My Love for Hip Hop – Femcee Edition

To give a very brief overview of the origins of hip hop culture, it began about 46 years ago in the Bronx, New York.  A DJ named Kool Herc is credited with starting this forever evolving movement back in 1973 when he threw a back-to-school block party.  Instead of just playing songs all the way through, he played only the ‘break beats’, which are specific sections of different songs, repeatedly to get the crowd hyped up.  He created a loop using two turntables, two of the same records, and a crossfader on the mixer to effortlessly go back and forth from one record to the other making the break beat play continuously. Dancers would battle against one another doing crazy dance moves to the beats (hence the term, Break Dancers). The movement grew from there, which included MC’ing (rapping), and graffiti art. You can read more about the origins of hip hop, and DJ Kool Herc here:  https://www.complex.com/music/2017/08/how-august-11-became-hip-hop-birthday

My love for hip hop culture began the first time I saw Krush Groove and Beat Street back in 1988.  I was blown away by the music, the lyrics, the style, the grittiness, the confidence, and the audacity of it all.  I was so mesmerized by Shelia E.’s magical drumming, that I begged my parents for weeks for a drum set and sticks that lit up.  My heart swooned listening to Kurtis Blow’s If I Ruled The World.  Run DMC?  Don’t get me started – when I heard their song, My Adidas, I had to have a pair.  To this day, whenever I wear my Adidas (of which I’ve had several pairs over the years) I play that song.  The break-dancing and graffiti art work in Beat Street had me in total awe.  But it wasn’t until I discovered Salt-n-Pepa that I fell completely in love with hip hop. I was totally awed by the fact that those 3 ladies were djing and rocking the mic with such fierceness, sass, sexiness and boldness, all while spitting their lyrics with the gritty delivery of male emcees.

Hip Hop is a male-dominated arena and has been since it’s conception, but it certainly wouldn’t have reached such mass appeal and longevity without the vast amount of female emcees that have broken barriers in hip hop culture, and became fierce forces to be reckoned with; several out shining some of the biggest male hip hop artists of our time.  Having said that, female emcees still don’t get the recognition they deserve.  In this post, I am going to highlight my top 10 favorite female emcees (in no particular order) that have pushed limits, defied stereotypes, and were the backbone of some of the greatest male artists/groups we listen to today:

1. Queen Latifah – Queen Latifah began her hip hop career in 1988.  In 1991 she began Flavor Unit Record and Management Company; to which she signed and managed some of the biggest male hip hop acts such as Naughty By Nature, Apache, Outkast, and Onyx.  Her strong lyrics spoke of  women’s empowerment, the plight of African American women specifically, unity and equality in African American communities, domestic violence, and a host of other issues.  Her footprint in hip hop is hugely undeniable.  Queen Latifah is known more for her wide-ranging acting career these days; as she’s been in over 40 movies, and about 28+ TV shows/films between 1991 – Present.  For more on Queen Latifah, check out the link below:  https://www.biography.com/people/queen-latifah-9542419
2. J.J. Fad – What many people don’t know, and what the movie Straight Outta Compton left out, was that super Group NWA’s first album might not have come out when it did if it weren’t for the dynamic trio, J.J. Fad.  J.J. Fad consists of Juana Burns (MC J.B.), Dania Birks (Baby-D), and Michelle Franklin (Sassy C).  The groups’ hit song, Supersonic took the rap/hip hop world by storm, and their album went gold.  The single, Supersonic reached #10 on the Billboard Dance charts, and stayed there for 8 weeks.  The revenue generated from J.J. Fad’s success was key in Easy E being able to open bank accounts, and ‘clean his money’ to make Ruthless records a legitimate player in the music industry.  The revenue from J.J. Fad’s success also funded N.W.A.’s first album, Straight Outta Compton, which propelled the all male gansta rap group to super stardom.  For more on J.J. Fad, check out the link here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._J._Fad
3. Lil Kim – Back in the early 90’s, Brooklyn, NY’s native Notorious Big took the hip hop world by storm, and in that whirlwind he introduced us to the Junior Mafia, which featured an uninhibited, unapologetic, sassy sister named Lil Kim.  Lil Kim’s debut album, Hard Core shocked the male dominated genre with its sex laced lyrics.  Many emcees were used to the softness and sexiness of groups like Salt-n-Pepa, and the woke lyrics of Queen Latifah and Monie Love.  They weren’t ready for the hit you in the face, sex, money, drugs and fashion talking Lil Kim.  Lil Kim changed the way female emcees were seen.  She broke that glass ceiling on what people felt was socially acceptable for female emcees to rap about.  She also made her mark on the fashion world with her bold, sexy ensembles over the years.  For more on Lil Kim, check out the link here:  https://revolt.tv/stories/2018/07/11/lil-kim-alter-egos-personalities-personas-07000a3092
4. Lauryn Hill – In 1994, a group called The Fugees hit the hip hop scene with their debut album, Blunted on Reality.  The Fugees consisted of Wyclef Jean, Prakazrel “Pras” Michael, and Lauryn Hill.  At that time, hip hop was more focused on the gritty, street stylings of emcees like Wu-Tang, Nas, and Notorious Big, which was a huge factor in the poor album sales, and mixed reviews that Blunted on Reality received.  For their second project, the group linked up with super producer Salaam Remi, and the result cemented the groups place in hip hop history.  Their second album, The Score sold 17 million copies worldwide making The Fugees the highest selling rap group of all time.  In 1998, 2 years after The Score hit shelves, Lauryn Hill came out with her solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and established herself as an incredible, stand alone singer, songwriter, and emcee.  The album sold 19 millions copies worldwide, and received a combined total of 11 various awards.  This was, however, her only studio album, but her combined works on various projects with other artists, as well as the lyricism on her groups’ projects and her own more than solidifies her place in hip hop history.  For more on Lauryn Hill, check out the link here:  https://www.biography.com/people/lauryn-hill-9542643
5. Missy Elliott – Missy has been in the music industry since the early nineties.  She has written songs for Raven Simone, Aaliyah, SWV, and so many others.  Missy has been a force to be reckon with; speaking out against sexism, racism, and pushing back against the industry status quo. She is lyrically a fierce femcee, with bold rhymes about everything from black empowerment to sex. As of recently, Missy Elliott has become the first female artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. For more on Missy, check out the link here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/monicamercuri/2019/01/13/missy-elliott-becomes-first-female-hip-hop-artist-to-be-inducted-into-the-songwriters-hall-of-fame/#5d8426b230f5
6. Roxanne Shante – Roxanne Shante hit the hip hop scene hard at the young age of 14 with her hit Roxanne’s Revenge, which was her response to an earlier song called Roxanne Roxanne recorded by U.T.F.O. in 1984. The success of the Roxanne’s Revenge made Roxanne Shante the first widely known female emcee of that time, and helped to boost the careers of her Queens, NY based crew members, MC Shan, Marley Marl, and a few others also known as the Juice Crew. Roxanne has influenced many major male and female artists in her 11 year rap career including Biz Markie, Nas, Queen Latifah, and MC Lyte. Today, Roxanne Shante has her own radio show on Sirius XM’s Rock the Bells Radio called Have a Nice Day, which can be heard daily from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm. For more on Roxanne Shante, check out the link here: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8221694/roxanne-shante-interview-netflix-biopic-rap-star
7. Salt-n-Pepa – There is so much that can be said about the greatest female emcee group of all time, but I’m going to give an incredibly condensed overview. This all female group hit the rap scene in 1985. They released their first full length album, Hot, Cool & Vicious in 1986, which included tracks such as Tramp, Chick on the Side, and My Mic Sound Nice. But it wasn’t until the release of Push It in 1988, that the group began to gain wide notoriety. The release of their second album, Salt with a Deadly Pepa went certified gold, and cemented Salt-n-Pepa’s place in hip hop history. The group went on to record 3 more studio albums before disbanding in 2002. Salt-n-Pepa’s influence can be heard in much of the music put out by female emcees today. For more on Salt-n-Pepa, check out the link here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt-N-Pepa
8. Foxy Brown – Foxy Brown might not be very active now, but back in the late nineties her name rang out heavily in the hip hop arena. She’s done collaborations with Jay Z, Nas, AZ, Nature, Case, etc. In most of the collaborations she done, she’s held her own or out shined the other male artists on the records. Foxy’s debut album, Ill Na Na was released in 1996. It went platinum, and reached number 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Foxy Brown was a lyrical force with her own unique style and approach mixed with that Brooklyn flavor. For more on Foxy Brown, check out the link here: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/foxy-brown-illest-female-rapper-legend/
9. Remy Ma – Remy Ma hit the hip hop scene in 2006 as a member of Big Pun and Fat Joe’s, Terror Squad. She held, and still holds her own as a key member in the Terror Squad with her show stopping lyrics. Remy has done collaborations with several artists including Lil Wayne, Lil Kim, Chris Brown, and French Montana. Although she went to prison for six years (2008 – 2014) during the height of her career, Remy was able to come back stronger than ever after her release, boosting her popularity with a whole new generation of listeners, and giving some newer female emcees a run for their money. For more on Remy Ma, check out the link here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remy_Ma
10. Rah Digga – Rah Digga makes this list because she is a lyrical beast. She joined a hip hop group called The Outsidaz early in her career, which led to her featuring on a track on the Fugees album, The Score. From there she joined the Flipmode Squad, and featured on several of Busta Rhymes albums. She was also a regular at the famed Lyricists Lounge in New York (where she first met Busta Rhymes), and became one of the leading women of the Lyricists Lounge Movement. Rah Digga’s solo debut album, Dirty Harriet dropped in 2000, and took her career to even higher heights, landing her acting roles in blockbuster movies such as Thirteen Ghosts. Though her second album was shelved in 2004, it did not stop Rah Digga’s momentum. She featured on various mix tape projects, and released an album called, Classic in 2010. For more on Rah Digga, check out the link here: http://read.tidal.com/article/rah-digga-motherhood-rap-career-mothers-day

So, that’s my top 10 female emcees, what’s yours?