![]() ![]() The late ‘90s and early 2000s era of hip-hop brought even more attention towards female rappers. More importantly, her commercial success was brought from personal, feminine lyrics that detailed pregnancy, motherhood, and self-respect among many other important topics (Sound of Life). Selling 400,000 copies in a week, she broke records for all female solo artists across all genres, in addition to becoming the first female artist to break nomination and award records at the 1999 Grammys. With the release of her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she established herself as the strong solo artist she is. Lauryn Hill helped hip-hop develop even further, as her work with The Fugees popularized alternative elements within the genre. Queen Latifah continued on with this wave of liberation, rapping about feminist and social issues in hits such as “Ladies First” and “U.N.I.T.Y.” As she brought awareness to pressing issues, she also reached major personal feats, like winning the Best Rap Solo Performance of 1995, becoming the first woman to do so (XXL). In 1990, Yo-Yo brought female empowerment directly into Ice Cube’s track “It’s A Man’s World.” As he asks, " Girl, what you tryna do?" she spits back “ To prove a black woman like me can bring the funk through" (Sound of Life). While women were making their mark, men still largely ruled the hip-hop industry, which only inspired femme artists to continue pushing for their own recognition. Her response was written to support women facing harassment, which is quite paramount considering she was only 14 years old at the time (Sound of Life). Lolita Shante Gooden, also known as Roxanne Shante, gained success with her single “Roxanne’s Revenge.” The rap was written in response to UTFO’s “Roxanne, Roxanne,” a song in which the male trio rap about advancing on a woman named Roxanne. Her album Lyte as a Rock features "I Cram To Understand U (Sam)," a song about the crack epidemic that she wrote at 12 years old. MC Lyte hit the scene in 1987, later becoming the first female solo rapper to release a full-length album. The late ‘80s brought a wave of successes for young women in the hip-hop world. These lyrical devices have continued on throughout hip-hop history, with artists like Lil Kim and Megan Thee Stallion rapping about sex in ways that empower women instead of demeaning them. As men in the industry had been sexualizing women within their lyrics for a long time, it was shocking for listeners to hear the first all-female rap group embrace sexuality in their own empowering way. The trio rocked the industry with their uber-feminine style and sexually charged lyrics, which had only been spit by their male counterparts thus far (XXL). In the mid-‘80s, the emergence of Salt-N-Pepa brought a new wave of liberation to women in rap. While most women in hip-hop reached success in the following decades, the genre itself would have never reached success without the work of its female pioneers. Not only was she the first female rap performer on live television, but she introduced “echo chamber” rap methods into the industry (Sound of Life). She is also recognized for her own artistry, R&B hits “Love is Strange” and “Pillow Talk,” in addition to her contributions to “The Record,” a major track by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, which introduced the concept of “conscious rap” (Sound of Life).Īs hip-hop popularized in the ‘70s, MC Sha-Rock, otherwise known as “Mother of the Mic,” emerged as the first female emcee, later signing onto Sugar Hill Records herself. Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” is another notorious piece of hip-hop history, being the first release from Sugar Hill Records which was co-founded by Sylvia Robinson. Lesser recognized is Cindy Campbell, Herc’s sister who inspired and planned the event, which labeled her as “the founding mother of hip-hop” (Daily Bruin). The birth of hip-hop is accredited to a party hosted by DJ Kool Herc, which introduced DJ’ing and rapping to New York City. ![]() To commemorate Womens’ History Month, let’s explore the bountiful contributions that women have given the hip-hop genre. It’s just a product of society that’s built on patriarchy and men that gain and assert power through the treatment of women and non-heterosexual men” (KISA Radio). Aria Halliday, who teaches African American and Gender and Womens’ Studies, “ Hip-hop is a production of the culture that we live in – American culture. ![]() While hip-hop has been largely transformative in the world of music, as well as social change, it is notoriously a male-dominated genre and the influence of women is oftentimes forgotten. ![]()
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