When I asked my roommate to name me five rap artist, she replied with the following: "Kanye West, Lil' Wayne, Drake, Jay-Z, aaaaaaannnnndddd T.I.!" It took her a little time to think of the last one, but then again she isn't the biggest hip-hop fan. The point of the question was to see whether or not one female name would be brought up in the mix; and as thought, it wasn't. This comes as no surprise to me due to the fact I had asked several other people before her that same question, getting varied answers of coarse, yet still being a list of only male rap artists. This then bring up the question, "are female rappers an extinct species?"
Luckily for the young girls and women who take a liking to this male dominated genre, the answer is no. In 2010, Nicki Minaj broke an eight year dry spell for solo female MCs with album Pink Friday, which ended up going platinum. The album displayed her talent to play with words, and use metaphors and similes that blew your mind, putting her on the same competing field as many male rappers today. The fact that Nicki Minaj has collaborated with artist like Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, and Drake, exemplifies that even the men in the game take a liking to her style.
Her verse on Ludacris's "My Chick Bad," is one of my favorite of hers:
And Nicki Minaj isn't the only female MC making a name for herself in this "man's world." Artist such as Iggy Azalea, Australian born rapper, was the first female ever to make the cover of XXL magazine's annual "Top 10 Freshman" cover issue, where they announce the lookout of upcoming artists. Her style is not as animated as Minaj, but her talent and sound may be as good. With her debut album The New Classic, Nicki Minaj may just have the type of competition that is needed to open the door for other female rappers.
The great thing about female rappers like the ones mentioned above is the "bad bitch" mentality they serve in hip-hop music. Redefining terms that at one point have subjugated women in this industry and owning their sexuality through their clothing choice and dance moves, help bring alive the post-feminist movement in the hip-hop culture.
This is a very real issue in hip hop. Although there are female rappers, women's role in rap hasn't been the same since hip hop became a mainstream genre. There are some successful female rappers like Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea but women's role in the genre is certainly different now than it originally was.
ReplyDeleteWow, I never thought about this issue until now. As females, we should really appreciate these few, yet talented, female rap artists. They are doing much more than rapping, with every song they put out they are creating a stepping stone in feminist history.
ReplyDeletevery interesting read. i liked how you got a lot of people's personal favorite rappers and that many of them didn't say anything about female rappers.
ReplyDeletePeople should really appreciate them more, you are right! Not even talented female rappers are recognized.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I've never been a fan of any female rappers. I don't think there's anything really holding females back from entering the genre. I would think it's probably just a lack of interest among females in general. I doubt that many young girls grow up aspiring to be rappers like many boys do.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the lack of female rappers in the world is not really a big issue... Yes this is not a kind thing to say, but this entertainment is a dog eats dog world. Just like your friend said, the male artists are just pushing ahead right now.
ReplyDeleteThe only female rap artist I would think of is Minaj, and while I don't mind her music, I feel like her fan's are mostly other women. It's interesting the experiment you did with your roommate, I didn't think about it much but it does seem like females rap artists are extinct.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting read. I never really thought about the lack of females in hip-hop. The only female rapper i really know of is Nicki Minaj and ive never been a big fan of hers.
ReplyDeleteI loved this blog. You did a great job examining a rising power in hip-hop through female artists. I liked the examples of the powerful Iggy Azalea and Nicki Minaj.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you mentioned other rappers including Iggy, usually people just mention nicki minaj. Also, I really liked the experiment you did.
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