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BLACK WOMEN RAPPERS ARE HUMANS TOO

There's no doubt that the constant hate that black female rappers receive on the internet can negatively affect their mental health greatly.  People online will hate on the way these rappers present themselves, but also hate on who they are as people, even if they don’t truly know them.  Take Megan Thee Stallion for example.  In the summer of 2020, she was involved in a shooting with male rapper Tory Lanez where he shot her in the foot after an argument occurred.  After news of the event went public, Megan "became the target of a viscious hate campaign fuled by misinformation and men's pre-existing, personal feelings, and dislike of her."  (White-Grier).  People online accused her of lying about the incident in order to put Lanez down, which was far from the truth.  Even to this day, after Lanez has been found guilty in court, people, especially men, continue to come after Megan for "snitching" and constantly try to find ways to degrade her as an artist and person.

In 2024, Megan released a documentary film going into depth about the incident, how it severely affected her mental health, and how she was able to overcome the obstacles she faced because of it.  The mental health portion of the film really highlighted how black women, and black people in general, tend to keep their negative mental health hidden from public view.  In the black community, there is a lot of stigmatization around mental health for multiple reasons.  Things such as suspiciousness about treatment and/or medications, not being familiar with various mental health issues, lack of black professionals in the field that help make them more comfortable are just a few.  These factors can make it more difficult for black people to come forward about their issues, seek professional help, or even acknowledge that they're suffering all together.  (Ayalon, PhD, et al.) 

Black female artists also combat the hate they receive through their music.  Artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Doechii, and Doja Cat have all used their music to either speak out about their mental health, use their haters words against them in their rap lyrics, or both.  In Moya Bailey's book Misogynoir Transformed, she speaks about how black women, when faced with misogynoir, will "create counter content and form alliances which help them navigate and fight back against misogynoir and the people who perpetuate it."  (Asuman, Page 1).  Instead of sitting back and letting the hate they receive bring them down, female rap artists will use the hate to their advantage and create art out of it, benefiting them in the long run. 

However, it is still important to acknowledge that these artists aren’t invincible and are people too.  Just because they are able to fight back against the hate they receive doesn’t mean that we should simply pretend it isn't there at all.  We should be doing our part to speak out against racism, sexism, and misogynoir related hate we see online and call out the people who continue to spread it.  We should also be doing our part to spread awareness about negative mental health, especially within the black community.                      

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WHY ALL THE HATE???

It seems like no matter how black female rappers choose to present themselves, change their brand, or it fit into the mold of how black rappers are "supposed to act", they can never win.  The reason for this is because the hate that is directed towards them are not genuine critiques of their work or person.  All of the hate stems from the patriachal views that society often enforces through the media we consume.  In Bell Hooks' novel Feminism Is For Everybody: Passionate Politics, she discusses the true definition of feminism and how men continue to perpetuate sexist ideas.  The reason that many men still do this is because they greatly benefit from existing in a patriarchal society, whether they realize it or not, and they do not want to lose those privileges.  (Hooks).  Due to things like "the rise of incel culture, the push to undo the work of the #MeToo movement and feminism, and powerful political figures who dehumanize women combine to make hating women appear casual.  Fun even." (White-Grier).

A lot of rap music that's made and performed by men generally ignored the presence of women or defined them as objects of male pleasure.  (Goodall).  As stated before, black female rap artists are often over-sexualized simply due to the fact that they are black women.  In the hip-hop genre, male artists music videos will often have "female characters [be] used as props, there for decoration but otherwise ignored."  (Frisby et al, Page 4).  This over-sexualization of women in the hip-hop industry leads to male artists or men in general dehumanizing women as a whole.  On the flip side, some people will criticize black female rappers for displaying themselves in a sexual manner, even if the artists choose to perform that way themselves.  People will call them disgusting or claim that their rap lyrics have no substance to them.  Megan Thee Stallion, for example, often has comments thrown at her online that state that twerking was the root of her success as an artist.  (White-Grier). 

Some of the hate that black female rappers receive even comes from other black female rappers.  One of the most notable examples is Nicki Minaj.  Over the years, the famous rap artist has curated a large following on social media, especially on Twitter/X where she has over 20 million followers.  Minaj has also grown a very large and loyal fanbase, perhaps one that's slightly too loyal.  On social media, Minaj has been able to "emotionally connect with fans, through a construction of virtual intimacy that allows fans to interact with her on their own terms."  (Hunter et al, Page 12).  This unfortunately makes the fans feel very over-protective and defensive of their favorite artist.  Almost every time a new black female rap artist begins to grow in popularity or receive praise for their work (for example Doja Cat or Doechii), Nicki Minaj fans (or Barbz) will come out of the wood work and immediately discredit the artist.  They will make claims saying that their music is terrible and Nicki's is better, that the artist is ripping off Nicki's music and style, or that the artists will never take Nicki's spot.  While it's true that Nicki Minaj is a very talented and influential rapper, her fanbase can't seem to let other female rap artists have their time in the spotlight, regardless if they are trying to "steal it from Nicki" or not. 

While black female rappers continue to receive hate comment after hate comment, the average person rarely thinks about how those comments might affect these artists mentally.

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FACING MISOGYNOIR

Despite their fame and success, many black female rappers are faced with large amounts of hate, especially on the internet.  Whether it's online harassment, hate comments, or "comedic" degrading videos, a majority of the hate received stems from misogyny.  To be more specific, it stems from misogynoir, which Moya Bailey defines as "racist misogyny that black women experience, particularly in American visual and digital culture." (Asuman, Page 1).  Bailey's book Misogynoir Transformed specifically focuses on how social media has made it easier for cis-heterosexual men to create content that perpetuates misogynoir. 

In terms of race specifically, in recent years, there has been a growing amount of racism and hate speech on various online platforms.  Social media apps such as Facebook and Twitter/X have been shown to have many users that engage in this type of behavior, whether it be through meme posts or hateful comments.  What's worse is that some of these apps are at fault for encouraging hate to be spread on their platforms due to those types of posts quickly gaining popularity with their specific algorithms.  These apps have recently been "criticized for providing vast anonymity for harassers and for being permissive with racist content disguised in humor because it triggers engagement."  (Matamoros-Fernandaz, Page 2).  While many users online continue to call out this type of behavior, whether it be targeted at the perpatrators or the companies themselves, it is still not enough to stop the hate speech entirely.  It also doesn't stop the victims of said hate speech to gain access to the content that's being posted, no matter if they are ordinary people or celebrities.

The online hate that female rappers receive can be related to their sound, the subject matter of their music, their looks, their femininity, their masculinity, their blackness, their bodies, the way they present themselves or their sexuality.  So, pretty much everything about them. 

This type of behavior isn't just restricted to the internet.  Within the hip-hop community, men often attempt to "deter women's entrance and subsequent rise in the field by, typically, subjecting these women to attacks on their personal, ie, sexual, reputations and/or placing them before their male peers for judgement." (Goodall, Page 2).  This constant hate can make it difficult for these artists to truly express themselves or even make a name for themselves in the industry.  It doesn't seem to matter how much female rappers try to adjust their image or change their music to fit the standards of what a rapper should look like.  As long as people continue to have patriarchal and anti-black mindsets, the hate they receive won't stop.  

In the next blog post, I will focus on the source of the hate that female rappers receive as well as why they continue to be attacked in the first place.    

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HISTORY, ICONOGRAPHY, AND BOUNDARIES BEING BROKEN

Black female rappers have used their music to greatly influence the genre of hip-hop in more ways than one.  The mere presence of female rappers in the music industry have helped combat sexism that stemmed from male rap music, allowing them to confront barriers by fully expressing their social, political, emotional and sexual concerns.  (Goodall).  Whether its with the genius of their rap lyrics, their unique sense of style, their attention-grabbing stage presence, or their progressiveness as artists, black female rappers have been able to change the game of hip-hop for the better.  This is especially impressive because compared to their male counterparts, it is much more difficult for black female rappers to achieve the same amount of success and fame, let alone make a name for themselves in the industry at all. 

The popularity of female rappers provided those artists the opportunity sexually express themselves freely, and not by the standards of other men.  Gradually, female rap artists began to display their sexuality the way they wanted to and allow female fans to gain a stronger sense of pride in their own bodies.     

Just a few weeks ago in early April, Billboard released a list of the best female rappers of all time.  Out of the 25 iconic and influential female rappers on the list, with Queen Latifah, Lil Kim, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, being in the top five, rapper Nicki Minaj took the number one spot.  (Billboard, 2025).  This is no surprise, seeing as how much fame and influence the artist has in the present day.  By creating a unique brand for herself, both through her music, style, and body image, Minaj was able to achieve tremendous success over the years.  The artist calls herself a Black Barbie, referincing the iconic Mattel doll, due to the way she presents herself.  By using things like cosmetic surgery, make-up, and clothes, Minaj is able to draw extra attention to certain parts of her body to emphasize her hyper-femininity and hypersexuality.  Altering things like her hair, eyelashes, breast, butt and legs allows her to have an artificial and doll-like image, thus, branding her as a Black Barbie.  With these alterations, Nicki Minaj is able to present "her body for the public gaze as 'hyperblack' as she exaggerates the bodily features most associated with black womanhood, a curvaceous figure and a large butt."  (Hunter et al, Page 9).        

In the music videos Nicki Minaj creates, she often "presents her body much like a video dancer.  The camera angles always focus on her breasts, butt, thighs, and face, yet Minaj is the main attraction.  She is the rapper and the video vixen simultaneously." (Page 6).  A great example of this is in her incredibly popular (and at the time, controversial) music video for her song Anaconda.  Where black women would often be sexualized and objectified by male artists in their own videos, Minaj chooses to present her body in a sexual manner but on her own terms and in her own way.  She also does so in a way that shows that she's proud of the way she looks. 

In her own unique way, the artist is able to blur "boundaries of race, gender, and sexuality in order to draw in many fans and expand the possibilities for black performance artists."  (Page 8).  Other artists such as Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B sexually present themselves in a similar way, taking pride in their bodies and being unapologetic about their black features.

While some people may consider these types of visuals empowering and iconic, others may view them as inappropriate and demeaning to (black) women, especially, people on the internet.  In my next blog post, I will talk about how female rappers sometimes receive rampant amounts of hate on social media simply for being themselves.

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INTRODUCTION

If someone spends a lot of time on the internet or they like to keep up with what their favorite celebrities are doing, there’s no doubt they have been some of them receive hate from other users on the platforms they use.  However, when it comes to black female rappers, this hate becomes a lot more common place.  Even though many of them are incredibly popular, successful, and skilled at their craft, they are constantly sent negative comments about their lack of talent, their bodies, their behavior, how they present themselves and so on.  This hate can come from strangers, so-called “fans, wanna-be journalists who lack professionalism, and even other rappers that are in the industry alongside them.

The main objective of this blog is to discuss the prevalent misogynoir that both old and new female rappers face in the music industry.  The blog will also dive into the history of female rappers, their growth and experimentation with their music, and how they were able to achieve success despite the hatred thrown at them.  The rationale for my topic is that while some people might be aware of the hatred female rappers receive, they might not know why they constantly receive this hate or where these types of behaviors or comments actually stem from.  The question guiding my project is “Why is misogynoir towards female rappers such a prevalent issue and will it improve or worsen over time?”  With my blog, I aim to bring more attention to this topic, especially because many people enjoy listening to music from these artists.  I am hoping that doing so might be able to help fix the present issue and help those who may behave this way improve their behavior once they see how negatively it impacts others. 

This project relates to gender and media because it’s focus is on female rappers in the music industry.  According to Krijnen and Van Bauwel, there are large gender disparities when it comes to music artists, with females often being overlooked and overshadowed compared to males.  When it comes to “women of color in the music industries, the disparity is even larger.”  (Bauwel, 2022).  In fact, when it comes to media industries in general, “white, affluent, heterosexual men have an overwhelming presence… Women, ethnic minorities, sexual minorities, and other minorities are less present or simply excluded.”  (Bauwel, 2022).  While it seems like female artists should be more popular because “audiences seem to buy female artists’ records, Top 40 DJs seem to play more records by male artists than female artists.”  (Bauwel, 2022). 

Throughout my blog, I will go into depth about the barriers black female rappers have broken over the years, focusing on certain artists in particular, the types of online hate that these artists constantly receive online, why it is being received at all, how the artists are negatively affected by this hatred, and how, despite everything, they are able to come out on top and continue to be themselves.