Women Are Taking Over Rap – And It’s About Damn Time

In the past 2 years, you may have noticed a small, gradual but inevitable build-up of more & more women breaking down doors to the top tier of the hip hop & rap industry. It’s not only something that’s been happening in the States but has been happening all around the world. It is the Bodak Yellow movement, the City Girls movement, the Hot Girl f*cking Summer movement and geez, these women are here to HUSTLE.

For the longest time, Nicki Minaj held a monopoly for not only being the most successful female rapper in the industry but was one of the only mainstream female MCs for the longest time. I had always wondered when the time would come when a female version of my favourite rapper would grace the worldwide stage because I never saw a female parallel of modern rap and hip-hop.

Cardi B was the woman that lit a spark when she busted through the music scene with Bodak Yellow in 2017. She did not need a male co-sign like previous female rappers have had, like Lil Kim and Foxy Brown who was respectively co-signed by Biggie & Jay-Z, to break through to the mainstream. She was the first solo female rapper in TWO DECADES to have the number one single and that’s since Lauryn Hill. After that, Cardi B came out with hit after hit, rapping about her past in the sex industry, her p*ssy and being that b*tch.

There was a mixed reaction from rap & hip hop fans & it didn’t take long before the media started pitting Cardi B against Nicki Minaj and having a field day with whatever beef they could exaggerate. Could we really not have more than one female superstar at a time? It’s no secret that the hip-hop and rap industry is deeply misogynistic and marginalize not just women but more specifically, black women. Male rappers have made a living off of rapping about women as property, promoting colourism, rape culture and physical abuse over bass-filled beats. They degrade women, call them b*tches, hoes and every bad word under the sun which coincidentally, gets radio plays.

Despite this genre being celebrated for being able to express & honour how marginalised & oppressed people negotiate their existence, they fail to do the same thing for black women as known abusers are still being rewarded with praise and platforms.

However, women in rap aren’t waiting around for validation from men in the industry. In the past year we’ve seen so many female rappers make their way to the surface. This includes and is not limited to: Meg Thee Stallion, Rico Nasty, Doja Cat, Tierra Whack, Princess Nokia, Coi Leray, Saweetie, Dannileigh, Lizzo, City Girls, CupcaKke, Kodie Shane, Noname, Young M.A, Junglepussy, Stefflon Don, Melii, Asian Doll, Maliibu Miitch and Little Simz. With the use of social media, these women have fostered an internet movement by tapping into their fans, building hype, trending hash tags, getting reshares and letting their female audience know they can do it too. It is quite honestly one of the greatest things to be happening at the moment considering the state of the world.

These women are assertive when expressing their narrative through rap, they’ve taken the power back with words like b*tch and hoe, owning being a “bitch b*tch” and they’ve reclaimed power in self-expression. They’ve taken ownership of their sexuality, promoting sexual liberation and showing fans that their music has the freedom to be masculine or feminine, rebellious or traditional and doesn’t have to stay within the confines of stereotypes. They are empowering, demanding, confident and absolutely refuse to take any sh*t.

Queer rappers like Young M.A. challenge regressive ideas of gender representation and sexuality. Lizzo rejects body shaming and slut-shaming. City Girls have become icons of sexual liberation. Women in 2019 are pushing boundaries, breaking records and not giving a f*ck about what people have to say. With such an assertive presence of more women in rap, some male fans of hip hop and rap still hold on to their internalized misogyny and hold a double standard against women who rap about sex when male rappers have been doing that & much worse since I can remember. 

There is a serious lack of support for women in rap by male fans and it is seriously disappointing because these women are k-killing it! However, women in rap aren’t waiting around & will continue crushing it and elevating other women around them to do the same. It’s a movement. Jump on it or get left behind.

By: Breanna Tugaga-Rogers
@bretugs