#women in hip hop

[possible-streetwear]

KELIS

[listography]

CATEGORY IS | FEMALE RAP EXCELLENCE

(in no particular order)

[oldschoolhiphoplust]

Know Your Hip-Hop Pioneers: Lady B

Owning a skill for the art of toasting, Philly’s own Lady B became responsible for the first rap record recorded by a female, 1979’s “To The Beat Y’all.” Recognized as one of the first DJs outside of New York to blast hip-hop, Lady B is monumental to the history of hip-hop radio. Her hit Power99FM radio show, Street Beat introduced many hip-hop class acts the likes of KRS-One, EPMD & Public Enemy to the Philly hip-hop scene. The craft and activism of Lady B uphold the longevity of her legacy.

By Ime Ekpo

*Originally published in 2016

[justythewriter]

I told myself that I wouldn’t sleep on ME this year. So I’m actively sharing my work every day to open myself up to new listeners. Tumblr is my favorite place to do this because it’s not so over saturated. If this hit today please reblog and check out the link for more music.

[womensmusiccanon]

From Qaraami to Dance-Pop - Women of East Africa

Starting our journey off in... Eastern Africa! Yeah, alright, maybe spoiled slightly in the title of the post.

I've had so much fun with this over the last few weeks, and the result of that is brought to you here through some of my top picks. A moment of silence for the albums I wanted to include but didn't due to not being easily accessible </3

The list is not ordered or ranked in any way, though I will admit I've a certain fondness for Saba and Khadja Nin in particular <3.

For ease of access, here's a playlist of some top tracks from each album (ca. and hour and a half), here's an extended version with additional tracks from some artists not featured on this list (ca. two and a half hours), and here's a playlist of the full albums (ca. seven hours), for all your shuffling needs.

Saba - Jidka (2007) Spotify Youtube - A fun and playful somali italian-influenced pop record with some elements R&B, uplifting and a joy to listen to. As a side node, Saba's life story is definitely a google worth, imo.

Mim Suleiman - Umbeya (2012) Bandcamp Spotify Youtube - An obvious inclusion in my book, just a great beat / electro album with some elements of soul. You really fall into the world of this album.

Aster Aweke - Aster (1989) Spotify Youtube A lovely Tizita album, a gem of ms. Aweke's sizeable discography (which you are definitely encouraged to dig into <3). I am so in love with the horns and little flourishes, and the rhythm is just... mwah. Aweke ties it all together really well.

Khadja Nin - Ya Pili (1994) Spotify Youtube - A already mentioned my fondness for Ms. Nin, but damn if it doesn't bear repeating... By all accounts an incredible record that really should be on your list.

Faytinga - Numey (2006) Spotify Youtube - The steady rhythms and Faytinga's distinctive vocals makes for a great experience certain to draw you in. Impresseive record from an equally impressive person.

Muthoni Drummer Queen - She (2018) Bandcamp Spotify Youtube - A bubbling hip hop album with some flavors of R&B and dancehall. The production on this is great and Muthoni is an incredibly engaged performer. It's just overflowing with life and so, so definitely worth a listen.

Sophie Nzayisenga - Queen of Inanga (2021) Bandcamp Spotify Youtube - The album title says it all, really. Even as someone who's not traditionally drawn to the acoustic for the most part, I really enjoyed this album.

Maryam Mursal - The Journey (1998) Bandcamp Spotify Youtube - An unavoidable inclusion on a list like this, and for good reason. A poppy qaraami record with some jazzy notes that deserves all of the acclaim it's gathered over the years - Mursal clearly knows what she's doing and she does it well.

MC Yallah - Yallah Beibe (2023) Bandcamp Spotify Youtube - Ending here with a very recent release, MC Yallah's latest is just such a solid hip hop record. It flows really well, and the industrial undertones really worked for me, which is rare. Definitely someone to keep a look on, imo.

... and that's the list!

Do you have any favorites not on here? Please (please <3) feel more than free to share! Have fun!

[shanteparadigm]

[90363462]

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A post shared by REVOLT (@revolttv)

revolttv

To the women of hip hop’s past, present, and future — thank you, Queens. 👑

We love you.

P.S. This graphic is NOT exhaustive as everyone cannot be included. Show them love in our comments in case we do a Part ✌🏾 of this post.

[simisun]

Here is some new art I just released today, "Aries Rising"

My take on Ohbliv's original production, "Thug Tears".

This is a song of hope, inspiration, and personal motivation for when the tears and frustrations of life feel a bit too heavy. I see you.

There's more on the inspiration behind this in the description of the video.

Thanks for showing support by listening, interacting, subscribing to my YT, donating to the tip jar etc.

Much Love,

SIMI SUN

[possible-streetwear]

KELIS

[listography]

TEN FEMALE ACTS THAT ARE SHAPING THE 2020s

SZA

Dua Lipa

Doja Cat

Billie Eilish

Ice Spice

Olivia Rodrigo

Rosalía

Ethel Cain

Hayley Williams (solo & with Paramore)

Boygenius (Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker)

[oldschoolhiphoplust]

Know Your Hip-Hop Pioneers: MC Pebblee Poo

Starting off as a b-girl in the 70s, MC Pebblee Poo was taught how to rap by music producer Dr.Bomb-Bay who frequently took her to DJ Kool Herc park jams. Poo joined DJ Kool Herc's collective, the Herculords — becoming the hip-hop godfather's first female MC. She is also recognized as one of the first female MC soloists of hip-hop culture. Best known for her role in The Masterdon Committee as their Funkbox hits took off by storm, this femcee's 1985 hit “Fly Guy” became a hip-hop classic. MC Pebblee Poo's contribution to hip-hop holds honor and recognition worldwide. 

By Ime Ekpo

*Originally published in 2016

[ketallpot]

There are entire canons built off women’s legacy in rap. Lil Kim’s legendary squat for her Hardcore album cover — on which she was both figuratively and literally sex-forward — has been imitated, duplicated, and honored ad infinitum. MC Lyte’s classic “10% Dis” — in which the Brooklyn native opens with a disgusted “Hot damn, hot damn, hot damn, hot damn, Hot damn, hot damn, hot damn, hot damn, Hot damn, ho, here we go again” — found new life in Kim’s searing guest verse on Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm (Remix)”: “hot damn ho, here we go again/lyte as a rock, bitch, hard as a cock, bitch.” MC Sha-Rock introduced the echo-chamber effect, a stacking tool that cascaded words as if they reverberated through a room; it would eventually be adopted by Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC. While Rocawear and Sean John were in full swing, it was women who catapulted hip-hop into high fashion, storming the red carpets with Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Versace, and Chanel before name-dropping luxury brands became standard issue in rap verses. That we’re even having this conversation in the year 2023, perhaps the most exciting time to be a fan of women in rap, speaks to how resistant the industry seems to be to rhapsodizing about the genre in terms of more than feats of masculinity. A fan of lyrically dense and cerebral wordplay? Explore the extensive discographies of Rapsody, Chika, and Noname. Maybe theatrical explorations of musical performance are more your thing? Tierra Whack, Leikeli47, Monaleo, Rico Nasty, and cupcakKe are right up your alley. Pussy Rap is available in spades, too: City Girls, Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Cardi B, KenTheMan, and many others have records upon records upon records of sex-forward, sex-positive thrilling songwriting. The girls who keep it southern and ghetto are wide-ranging, from BbyMutha to SexyyRed to GloRilla. Maliibu Miitch and Lola Brooke harness sonics from New York’s ’90s superstars, while the Bronx’s Ice Spice has made a name for herself injecting a delicate cadence to the more contemporary drill sound. Flo Milli has trademarked a uniquely bratty approach to her delivery. Nicki Minaj regularly drops feature after feature showcasing her near-unparalleled versatility as the resident legend.