Female rappers like MC Lyte ,Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill paved the way for many modern day women rappers today such as Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim, and Trina to be included in Hip Hop. MC Lyte was the first solo female rapper to release a full album. In 2006 she was the first woman to be nominated for a Grammy due to her classic anthem "Ruffneck" (billboard.com). With great rhymes she deliver lyrics in a females perspective representing her gender, showing women that they can also be talented on the mic just like or even better than men.
Since the early days Hip-Hop has always been a male-dominated genre. Before women made there debut in hip-hop , their only involvement was the way men used them in their songs as an object or representation of their success. Based on certain songs if men had lots of women on their arm, they were praised , they were "winning". Their level of masculinity increase rapidly when they rapped about having a lot of women .
Now Women have proven that they are more than that and they can also be referred to as great rappers . I think it is a big deal that the same men that excluded women in Hip-Hop back then, seem to respect women talent on the mic way more now. If you look below many hip-hop groups dominated by men is now accompanied by a female rapper.
YMCMB: Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj has a fast flow style of rap. Within her music she juggles the New York and Carribean sound, adding a monster voice sometimes to emphasize her lyrics.
"Im not someone who got signed to a record label who said ‘hey maybe you should do weird voices.’ No. this is all years of me learning me and my style, and decide to do something different that would get everyone’s attention." - Nicki Minaj
The Fugees: Female Rapper - Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill is my favorite among all the female rappers listed. She raps politically, and I'm a fan of conscious rap. Her sound comes off as poetic .
"Well, music is my first love." And I just stumbled -- I know when I tell you I stumbled upon all this, actually I didn't stumble, because there are no accidents. But I didn't have that intense ambition to be a musician or an actress. I just enjoyed it, and if there was an opportunity, hey, I'll go. And by enjoying it, because I loved it, it enabled me to get better at what I was doing, because there was a love behind it. It wasn't like, "I've got to do this." It wasn't just naked ambition" -Lauryn Hill
Terror Squad: Remy Ma
Disturbing the Peace: Shawna
Slip N Slide: Trina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha80ZaecGkQ (YMCMB)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm8yQOHOkaQ (The Fugees)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajmI1P3r1w4 (Terror Squad)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqSS_3DSZO8 (Slip N Slide)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1pwGVfV8S4 (DTP)
This post is very interesting. I love the aspect of women rappers in hip-hop. It wouldve been great to incorporate Missy Elliot and Da Brat as well. Salt N Pepper was a game changer too. You can sense the level of respect rappers have for female rappers versus other artist
ReplyDeleteI personally love Nicki Minaj despite the haters lol. I feel like she stepped out of her element to be different and that her difference is what makes her such an amazing rapper but a creative artist to any song she collars or makes. I'm glad that you mentioned how women have came to reclaim the throne and that the music industry is no longer just a man's world. Women have now created some of the best and most selling songs. Great article by the way
ReplyDeleteWomen Rappers in hip-hop is a beautiful thing. I find it phenomenal how women can be so successful in a predominantly male industry. Their work ethic is very good and they have a very focused mindset which allows them to be so successful.
ReplyDeleteI think that the role of women in hip-hop has increased over the years and it is going to keep increasing in the years to come. I really liked the examples you had in your post because they show that women have been involved in hip-hop for a long time. Also the videos you posted include some very popular songs and this shows that women can be very successful in hip-hop.
ReplyDeleteIts very clear the the role that women play in hip-hop has become more prevalent in the past years. Today we see someone like Nicki Minaj who is as famous as any male rapper out there today. Like you said it was the ones like Lil Kim who paved the way for the ones now and the ones to come in the future.
ReplyDeleteI love all of the examples you provided and i am also a big Lauryn Hill fan. I do think that she tends to be more of a singer in the hip hop scene in her later work than a rapper in it but either way she is great. I enjoy most female rappers because it is different and empowering. Not all are good, in my opinion, but it is still great that women are becoming a larger, notable part of the industry today.
ReplyDeleteVery nice post. I like how you organized the women by their individual groups. I really liked "Lean Back" back in the day. I used to hear it all the time on the bus as a kid and it was on 106 & Park for a gooood minute back then. It was also an easy dance so that worked for me too.
ReplyDeleteYeah i really do like your example. I went to the Kendrick concert in Orlando this weekend and there was this girl who helped open up for Kendrick and she ripped it. I enjoyed her rapping and this should be more common.
ReplyDeleteThe role of women in hip hop is on growing. More and more women are interested, participating in, and involved in this hip hop process. They are listening to the music, they are acting the music, they are in the music videos, and they are even putting out their own music. More and more male rappers are opening up to the fact that women have a place in hip hop as well.
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