Ryders. Eve. This classic cannot be buried by Eve's career turn as an actress nor can her first album. Eve and the rest of the RR crew, including DMX and Swizz Beatz, helped solidify the '90s as the golden age of hip hop thanks to Beatz' raucous production style. Interestingly, Eve is largely responsible for giving the now Super Producer a platform to hone his production skills; after selling DMX the beat for "Ruff Ryders' Anthem," Beatz produced "What Y'all Want" and most of Eve's debut album. Instead of sampling, the Ruff Ryders sound-under Beatz' direction- relied on Korg synthesizers and emphasized collective musical performance elements. The energy is so hype; somehow this song flies under the radar. Enjoy.
exhaustive, complete, ranked, compiled by the artist's best song, for educative purposes, overwhelmingly informative
I recognize that the sounds of Black women, as well as many women of color, are incredibly varied in rap but their contributions often don't get proper exposure. I want to make sure I listen to more of these stories. Any of my writing related to female rappers is -at least on a subconscious level- inspired by the work of Tricia Rose, specifically from Black Noise, her seminal research on rap music which you can buy here
Day 30: June 30, 2019
Sasha Go Hard
“Alone”
I think the Alone video is a perfect place to stop. The masks, Sasha's barren face, the black and white footage, and the theme of societal betrayal reminds us that the female rapper, whether we like it or not, holds a unique position in hip hop. She serves as a mouthpiece for the many familial, sexual, and domestic roles and obligations that women-largely Black women and women of color- are asked to play while simultaneously being expected to accept being stripped of her basic human rights and dignity. Using these narratives as vehicles to expand public and private discourse on so many issues is a bonus to the amazing music these MCs like Sasha Go Hard have always made and continue to make in the rap game.
Day 29: June 29, 2019
Megan Thee Stallion
“Cash Shit”
Here's another name that's been familiar to me but I couldn't recognize or claim to have even heard any of her music. (That was a really big mistake.) Megan Thee Stallion's rapidfire delivery subtly ebbs and flows along with the beats' jarring movements. She could easily become one of the biggest rappers in the game in the next few years, I'm callin it. Which I'm sure like a million people before me already have, so, I'll rephrase and say I'm jumping on the train.
Day 28: June 28, 2019
Young M.A
“OOOUUU”
“OOOUUU”
Damn, I'm stupid cuz Young M.A is hella famous. I mean yea I knew her but did I think she was 300+ million youtube views, opens for Beyonce popular? Sure didn't. Fun fact: she moonlights as a porn director.
Day 27: June 27, 2019
Angel Haze
“Echelon (It's My Way)”
Ummmmm....this is amazing. Who is Angel Haze? The future of hip hop. Her story is poignant and illustrates the power of discovering as a child that they can use writing as a tool for manifesting darkness into greatness. Angel Haze was born to rap. And this beat sounds straight from an A$AP Rocky track, loves it.
Day 26: June 26, 2019
Rah Digga
“Imperial”
Rah is a member of Busta Rhymes' infamous Flipmode Squad. Complex Magazine rated her #32 on their 50 Most Underrated Rappers of All Time. She's well-known and prolific enough that I wanted to explore her catalog and include her on this list, but I actually didn't find too many songs I wanted to keep listening to. Maybe when I hear Flipmode on a track I just need something so specific and it's probably going to be a neon Busta Rhymes rapping at a pace that shouldn't be humanely possible.
Day 25: June 25, 2019
Tanya “Sweet Tee” Winley (ft. Paulette Winley)
"Rhymin' and Rappin'"
OK let’s start off with THIS BEAT IS SICK. This is now one of my favorite songs and I had never heard of it until researching for this. I lie to myself and say I have such little time to discover new art, but in reality, I think that's just a way to shield myself from the fact that I'm upset I don't get to make my own art much anymore. So I miss out on awesome stuff like this record! Wow. Sweet Tee is usually the only one credited, but her sister equally kills. The two are daughters of Paul Winley, whose Winley Records was known to release Malcolm X's speeches as well as some of the first recordings of breakbeats. When he put his daughters' rap record out it became one of the first recordings of a female rapper ever, released the same year as the seminal rap hit Rapper's Delight.
Day 24: June 24, 2019
Queen Pen
"My Melody"
You know Queen Pen: she raps on one of your favorite songs alongside industry giant Dr. Dre with an ease and clarity that allows for her verse delivery to rival Dre's- an impressive feat for ANY rapper. Second hint: she was Teddy Riley’s protégé. Ding Ding Ding! Yes, she was the other MC featured on Blackstreet’s No Diggity, and we can all agree that song would not be as aggressively lit if it weren’t for the inclusion of her rap. Now is a good time to stop for a brief break and play arm charm scholar: When I presented my early thesis work on the role of the female rapper in hip hop, I asserted two seemingly contradictory ideas (according to a panel of my peers that destroyed my self-esteem forever lol):
1) Black women are and always have been hugely influential in their contributions to rap music and hip hop cultural production, but that
2) these accolades are consistently undermined, marginalized, twisted, or removed from the pop culture narrative due largely to the systematic sexism within the music industry.
In the original release of No Diggity, while both Dre and Pen seemingly share an equal amount of time rapping on the song, only Dr. Dre’s name was featured, with Pen receiving no credit. This is a perfect of example offering insight into why, according to Rose, we should be “paying close attention to female rappers (as they) interpret and articulate fears, pleasures, and promises of young black women whose voices have been relegated to the margins of public discourse” (146).
1) Black women are and always have been hugely influential in their contributions to rap music and hip hop cultural production, but that
2) these accolades are consistently undermined, marginalized, twisted, or removed from the pop culture narrative due largely to the systematic sexism within the music industry.
In the original release of No Diggity, while both Dre and Pen seemingly share an equal amount of time rapping on the song, only Dr. Dre’s name was featured, with Pen receiving no credit. This is a perfect of example offering insight into why, according to Rose, we should be “paying close attention to female rappers (as they) interpret and articulate fears, pleasures, and promises of young black women whose voices have been relegated to the margins of public discourse” (146).
Day 23: June 23, 2019
Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez
“My Secret Enemy"
I feel pretty adamant about including Left Eye on here, even if the bulk of her canon consists of a featured rap verse sandwiched between T-Boz and Chile’s sultry murmurs and siren calls to their gangsta paramours. The reason being, simply, because when I hear “women rappers,” Lisa ‘Left-Eye' Lopez is one of the first that pop into my head. “Crazy Sexy Cool” was the very first cassette tape I ever purchased, and that entire album-plus its follow-up Fan Mail- is still sonically and visually etched into pop culture stone, making TLC one of the greatest groups of all time. Period. Left-Eye is a huge reason for that, and not just for the raucousness her raps add but because she was the largest creative force in the group, writing, composing, and visualizing most of TLC’s lyrics and aesthetics. This is imortant to note because not only are women’s contributions frequently left out of the narrative from a musical perspective- and this is absolutely not relegated to hip hop but is rather a byproduct of the larger music industry born from patriarchal capitalism- but also from their work behind the scenes, including directing videos, managing artists, and scouting talent. Left-Eye co-wrote some of the group’s most notable hits, including What About Your Friends, Waterfalls, and No Scrubs. The futuristic expression employed during the Fan Mail era was taken directly from Left-Eye’s creative vision. Lopez also contributed to the production of TLC’s music; she helped co-found the group with her keyboard skills and gospel singing upbringing. The B-Side to the hit Red Light Special was produced and mainly performed by Lopez entitled My Secret Enemy and while relatively obscure is a fan favorite and critically acclaimed. I hear Scarface and Geto Boys here. Not to mention her amazing collab on Not Tonite with Lil Kim, Missy Elliott, and Angie Martinez, plus her discovery of the all-girl R&B group Blaque, which included another female MC. RIP.
Day 22: June 22, 2019
Missy Elliott
“The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”
Dude, come on. Another level. Beyond "rapper." It's why she's about to be inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (although fuck the SHOF for real). I could put any song on here and it wouldn't matter. But nothing can really quite mimic the impact of this song and video when it first came out. The first few seconds of wind moving into the beat drop and the "me? i'm supa fly"s....the garbage bag outfit. If Jesus was a rapper I think this would be it.
Day 21: June 21, 2019
Queen Latifah
“U.N.I.T.Y”
Not the biggest Queen Latifah fan in terms of rap I hate to say that. But she is too important to rap to not include- and this song is a banger.
Day 20: June 20, 2019
City Girls
“Where the Bag At”
I am so into the idea that this generation is going to provide much easier access for female rappers to enter the market. I think most people first heard the rap duo City Girls on Drake's infectious single "In My Feelings." City Girls represent the intersection of the beautiful, multi-faceted characters the female rapper can play. What draws me to City Girls- even though I'm super new to their music- is that they literally give ZERO apologies for who they are, and I am here for it.
Day 19: June 19, 2019
Salt N' Pepa
“Shoop”
Unadulterated, unparalleled charisma. Record-breaking. Arguably, their success, according to Rose, changed the trajectory of women in rap: "It is difficult to ignore the massive increase in record deals for women rappers following Salt 'N' Pepa's double platinum (2 million) 1986 debut album Hot, Cool and Vicious. Such volume album sales, even for a rap album by a male artist, were virtually unprecedented in 1986. Since then, several female rappers, many of whom have been rapping for years...have finally been recorded and promoted" (154).
Day 18: June 18, 2019
MC Lyte
“Cold Rock a Party Remix”
"Cold Rock" is hands down my favorite Lyte song. THE BEAT IS SO FUN. Since its the remix in particular that gives me those hip hop goosebumps, which is actually a completely different beat (produced by Bad Boy's own Sean Jean aka Puff Daddy aka Diddy complete with his off-key yet confident background putterings) than the original AND has fellow female MC Missy Misdemeanor Elliott's famous cooings and guest verse, I had to put this version on. I'm not actually a huge fan of MC Lyte's style or sound, it's a little too...shit I don't WANT to say "traditional" but- underwhelming for me. However, you can't deny the plethora of contributions she has made to rap's cultural production as well as to feminist hip hop theory and it's why she's still constantly mentioned in said research and literature. She is credited as "becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album," so yeah, she's kind of a big deal.
Day 17: June 17, 2019
Cardi B
“Get Up 10”
You can't blame Cardi B for being one of the most exciting and compelling artists and rappers to come out of the 21st century. Bodak Yellow slayed the world, she is creating her own sound with each new release, she's smart AF and trained in the arts, and you know my single mom ass loves all her shout outs to motherhood that she peppers in her raps. More hype than the hype man.
Day 16: June 16, 2019
Bytches with Problems
“Cotex”
I found BWP through random searching for new music a few years ago. Thank god I did. I don't know how they haven't been co-opted yet by hip hop intellectuals. Some bitch needs to write a thesis on them. BWP seemed to have gained the most notoriety for their song and video "Two Minute Brother" which brought up the comparison to the male rap group 2 Live Crew, which, at the time, was embroiled in a controversy over their over highly sexually explicit lyrics and imagery. But BWP is so much more than a "female version" of 2 Live Crew. Check out this amazing segment from the Phil Donahue show, in which BWP explain how patriarchal society tries to diminish any form of agressiveness in women by using words like 'bitch' or employing tropes like women being on their period, which BWP then reclaims powerfully and independently in their raps.
Day 15: June 15, 2019
Lil Kim
“Crush on You ”
How do you write about the heavyweights of rap? You don't. This video created aesthetics.
Day 14: June 14, 2019
Lauryn Hill
“Doo Wop (That Thing)”
I was asked by the aforementioned Trina fan if Lauryn Hill should be included on the list since she isn't strictly rap, and in fact sings perhaps more than she raps on her solo album. But rap has never existed inside a vacuum and will always sway into soul and blues and other sounds authentically. Plus, even with just one rap song she changed the entire industry and today exists as a sort of mythical. She's one of the greatest rappers of all time, so she's going on the list. I first met Ms. Hill in one of my all time FAVORITE movies Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit in which both her voice and aggressive aloofness are somehow perfectly captured in her character. But of course, The Fugees gave us Lauryn the rapper, which was then solidified by the Miseducation. I'll never forget reading the review of that album when it came out in my mom's copy of Entertainment Weekly. It was 1998 and the world FREAKED OUT. Everyone and their mother was blasting "Doo Wop" and as a 12-year-old pudgy middle schooler I was about to experience a huge lifetime of ups and downs related to femininity, my body, and self-esteem and was already constantly exposed to a media that glorified an image of womanhood I would never obtain. I still remember seeing in print this line highlighted: "Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem." Subsequently, I still feel empowered by that line, and now having a daughter of my own I relate on an even deeper level; "It's silly when girls sell they souls because it's in." That's the line now. I have to teach my daughter as she navigates growing up as a multi-racial young girl that she doesn't have to waver from her authentic self because of pressure from societal expectations.
Day 13: June 13, 2019
Remy Ma
"Conceited”
So it turns out I really needed to do more research on the co-ed hip hop collectives. It turns out a lot of female MCs started out as members of famous groups or squads which propelled them into solo careers. For her part, Remy Ma came up in Fat Joe's Terror Squad and again the group's signature production sound is reflected in her first album. The exposure I have to Remy is mostly obsessing over her and Papoose's marriage on Love and Hip Hop and when she hopped on a random Mariah Carey single in the middle of her short-lived Nicki Minaj feud. Remy Ma is totally different than any other rapper I've heard, with a lyrical steadiness that mirrors her strength and grace shown in her real life.
Day 12: June 12, 2019
Mia X
“Yo Boyz”
I'm gonna have to segue right into Mia X because, like Gangsta Boo, Mia X is another southern female MC that was a part of a major rap group. Remember when I asked that earlier? Mouth foot etc. Mia X was the only female rapper signed to Master P's No Limit. Which-iconic. She's been a secret icon lurking amongst us.
Day 11: June 11, 2019
Gangsta Boo
“Kill Kill Kill, Murder Murder Murder”
Yikes. Gangsta Boo was on my “think about” list to add here. That was STRICTLY due to my own ignorance. My horrible horrible pure ignorance that she was a member of three six mafia and her first album, Enquiring Minds, is basically a secret 36 album I have never heard of by this awesome female MC, with the occasional appearance of DJ Paul and Juicy J. She actually really sounds like a precursor to the sounds of Princess and Diamond of Crime Mob, as all three have the certain fast crisp southern cadence.. Gangsta Boo is fuckin lit. Luckily, my friend Brandon graciously promoted this piece and also insisted I include GB, and thank God he did. I find her album cover hauntingly gorgeous.
Day Ten: June 10, 2019
Amil
"I Hate My Baby Daddy"
No, I had never heard of this song before this piece either. But I did know Amil, and you do too. She raps on one of the greatest and well-known songs of all time, "Can I Get A (Fuck You)" a call and response anthem. I also happen to know Amil because she was featured on an obscure Mariah Carey remix produced by Stevie J, which also featured another female MC named Mocha. Amil's syrupy voice could rap on top of any (pre)trap beat and psych you up for battle.
Day Nine: June 9, 2019
Nicki Minaj
"Chun Li"
I thought this song was really good but immediately thought there were some massive cultural appropriation and racist lines with the chopsticks, etc. I've been revisiting this because I wonder about the intersectionality of gender and race in her dialogue in the song and visuals; you can read some good articles about it here and here. This era felt more important as it highlights the media-orchestrated feud between Nicki and Cardi, which overshadowed Queen. I mean, they ultimately both fed into it, and I'll admit I didn't actually get into Queen. But too ever doubt that Minaj is one of the greatest rappers is idiotic. And she and Cardi B sound nothing alike. At the end of the day, beef is fundamental to rap culture and "feuds can..bring out the best in each rapper, lyrically- (because) no rapper wants to have a bad diss track," according to Kyle Hodge of Highsnobiety. It should e interesting to see what Minaj puts out next.
Day Eight: June 8, 2019
Diamond & Princess, formally of Crime Mob
"Circles"
Question: How many co-ed rap groups exist in pop culture? Answer: Crime Mob. I mean, I bet there are others, but Diamond and Princess plus their four male cohorts created a unique collective now indelibly frozen in hip hop hERstory. Both women display hypnotic cadences which verses that punctuate the other members-the point where the audience anticipates their arrival. Being from Atlanta I would really like to hang out with them. Can someone send this to them actually? I don't want to focus on how ~amazing~ it is that two women can work together in a traditionally male-dominated field, but it IS more than exciting to hear two dope female MCs on track after track. I saw them perform "Knuck if You Buck" at a Jay-Z concert in Atlanta yeeaaarrs ago and let me tell you -YES. It was just as mind-blowing as you would think.
Day Seven: June 7, 2019
Trina
"Da Baddest Bitch"
As soon as I told my friend Katherine aka KK Holiday about this, she said "Are you doing Trina? The Baddest Bitch?" Yeah, I'm doing Trina.
Day Six: June 6, 2019
Lady B
"To the Beat Y'all"
I pulled out The Anthology of Rap today to see what female rappers might be trapped inside the pages I truthfully had barely pursued. Lady B was the first to come up. Turns out To the Beat Y'all is one of the first rap songs ever recorded. Oh, and she invented the phrase, "To the beat y'all." I don't really think I need to say anthing else.
Day Five: June 5, 2019
Roxanne Shante
"Roxanne's Revenge"
Oh wow, how can you write just a blurb on this one; this is one of the most important rap songs of all time. "Roxanne's Revenge" is one the first response records/diss tracks and it happened to come from a 14-year-old living in Queensbridge, responding on behalf of Marley Mar and associates in a 7-MINUTE FREESTYLE. The group U.T.F.O has bailed on a performance and Marley's crew was pissed, so they took Shante up on her offer to respond to U.T.F.O's recently song disparaging a fictitious woman named "Roxanne" Though the track was eventually edited and reproduced it caused not only a response from U.T.F.O, (which was then followed by more diss tracks by Shante), but dozens of other groups responded to "Roxanne's Revenge". To this day Roxanne Shante is largely to thank for creating the platform of rap wars and diss tracks as part of rap culture. According to Berlant as discussed in Rose's 1994 book Black Noise, the immense vastness and attempts to humiliate Shante was due to the song being minimized to a "female complaint" (162). This process occurs when a "direct and legitimate criticism is reduced to 'bitching' or complaining as way of containing dissent" (162). However, Rose argues that despite "Roxanne's Revenge" and its' inevitable existence within what Berlant calls "'the patriarchal public sphere'" (162) where "the female complaint is devalued (and) marginalized" (162), Shante's song was not "ineffective in this sphere" (162). Instead, Rose counters that the song "did not go unnoticed, because it was a compelling voice in the public domain that captured the attention of male and female hip hop fans" (163).
Day Four: June 4, 2019
Khia
"My Neck, My Back"
Day Three: June 3, 2019
Da Brat
"Funkdafied"
OK, do to time constraints I'll keep this short. Da Brat is one of the more well-known rappers I'm pretty unfamiliar with, aside from her work with Mariah Carey aka my personal Jesus. Plus she's BFF with Atlanta's hometown hip hop hero and So So Def founder Jermaine Dupri so I'm not sure what never clicked with me. This is supposed to be one of her biggest hits, but strip away the reductive Isley Brothers' sample and JD's vocals and there really isn't anything special here.
Day Two: June 2, 2019
Foxy Brown.
"Hot Spot"
Keeping with the '90s theme, next up we have one of my personal favs. Not only was the '90s a special decade for hip hop because of its bombastically exciting, nonstop pulse-through-your-veins electric musicality, but it also represented the formation of a new Black cultural aesthetic seen largely in the fashion and music videos. The "Hot Spot" video had all the classic elements we've come to love about that era- shiny outfits, dancing in noticeably fake rain/fog/both, people dancing behind glass, and a general maximalist, futuristic overtone. This was my first exposure to Foxy Brown, though apparently, it's not her biggest hit? I find that hard to believe because it came out in 1998 -21 years ago- and I still put this song on to get 🔥. Apparently, Irv Gotti produced it pre-Ja Rule and Ashanti and she and Jay-Z are the sole co-writers.
Day One: June 1, 2019
Eve.
"What Y'all Want"
Nine-teen mother fucking ninety-nine. Hip hop. Ruff Ryders. Eve. This classic cannot be buried by Eve's career turn as an actress nor can her first album. Eve and the rest of the RR crew, including DMX and Swizz Beatz, helped solidify the '90s as the golden age of hip hop thanks to Beatz' raucous production style. Interestingly, Eve is largely responsible for giving the now Super Producer a platform to hone his production skills; after selling DMX the beat for "Ruff Ryders' Anthem," Beatz produced "What Y'all Want" and most of Eve's debut album. Instead of sampling, the Ruff Ryders sound-under Beatz' direction- relied on Korg synthesizers and emphasized collective musical performance elements. The energy is so hype; somehow this song flies under the radar. Enjoy.
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