girl rap

historically, women in the rap scene are not afforded the same respect as men. misogyny in both the industry and the music are topics that have been talked about time and time again. according to a 2006 article in the journal of black studies, misogynistic rap lyrics can even be found to fit in 6 general categories("(a) derogatory statements about women in relation to sex; (b) statements involving violent actions toward women, particularly in relation to sex; (c) references of women causing "trouble" for men; (d) characterization of women as "users" of men; (e) references of women being beneath men; and (f) references of women as usable and discardable beings" (p. 940).) its not hard to see how this relates to the patriarchy and specifically misoginoir both in the rap scene and at large. women, specifically black women, are talked about in dehumanizing and objectifying ways, with their sexualities and existance as sexual beings being a driving factor. its easy for critics to use this to write off rap as a genre, however that would be ignoring the long history of rap as a vehicle to give voice to historically marginalized (specifically black) communities. women deserve a place in rap just as much as men do. black women deserve to liberate themselves through music, express their deepest struggles, and to be credited for the work they do in influencing and shaping rap as a genre. and, ultimately, they deserve to express their own sexuality on their own terms in a genre that has historically dictated that for them. this page is for celebrating all of the amazing women in rap who have trailblazed the genre and helped to give women a seat at the metaphorical table.

early days

did you know the first diss track in rap was written by a woman? roxanne shanté is credited with that when she, at 14 years old in 1984, wrote a diss track countering UTFO's own song about a woman named roxanne, that she called "roxanne's revenge". from there, the roxanne wars sparked as everyone tried to get in on the diss track train with their own responses to the storyline that was being created. since then, many more woman trailblazers have come through. in 1999, lauryn hill received 5 grammys for her album "the miseducation of lauryn hill", becoming the first rap album to ever win album of the year. lil kim in particular is known as "the blueprint for female rappers", for a variety of reasons. her lyricism, her iconic style, and her unabashed sexuality made waves industry, the aftershocks of which are still felt. with such inspirational core influences, its not hard to see how female rap has evolved since.