Will Women Ever Represent in Hip Hop Again?

Salt N Pepa

Long gone are the days of Salt-n-Pepa, Roxanne Chante, Queen Latifah and the scores of other female emcees that once went toe to toe with their male counterparts in mainstream hip hop. Now it seems the prerequisites for current female rappers include fat asses, 22" Brazilian tracks, and rocking the latest Louboutins.

MC Lyte

  

In the recent history of Hip Hop, there have been very few (if any) female rappers that have competitively gave the industry a shake up based purely on lyricism or being able to deliver dynamic performances.  Lauryn Hill and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot are the last two that come to mind. While Nicki Minaj can definitely spit, her content and the conflicting personalities that she displays makes it hard to classify her as a true female champion of Hip Hop, though her mass marketing appeal may cause others to disagree. 

Newcomers Azaelia Banks, Iggy Azalea, and several others have garnered attention but not any of these ladies seem particularly excited to push for that throne. It seems like female emcees care more about looking the part than actually polishing their crafts by studying past greats. There have been scores of ladies that have generated a little buzz in the rap world but few have failed to materialize into true artists that deserve to carry the torch for the next generation of girls that love and want to be represented in Hip Hop. 

Is it even fair to place such burdens on any woman that seeks to break into the rap industry? I would say yes.

Nicki Minaj

It is no secret that most women in any field of work have to work harder to prove their value, knowledge, or worth. When it comes to breaking into the music industry, one can only imagine the hurdles. Yet when one does so successfully (monetary terms) shouldn't there be accountability to say that you do not have to be the baddest bitch to be a great emcee? There have been scores of male rappers who failed in the looks department but excelled musically and found commercial success. In my opinion many female rappers are inauthentic and seek to become the female versions of popular male artists.

Though we hold on to hope that the glory days of female lyricism will soon return it is looking mighty doubtful. 

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