Female G.O.A.T's of Hip-Hop

Missy Elliott, Remy Ma, and Lil' Kim

(Left to Right)

March as we all should know, is Women's History Month, now although March has ended, there never seems to be a designated time to pay homage to the women who have pioneered movements in a  male dominated industry. Although there is a love/hate relationship for female rappers and female MC's, that has not stopped them from making impressive strides in hip hop.

  

Through their lyrical flows, men have been known to objectify women. Some are even guilty of demeaning women through their choices of sexuality. Artist's such as Lil Kim, Trina, Khia, Remy Ma, Eve and many more have pioneered movements using their sexuality as a driving force of empowerment. These female MC's have also used their wordplay to pave the way in an industry where movements created by women are constantly down played and under appreciated. 

In this industry, when you talk about the G.O.A.T's of hip-hop, only men are mentioned. To disregard the impact women have had in this industry would discredit all the movements that women have made. These movements are a vital part of hip-hops history because it is evident that women can flow and spit bars just as hard as male rappers. To mention all of the ladies who have left an iconic mark in this industry would turn this article into a novel, instead we are going to narrow it down and give you a few of the iconic women who are and should be considered G.O.A.T's of hip-hop. 

Queen Latifah:

Dana Owens,  also known as Queen Latifah, got her start in the rap game as a beatboxer in a group called Ladies Fresh.

One of her most remarkable tracks was U.N.I.T.Y. from her Black Reign album. Black Reign was released on November 16, 1993 in the U.S and is also  Queen Latifah's third studio album. Black Reign was Latifah's most successful album and was declared gold by the RIAA. U.N.I.T.Y on Black Reign was an abrasive and politically driven track that exhibited Latifah's raw sound and her deeply rooted feminist disposition. Her opening words, "who you calling a bitch?!" exemplify how she asserted herself as a reputable artist and demanded respect as an MC. This track was so popular that it won Latifah her first Grammy Award. Latifah's ambition landed her a role on Fox network's long-running TV sitcom, Living Single. Latifah also made appearances in Jungle Fever, Juice, House Party 2 and Set it Off. Queen Laifah's success still continues to present day. This fellow MC has imortalized her name not only in the music industry but as well in the film industry. 

Lil Kim:

The colorful, creative, and sexually fueled protege of the Notorious BIG was certain to make the list. Unlike many of her fellow female MC's, Lil Kim took the world by storm because up until her artistic debut, there hadn't been a female MC who employed raunchy and sexually provocative lyrics in the stylized form in which Kim delivered her flows. Much like her mentor Biggie, Lil Kim was a gifted rapper and story teller. Through his influence, Kim flowed in a very macho masculine tone that easily made her intimidating to her cohorts of the opposite sex. This along with her indecent lyrics is what specifically set her apart from acts such as Salt n Pepa.

For her unique and incomparable style, many people hold Lil Kim in regard as the Queen of Rap. To understand this description of Lil Kim, I would recommend listening to "Crush On You" off of her debut album" Hardcore" or to "Black Friday" which is her shame inducing diss record to Nicki Minaj in which she exposes Minaj for biting off her entire style.

Erykah Badu: 

The conscious and poetic Queen of Neosoul, Erykah Badu, makes our list for being one of the most original and progressive female artists to grace HipHop and R&B. Mizz Badu is popular for a long array of catchy tracks, all of which incorporate jazz, funk, and soul influenced production styles with an intricate word play that requires the listener to pay attention to what is being said. The cherry on top of Erykah's sound is her raspy distinguished voice that is very reminiscent of Billie Holiday, but with a modern twist. The blatant motifs in her songs are another strong indicator of Badu's unique style. Tracks like Tyrone, Bag Lady, and Next lifetime demonstrate Erykah's way with words, as well as how she raises awareness for women's empowerment in her music.

Foxy Brown: 

Following in the footsteps of fellow Brooklyn Female MC Lil Kim, Foxy Brown emerged onto the HipHop scene when accompanying female acts were becoming popular with big time male rappers. Although not nearly as much or as well as Lil Kim, Foxy' style was also very sexually driven, and like Kim she also delivered her flow in very masculine and abrasive manner which gave her appeal as a Gangsta Bitch for a lack of better words. She is best known for tracks such as I'll be and features on Jay Z's Ain't No Nigga and the BadBoy remix of No One Else.

Trina: 

Hailing from Miami, Florida, Katrina Taylor made her mark in the rap scene by having one of the filthiest verses on Trick Daddy’s 1998 hit “Nann Nigga”. 

Trina's career began when her rap rhymes caught the eye of rapper Trick Daddy but it wasn't until her lead single from her second album, www.thug.com, that landed Trina on spot three on the Rap song charts and a record deal with Slip-n-Slide Records with distribution from Atlantic Records.

Trina's debut album Da Baddest Bitch, debuted at number 33 on the US billboard and number 11 on the R&B/Hip-Hop album charts. Her debut album was certified gold and it managed to stay on the Billboard 200 for thirty-nine weeks on the Hip-Hop/R&B album charts for fourty-nine weeks thus making Trina one of the very few female artist that has stayed on charts for almost a year! 

MC LYTE:

Apart from her one-time rival, Roxanne Shanté, MC Lyte has one of the nicests lyrical flows in hip-hop. MC Lyte, also known as Lana Michelle Moorer, is the first solo female rapper to release a full album. Her 1988 album Lyte as a Rock has given her the crown as one of the first female feminists in hip-hop. The Brooklyn MC released Lyte as a Rock during the Golden Age of Hip-Hop. With a total of 10 albums under her belt, MC Lyte's fourth album, Ain't No Other (1993), featured her first top 40 pop hit, "Ruffneck" which ultimately was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Single. This nomination made MC Lyte the first female solo rapper ever nominated for a Grammy.  MC Lyte paved the way for many women to come and was one the the first women in the birth of hip-hop. 

Eve: 

Notable sex symbol and well rounded personality, Eve's hooks are so precise that her flows are strong enough to body both male and female opponents. In her early career, Eve was signed to Dr. Dre's label but was let go due to the label being in flux. It wasn't long until she teamed up with DMX and his Ruff Ryder crew which led to the birth and recording of "What you Want" for the Ryde or Die Vol. 1 (1999) compilation. During this late period in hip-hop, there was no stopping the Ruff Ryder crew. This ultimately led to Eve's debut album, "Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryder's First Lady" (1999). This album entered the U.S charts at number one, making that the first time ever that a female rapper had accomplished. Eve's album Scorpion (2001) which features some of her most notable songs, featured songs like "Who's that Girl?"and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". Ironically enough, the song "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" was produced by Dr. Dre and staged a reunion between the two but this time around, Eve was a notable star in the hip-hop game. 

Remy Ma:

Remy Ma also known as, Reminisce Mackie, is a Grammy-nomiated rapper. Notorious for her abundant flow in the song "Lean Back", Remy Ma is known as a former member of Big Pun's rap group, Terror Squad. Remy's debut album, "There's Something about Remy: is Based on a True Story" was release on Febuary 7, 2006.  Both her songs "Whuteva" and "Conceited" landed her spots in three categories: US, US R&B, and US Rap. Her song "Feel So Good" that features artist Ne-Yo also landed her two spots in US and US R&B. Remy Ma has won two Vibe awards, two source awards, an ASCAP pop award and a BET award for "Best Female Hip-hop" along with other nominations. 

Gangsta Boo:

Memphis-bred rapper, Lola Mitchell A.K.A Gangsta Boo, formerly known as The Devil's Daughter is notably recognized for being the FIRST and ONLY female member of the american hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia.  It wasn't until 1998 when she debuted her first solo album, "Enquiring Minds," which reached number fifteen on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-hop charts and number 46 on Billboard 200. Her following albums, Both Worlds *69 and Enquiring Minds II: The Soap Opera, peaked on the R&B/Hip-hop charts along her debut album. 

What Gangsta Boo did with Enquiring Minds is something that no female MC had done before. Gangsta boo managed to spit bars on subjects such as maternity which wasn't too popular at the time but Gangsta Boo knew how to make controversial topics about maternity and womanhood billboard hits. "Where Dem Dollas At?!" is one of her most iconic songs on her Enquiring Minds album. Spitting hooks such as : “It be amazing how these bitches havin' babies by niggas / With no pot to piss in or no money to give her. What the fuck, why you hoes wanna live that way?”  Till present day, "Where Dem Dollas At" is still so relevant because her lyrics are timeless and that is what makes Gangsta Boo one of the G.O.A.T's in Hip-Hop because her lyrics are universally timeless. 

Missy Elliott:

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott is hands down one the greatest HipHop artists of all time, not to mention one of the greatest Female acts of all time. Missy's enigmatic sound has not and cannot be duplicated. Her extensive work with Timbaland on producing and her creative input on Aaliyah's songwriting were only a few of Missy's attributes. Her own personal achievements go far greater as she has sold over 30 million records with 6 platinum albums. What sets Missy aside from other female artists is that her creative essence was undoubtedly unmatched and her style was somewhat of an evolution of Afrika Bambaataa's afrofuturism sound combined with a humorous good natured raunch similar to redman. Her versatility and proficiency with experimenting sounds will always make her an untouchable femcee and artist in general.

Roxanne Shante:

Born and raised in the projects of Queens, NYC, Roxanne Shante is one of the youngest MC's in hip-hops early stages. At the ripe age of 14, Shante hit "Roxanne's Revenge" sold over a quarter million copies in the New York area alone. 

Her hit had quite the background story. Hip-Hop group U.T.F.O released their 1984 hit 'Roxanne, Roxanne' and although the track wasn't exactly aimed at Roxanne, the attack at U.T.F.O's single became so popular that it ignited countless imitators in a series of records called the Roxanne Wars.

At such a young age, Shante was a trend setter. What 14 year old do you know that triggers responses from an original group she murdered on a track and whom starts a series of records?

Lauryn Hill:

Last and especially not least is the great L Boogie, Miss Lauryn Hill. Lauryn Hill got her start in music when she joined the Fugees in the mid 90's. Her rich and raspy alto voice along with her soulful image quickly began to sway people all over the world. Another fact that made Miss Hill and her sound so peculiar is that she always strived to model her own delivery on that of strong make artist such as ice cube as opposed to other female rappers which would only make her sound generic. Her sincerity and way of story telling in her songs also distinguished her as an artist. Emotionally driven ballads such as Ex Factor and Zion are clear demonstrations of her immense lyrical talent. Lauryn always knew how to convey her feelings in such a genuine way that any person, make or female, could relate and find meaning in her music. With her critically acclaimed debut album, Lauryn Hill proved that she was the strongest female artist to be reckoned with at the time! The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill won her five Grammy awards including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, Best New Artist, and Album of the Year. All of this acclaim solidified Lauryn's feminist disposition when she was quoted saying "This is a very sexist industry, They'll never throw the 'genius' title to a sister."  Even after being gone from the industry for over 15 years, Miss Hill continues to be a great inspiration to so many artist and her presence is greatly missed in music. There will never be anyone to top The Great Miss Lauryn Hill!