From MC Sha-Rock to Megan Thee Stallion: A Look at the Evolution of Female Artists in Hip-Hop Culture
Hip-Hop is More than Music, it’s a Culture, an Energy that Fills the Room, an Undeniable Vibe.
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. The genre has come a long way: from lyrics, to fashion, to influence and everything in between. Women stepped into a male-dominated space but was able to kick down doors, debuting their indisputable talent. Women have shown their versatility in the rap game, giving Hip-Hop a global appeal.
We are celebrating the golden era as Hip-Hop turns 50 this year. It can be said, that women stormed the scene in the 80s, and began to earn the respect they deserved.
“If there wasn’t women in rap, I couldn’t even imagine the culture of hip-hop. Female emcees were always on the front line.” -MC Sha-Rock
Real Queens of Hip-Hop on ABC
Founders of an Era
Early pioneers in the rap game include MC Sha-Rock who laid the foundation for female emcees in 1981. She was a part of the group The Funky Four + 1 More and was the first Hip-Hop group to appear on Saturday Night Live.
Shortly after MC Sha-Rock, Roxanne Shanté stepped on the scene at the tender age of 14. “My skills started when I was nine years old watching Nipsey Russel on Hollywood Squares. He rhymed every response to everything they asked him. I was amazed”. In 1985 at the age of 15 she entered into the battle to be named the best rapper in the MC Battle for World Supremacy. She battled 12 boys and lost at the very end because Hip-Hop wasn’t ready to crown a girl as it’s reigning champ. However, despite her challenges, she still inspired a whole generation of women that followed in her footsteps.
As Hip-Hop was just becoming a real genre of music the industry felt that Hip-Hop would not be taken serious if women held top positions in the rap game. But this just made them sharpen their pen that much more.
Moving into the late 80s, MC Lyte stepped into the game in 1987. She wore baggy clothes but her lyrical pen helped increase her popularity with songs like “Ruffneck” and “Paper Thin”. In an interview on ABC News she says, “Paper Thin was push back for dudes acting silly. It was me clapping back at dudes talking smack.” She made a statement, demanded respect and brought attention to sexism through her lyrics.
Queen Latifah is another lyricist that made waves with her music in 1989 with songs like “Ladies First” and “U.N.I.T.Y.”. Latifah’s mission was to lift women up and stand proud in her blackness as she states in an interview on the Whoopi Goldberg Show, “It was men who inspired me to speak my mind about womanhood. It was the Chuck D’s and KRS-One’s who made me not afraid to say, Hey I’m black and I’m proud.” These songs promoted the power women had to stand up for themselves. These women wanted to be looked at as equals, instead of accessories.
Rap in the 80s and early 90s for women was about demanding respect and empowerment. Their music wasn’t the only thing that made a statement, so did their fashion. It went from fitting in with the boys with baggy pants, big T-shirts, backwards hats and Timberlands to a more sex-positive approach with Salt-N-Pepa and Lil’Kim.
Salt-N-Pepa stepped on the scene in 1985 with bold and seductive lyrics with a message. Monie Love says on an interview on Real Queens of Rap on ABC “The first sexual explicit, tongue and check, coy, toying with the sexuality aspect of being a woman in hip-Hop, Salt N Pepa.” They vocalized their sexual wants and desires in their top charting songs like “Push It” and “Shoop.” The duo weren’t shy about telling men exactly how they wanted to be satisfied. Their outfits were more form fitting, showing off more body than previous rappers, but nothing compares to Lil’Kim.
Challenging the Norm
In 1996 Lil’ Kim turned the rap game on its head, making music that you couldn’t take on the family vacation. Her explicit lyrics and daring clothing choices sparked debates on sex and sexuality with some arguing that her outfits are too revealing. Lil’ Kim dropped songs like “Crush on You” “Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix)” and “Big Mama Thang” that helped solidify her as a top contender. “I think my style and that I talk about the realness which is sexuality and I talk about money. I talk about you know, I talk about the realness on what’s going on in today’s society. It’s what separates me from other rappers” Lil Kim says in a 1996 interview with MTV News. As she took on the biggest rappers in her generation and was able to hold her own and dominate the game. Lil’ Kim has influenced a whole generation of artists that have come after her.
Foxy Brown, Missy Elliot, Left Eye, Da Brat, Eve and Trina have all earned their badge of honor in the rap game. As each person has given a different piece of themselves to Hip-Hop. Paving the way and painting a larger picture for the world to see the universal allure. Women gave Hip-Hop that feminine touch that was needed to help elevate it to where it is today.
Future Landscape of Hip-Hop
Women continue to change the game with the current and future landscape of women in rap appearing even brighter. Women are continuing to work together such as Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion on their hit song “WAP”. Their song spent six weeks as number 1 on Billboard Top 100 charts. Cardi B also collaborated with fresh-faced Glo Rilla on the record “Tomorrow 2” making that arguably one of Cardi B’s best verses on a track. This song also debuted on Billboard’s top 100 charts at number 9. Cardi B talks to Rotation on Amazon Music about collaborating with other women saying, “Females been collaborating for a long time and now females are back to collaborating again because when you a female rapper who’s the best person you can relate to, another female rapper”.
Saweetie and the City Girls came together to remix Saweetie’s hit song “My Type”. Latto is another artist who has earned her stripes in the rap game having multiple features with top artists. She recently released her new song with rapper Glo Rilla “FTCU”.
Nicki Minaj is another lyricist that has been successful with cross-collaboration making her a bonafide popstar. She has collaborated with Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Doja Cat and Madonna to name a few.
Social media is a large influence on discovering female artists. One major platform is Tik Tok, where Flo Milli was discovered with her viral songs “Beef FloMix” and “In the Party” while Latto and Lakeyah also got in on the Tik Tok charts with their song “Mind Yo Business”.
This shows the evolution of Hip-Hop over the years and how it will continue to grow and evolve. Hip-Hop is the basis of the culture and the women in the game are the backbone as they continue to break records, own the rights to their music and find new innovative ways to break through the noise.
Happy 50th anniversary to Hip-Hop and Happy Women’s History Month!
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