Queen Latifah (2000-09-09)LIFE Photo Collection
When Queen Latifah sang her gloriously melodic Grammy Award winning anthem, “U.N.I.T.Y.” in 1993, she envisioned men and women co-existing void of discord, but with an abundance of love and respect for one another.
Queen Latifah (2000-09-09)LIFE Photo Collection
30 years later in hip-hop, women are once again seated on their thrones, not just next to the rap Kings, but many are now surpassing the fellas.
“It’s a lot of fire female rappers,” J. Cole told Kevin Hart in the summer of 2023 on the comedian’s show “Hart To Hart.” “Commercially, they’re doing some of the most exciting [things]...They’re giving us a lot of fire moments.”
Foxy Brown (1999-01-19) by Dave AlloccaLIFE Photo Collection
Cardi B, The City Girls, Megan The Stallion, Rapsody, Sexyy Red, Ice Spice, Glorilla, Coi Leray, Kash Doll, Latto, Saweetie, Lola Brooke and others. We all must pay homage to the new generation of hip-hop sirens, as they have truly become dominant forces in the culture.
L'Il Kim (1998-09-03) by Mirek TowskiLIFE Photo Collection
While they have excelled in business and fashion as well, music has been their driving force. These empowering Empresses have found success by being unrepentant, gritty, sultry, inspirational and of course consistent with hits.
Queen Latifah (2000-09-09)LIFE Photo Collection
While the appeal of today’s Queens is undeniable and women have been an integral part of Hip-Hop since its birth in 1973—as fans, artists and on the executive side-the rise for female rappers has always came with obstacles.
Jay ZLIFE Photo Collection
At hip-hop’s inception, women rappers had to fight to get time on the mic at park jams because male chauvinists would say they couldn’t spit rhymes as well as the men.
LIFE Photo Collection
MC's such as Sha Rock dispelled that myth in the 70s. In the 1980s, Latifah led the explosion of Baronesses with beauty and bars along with Salt-N-Peppa, Yo Yo, MC Lyte, Yoyo, Roxanne Shante. They had poignant, penetrating voices that garnered gold and platinum plaques.
LIFE Photo Collection
In the 90s, the baton was passed to a new class headlined by Lauryn Hill, Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Da Brat (the first female MC to go platinum) Eve and Trina.
Fugees (1996) by Dave AlloccaLIFE Photo Collection
Lauryn’s potent poetics and angelic singing set the template for many of the hip-hop/r&b hybrids of today. She was as lyrically adroit as any MC, who had as beautiful of a singing voice than any melodic Diva.
Aaliyah (1999-04-06) by Dave AlloccaLIFE Photo Collection
She’s a Grammy award winning songwriter, penning for the likes of Beyonce, Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey. Missy is a unicorn. With an animated style, wardrobe and eye catching music videos to match, she’s truly the most unique female MC ever.
By Marion CurtisLIFE Photo Collection
Kim and Foxy stepped out from behind the shadows of their rap Emperor mentors Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z. They epitomized women's liberation, with images that were sexually explosive, high end fashion, yet street entrenched.
Elliott, Missy (2000-03-03)LIFE Photo Collection
Their fashion senses magnetized all the major designers such as Versace as well as their fanbases.
Da BratLIFE Photo Collection
Eve and Trina held their own with super thug brothers DMX and Trick Daddy, bringing hit after after hit. Brat was as rough as the men, with a sexy Tomboy style. She had a myriad of flows that could go from laid back to ruthless.
Da BratLIFE Photo Collection
With the support of Jermaine Dupri’s and his masterful production, she was the first solo female to go platinum.
By Dave AlloccaLIFE Photo Collection
Despite the women in the 90s selling even more records than their predecessors in the previous decades, there was still a misogynistic stigma placed up Femcees that many of them would need ghostwriters and the behind-the-scenes penmen had to be male.
Elliott, Missy (2000-03-21) by Marion CurtisLIFE Photo Collection
Years later, many executives turned a blind eye to women when it came to signing them to record labels. The check writers slept on the new crop ladies’ record selling potential and cited the inclusion of glam squads and other expenses their male counterparts did not accrue.
Nicki Minaj (2019-09-02) by Tiffanie AndersonTrap Music Museum
The ROI for female rappers was not great enough they said... Thank God Lil Wayne and had the foresight to draft Nicki Minaj to his team. She was almost a perfect blend of everyone that came before her.
By Dave AlloccaLIFE Photo Collection
Authentic, fearless, fashion forward, forceful, sexy. Stylistically blessed with her rhyme deliveries and lyrical enough to get exchange verses with God MCs Wayne and Eminem. She was charismatic enough to shine on songs with Busta Rhymes, men, women and children loved her.
Queen (2020-01-22) by Kai YoungTrap Music Museum
For years, Nicki had to hold it down for new school female rap on her own. Finally the labels started to recognize what the fans always knew; women in rap aren’t a luxury, they are a necessity. They don’t just have something to say, they are ready to lead culture.
By Mirek TowskiLIFE Photo Collection
Females have always been the biggest consumers of rap music, so it’s with a sense of urgency that their voices are always be reprinted in the art.
