Lil Durk recently took to social media to give praise to women in the industry. He wrote on his Instagram Story yesterday, “Make hip hop fun again.” The rapper went on to say, “We understand everybody got money but let’s f*ck em up like we was doing s/o the females who been working salute keep going up.”
Women have been eating up the game lately, and most are quick to stand behind fellow women in hip hop. Just today, 22-year-old NYC artist Scar Lip received praise from rap star Cardi B. Cardi gave her own shoutout, telling her followers that she “really [wants] her to make it.” She went on to tease a potential collaboration with the newcomer, who’s also worked alongside Snoop Dogg. Latto also revealed earlier this year that she doesn’t charge other female artists for features. “I utilize my power in uplifting others on my way up,” she told Billboard. Yesterday, it was also revealed that female MC GloRilla is nominated for six BET Awards this year. She’s nominated for Album Of The Year, as well as Best Female Hip Hop Artist, Best New Artist, and more.
Lil Durk has been very vocal on social media as of late. Earlier this week, he hopped on Instagram again to share some unconfirmed plans with followers. “I want to hold the biggest prayer in Chicago for Muslims that bring everybody together soon as pride to the side,” he wrote on his Instagram Story. He went on to claim he wants to squash “petty beef,” saying, “Then after get problems off my chest help the petty beef go away private location.”
Just yesterday, Lil Durk also suggested a potential collaboration between him and country singer Morgan Wallen. “Me and Morgan should do a album together,” he wrote on Instagram, “[First] to do it.” He went on to say, “Everything we do we win might as well do a country album.” Durk and Wallen previously collaborated on the Almost Healed track “Stand By Me.”
Hip-Hop isn’t the worldwide phenomenon that it is today without the presence of female artists. Hip-hop emerged in the late 1970s to early 1980s. The echoes of the Black Power movement existed in the expression of the genre’s early days. In fact, women were at the frontlines of this culture. From Queen Latifah to MC Lyte, many female rappers played a crucial role in mainstreaming hip-hop. It all started in 1980 when Sylvia Robinson released “Rapper’s Delight.” It was the first hip-hop song to achieve commercial success and to chart in the Billboard Top 40.
No matter who you are, you need to be prepared if you’re going to work in the hip-hop space. It’s a deeply competitive space, with artists going from relevancy to unimportance overnight. However, it’s not to the same extent that it was in the ’80s, according to Grammy-nominated rapper Monie Love: “Today you need to have thick skin, but back in the 80s, you need to be a rhino, honey, because for one, you could be as good as any man and you still wasn’t getting the level of respect that you deserved as a woman on the mic.”
Women In Hip-Hop Were Doubted In The ’80s & ’90s
American hip hop band Salt-n-Pepa (Jamaican-American rapper Pepa, American DJ Spinderella, and American rapper Salt), with Pepa and Salt wearing denim jackets with their arms folded, in a studio portrait, location unspecified, United States, circa 1990. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Throughout the ’80s, women continued to struggle with notions surrounding sexism in the hip-hop industry. However, pinpoint moments began to change the conversation surrounding women in hip-hop. One of those moments came in 1989 with “Ladies First,” a collaborative track between Love and Queen Latifah. You also had Yo-Yo’s “You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo” with fellow California rapper Ice Cube. With the two bouncing off each other amid a West Coast-style beat, the track was another piece of outspoken female empowerment.
Female rap group Salt-n-Pepa arguably played the most significant role in getting the music world to take female hip-hop seriously. The group released their first studio album in 1986 with Hot, Cool & Vicious. Even the most rudimentary of hip-hop fans have likely heard “Push It.” The single would go Platinum and reach No. 19 on the Billboard charts. The group made it their mission to prove that sensuality and hip-hop were not mutually exclusive. They encouraged other female MCs to express their fullest selves rather than fall into the mold of the hip-hop industry.
Female Artists Pushed Against Stereotypes Surrounding Image
The members of American Hip Hop and R&B group TLC pose backstage during an appearance on an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Chicago, Illinois, November 17, 1992. Pictured are, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes (1971 – 2002) (in blue and orange), Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Williams (blond hair), and Rozanda ‘Chilli’ Thomas. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
However, hip-hop began to edge into the suit-and-tie culture by the early ’90s. The corporatization of the genre emphasized meeting the bottom dollar rather than curating genuine artistic expression. Roxanne Shante expanded on this, stating, “I say that that shift started in the early ’90s when they took the female rapper and didn’t make her the more prominent female figure in hip-hop. Instead, they took the video vixen and made her the more prominent figure in hip-hop, so people were looking for her rather than looking for a lyricist.” With female artists increasingly being treated as objects of sexuality, a counterculture was forming against this trend by the late ’90s to early ’00s.
Missy Elliott spearheaded that counterculture. By the early ’00s, hip-hop was well on its way to becoming the biggest genre in the United States. Rap songs were being blasted in the malls of American suburbs. Elliott’s larger-than-life performances proved that a female MC could be successful without choosing to sexualize her image. In addition, her carefree and blissful artistic expression was a breath of fresh air in a genre covered in violence and aggression. Of course, Elliott wasn’t the only beacon of individuality in the female hip-hop space. You also had the likes of Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah, and Mary J Blige.
Bold Female Personalities Are Blowing Up Existing Norms
Building on the foundations of female expression from the ’80s to the early ’00s, female hip-hop is becoming increasingly synonymous with hip-hop. Nicki Minaj walks a tightrope between existential heartbreak and a bubbly demeanor. The Bronx-born Cardi B’s bombastic personality is tailor-made for reality TV, rapping amidst expensive beats that resemble Meek Mill. Megan Thee Stallion throws up a series of alter-egos ranging from nihilistic to self-deprecating, attacking those who only acknowledge her for her sexual image. These wide ranges of mainstream female hip-hop personalities prove that the existing stereotypes surrounding identity in the industry are rotting away with time.
The stark reality is that the genre’s treatment of women isn’t mutually exclusive to hip-hop. Much like the WNBA, women in hip-hop are traditionally paid less and receive less attention than their male peers. However, the vacuum in which femininity can be expressed in hip-hop is evaporating. From the influences of Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill to modern-day artists such as Little Simz or Nicki Minaj, the story of female empowerment is an ongoing one that started in the late 1970s.
In the years since Cardi B emerged, women have had a bigger presence in hip-hop than in any other era prior. However, these same women have also faced their fair share of criticism as Cardi B has. The Invasion of Privacy star, for instance, was propelled to stardom off the strength of “Bodak Yellow,” leading many to believe that she’s an “industry plant.” It’s an easy allegation to throw around without necessarily looking past the years leading up to the success of her break-out hit.
The “Up” rapper detailed the industry politics when it comes to signing female rappers and it’s not so different than their male counterparts. “The record labels are putting money behind the girls that people listening to,” she explained. As a result, different artists are coming up faster than others. “The labels only go with who’s getting the most listens, who are getting the most plays, who are people watching more,” she added. “You can not blame nobody for that, you can’t blame no machine for that. You can’t blame nothing for that. Labels are only going to put money behind artists that people are listening to.”
Cardi went on to explain that the labels base their budget on analytics. Artists who aren’t bringing in significant streams will receive less attention and funds than those that are trending on DSPs. “Labels are only going to put money behind artists that people are listening to. And you can’t hate on that,” she added. “You can’t hate on nobody else’s come up. ‘Cause everybody going to be like, ‘Huh, the label’s putting more money behind this…’ They do analytics. Whoever the people are listening to, they’re going to put money behind it,” she said.
Although it seems unfair, given the disparities between marketability vs. talent these days, Cardi thinks that people’s fanbases need to do the groundwork. In short, she believes that people need to support their favorite artists, whether that’s streaming their music heavily or introducing them to bigger audiences. “Promote their shit, make a fanbase for them. Once the labels start seeing that – they have a hard following – they gonna follow up. You can’t hate on the game. That’s the game,” she added. Check Cardi’s comments above.
Here with another controversial remark is Blueface, who has recently been riding a viral wave. The California rapper hasn’t ceased being involved in controversy, especially concerning his girlfriend, Chrisean Rock. It seems the two have a volatile love-hate relationship, as they have engaged in physical altercations. Their violence didn’t end in circulating social media videos; the Zeus network even tapped them to star in their own reality series, Crazy in Love.
Blueface and Chrisean seem to love the attention as they capitalize on their growing fame. Rock has developed quite the entertainment career as she works on new music, stars in the show with Blue, and is a featured cast member in the unscripted Baddies franchise. Recently, Blueface suggested Rick Ross and Lil Baby tried to hit on Rock, and he now claims women in Rap must have sex with their fellow artists if they’re looking for a feature.
Blueface Talks Women Wanting To Collaborate
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JUNE 12: (L-R) chriseanroc and Blueface attend the ZEUS Network BADDIES SOUTH Houston Premiere at Regal Edwards Greenway Grand Palace ScreenX & RPX on June 12, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for The ZEUS Network)
Blue and Chrisean were recent guests on the Bootleg Kev Podcast. During the chat, the host questioned something Blueface said. “Are you saying she would have to have sex with the artist to get the feature? Is that what you’re saying?” asked Kev. Blueface looked confused at the question. “Yeah, at some point,” he answered. Kev was in disbelief and disagreed. Blueface told him he didn’t know because he’s not an artist.
Rock chimed in to ask her man if he was saying he has sex with artists who are women who ask for features. Blueface told her he doesn’t collaborate with women in that capacity. “I’m saying, there’s a lot of unreleased songs between males and females that had sex, and these songs never were released,” Blueface alleged. Why? “We’ll never know.”
As Blue makes audacious statements across social media, the public has waited on Rock to respond. The allegations that Lil Baby and Rick Ross reached out to her and called her “sexy” came from Blueface. However, Rock seems to laugh away the controversy as people question whether or not it’s a smart industry move to cut off fellow artists for a brief internet moment. Check out Blueface’s latest above.
Latto recently described herself as “a girl’s girl” when discussing why she doesn’t charge up-and-coming female rappers for features. Moreover, the statements came from the “Lottery” rapper’s recent interview with Billboard for their Women In Music photoshoot series. While the Columbus, Ohio-born artist is in a high industry echelon right now, she also reflected on her early beginnings with her breakout 2020 hit “B***h From Da Souf.” Also, she spoke on the early love she got from stars like Trina, City Girls, SZA, Queen Latifah, and many more. “I get a lot of love,” she said with a bright smile. “Real recognize real.”
Furthermore, she elaborated on why she doesn’t let money get in the way of her features for a rising female artist. “My No. 1 thing has been being a girl’s girl,” she expressed. “I utilize my power in uplifting others on my way up. When you see Latto do a feature with an upcoming female rapper, I don’t charge them. The label got to cover the glam, but I don’t profit off that.” Moreover, a lot of that industry love carried over as careers blossomed into superstardom. For example, she recently remixed SZA’s track “Smoking on my Ex Pack,” nodding one of her early supporters in the game.
Latto Speaks On Rising Female Rappers On Billboard
However, the 777 MC’s career trajectory hasn’t progressed without its feuds, unfortunately with one of her idols. During the same Billboard interview and after a couple months of reflections, she spoke on her public beef with Nicki Minaj. What could’ve been an opportunity to unite against industry bias devolved into insults and the posting of private messages. “It’s difficult navigating through situations like that because there’s a disconnect. I will look at myself as a fan of someone and they will view [me] in a whole different light,” the 24-year-old expressed. “It’s disappointing. You just got to take it to the chin and keep pushing.”
Still, Latto seems to be primarily looking forward to the future. “The content I’m about to roll out is a whole fresh new leaf,” she told Billboard. “I genuinely love to see the new wave of female rap, and I’m honored to be a part of it.” Given her star-making success and self-proclaimed generosity in the industry, the celebrity is poised to be a leader as well. Regardless, log back into HNHH for the latest updates and news from Latto.
Despite being praised as an innovator,Missy Elliott never ceases to pay respect to artists that helped pave the way for her success. The Virginia hitmaker’s classics are imprinted across several genres. Missy is hailed as one of the greatest to ever do it, and in her chat with Forbes, she spoke on the importance of helping the next generation of artists. She came into the industry at a young age and knows what it’s like for rising stars. “There’s nothing like having the support of someone,” said Elliott.
“I had people like Mary J. Blige and Diddy tell me what to do and how to be a go-getter, a hustler, be consistent and be different. Things you need in this industry.” She added, “A lot of times, it’s not as easy as it looks. People only get a chance to see the glitz and glamour and don’t know what it’s like to go through things behind the scenes. So, when you have that mentor, it’s everything, especially someone who has already been on that walk. It’s very important for me to be a big sister to those coming behind me because I had Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Salt-N-Pepa be that to me.”
We saw several pioneers join together for an epic performance at this year’s Grammy Awards. We’re celebrating Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary, and Missy shared why women in Rap are instrumental in the genre’s success. “Women have played a big part in what we call Hip Hop in this culture,” she said. “These women are my friends, and we don’t just come together when it’s time to perform. We speak on the phone and hang around each other, but I’m never in such a relaxed, comfortable space. I always think about how these are the same women that I looked up to and still do.”
“They have kicked down the doors for all the women you see today in 2023. Even if the women that are out now may not be familiar with all of their records, they have to know that these women are the reason they’re able to be on many of these platforms.” Salt-N-Pepa made Missy “want to be an emcee.” She called them “the whole package” and the main reason Elliott “got into rapping.” Hopefully, more of our favorite artists will continue to mentor aspiring entertainers.
When the Queen drops off advice—Latifah, that is—Hip Hop listens. She is widely respected as a Rap pioneer who aided in changing the game, especially for women on the scene. There weren’t many ladies taking to the microphone when Queen Latifah emerged, but now that she has a successful career in and out of music, she’s delivering advice for other women making waves in Rap.
“Don’t be a pawn, control your career, speak from the heart, say what you want to say, represent us, and let’s go. Let’s get this,” she told Laverne Cox on the Grammys red carpet. Latifah was one of dozens of artists who performed during the Grammys’ Hip Hop 50th tribute. She’s ready for another 50 years, and she hopes women in Hip Hop will steer clear of letting the industry take advantage of their talents.
Like the men in the genre, women are often seen fighting with one another. Whether online or throwing subtle jabs lyrically, it’s easy to find artists with deep-seated tensions. “I would say to you, now is the time for you to do whatever the F you want with your career because we had that done to us,” Latifah told E! News. “A lot of crews kind of claimed, like, the one female in the group and wouldn’t kind of let us all work with each other sometimes.”
“Then the smart ones, of course, we got to jump on each other’s records and make smash hit music and elevate the whole genre,” she added. “So, if you have the power, or if you want to work with somebody, go work with them. It’s all ego… And most of the time, it’s not our ego. It’s somebody else’s ego competing against someone else’s, and we’re just the pawns.”
Of course, Latifah didn’t speak on anyone specifically, but it didn’t take long for people to weigh in. For those who didn’t focus on naming names, they were happy to see an icon take a stance against division in Hip Hop and advocate for unity.
She jumps genres whenever she pleases, leaving people debating whether Doja Cat should be considered a rapper. Undoubtedly, Doja has dominated Pop circles as her career has elevated meteorically over the years; however, some have found it difficult to fit her into one particular category. The singer doesn’t seem to mind, but she does believe she deserves more credit as a rapper than she has received.
In her cover feature for Variety, the conversation drifted to Elvis. Doja’s “Vegas” inclusion on the soundtrack was a megahit, and she called it “one of the greatest experiences.” She also said, “I went in and I was like, ‘Finally, I get to rap again.’ A lot of people discredit me, so it’s nice to just put another one in the f*cking bucket for a great rap song.”
INDIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 24: Singer Doja Cat performs on the Main Stage during Weekend 2, Day 2 of the 2022 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 24, 2022 in Indio, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella)
She also addressed people who feel like they’ve been inundated with Doja Cat news nonstop. Since her first taste of viral fame years ago, pop culture has been riding a never-ending Doja train. It isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The rapper understands why it may annoy the public. “I just got an award [from iHeartRadio] for a billion spins on the radio, so with that alone, I’m constantly being shoved down people’s throats.”
“I would be upset if I saw somebody who has kind of been fed to me as this pop-star girl with a fat ass making it to this level of rap icon,” said Doja. “After I’ve only been watching them do disco sh*t and pop sh*t all the time.” She promised that her next record would be more Rap than her other releases. That will be interesting, considering she’s been peddled as a Pop Princess.
Check out more from Doja Cat’s feature with Variety below. In addition to her photo spread, she also sat down with the publication for a game of “Smash or Pass.” This time, it was with her own records. Do you believe Doja Cat deserves more credit as a rapper?
Hot Girl Summer is still several months away, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start preparing with some female-first anthems in the winter. One of the artists who’s never been afraid to let her confidence shine on the track is Flo Milli – fans will know this from her viral “Conceited” track that landed last summer.
The catchy song is just one of 17 on the Alabama artist’s debut album, You Still Here, Ho?. It’s remained in rotation far past its original debut, and to ensure her work markedly sticks in the minds of listeners, the 23-year-old is back with a remix featuring Lola Brooke and Maiya The Don.
Flo Milli attends “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Tour” at The Loft on October 17, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)
On Friday (January 27), the official remix of “Conceited” chiefly landed on DSPs, along with a cool new music video on YouTube. In a celebratory Instagram post, Milli warned listeners, “Pump Ya Breaks Bitch, ‘Cuz This Our Weekend!!!”
For Lola’s part, she came through with impressive bars on the second verse, following the original rap diva’s braggadocious intro.
“Pump your brakes, bitch, ’cause this how we came / How you feelin’ the day Lo? I’m far from conceited,” she begins. “Still a hood bitch, catchin’ dues out of Niemans / No discount for the LV snizzers.”
Afterward, we hear from Maiya, who also has some things to get off her chest. “Cocky ass bitch, I need ya neck to put my foot on / If I ain’t posted wouldn’t know what the put on / I pop shit just to show you who the biggest / I made a career out of shittin’ on bitches.”
Stream Flo Milli’s “Conceited” remix featuring Lola Brooke and Maiya The Don on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, revisit the Alabama native’s debut album here.
Quotable Lyrics:
I huff then I puff then I blow shit down (Ooh) Stand-up bitch, ho, go sit down (Damn) Put your ear on my coochie, hear this ocean sound (Uh) (I fuck once) Boy, you old d*ck now
Coi Leray is in the midst of a stunning resurgence. While rap fans undoubtedly slept on her versatile debut album despite standout singles like “Blick Blick” and “Anxiety,” she bounced back late last year with the Grandmaster Flash-sampling “Players.”
Today, in a new interview with Billboard, she discusses the ups and downs of her career so far and explains why “it’s no competition” among her fellow female rappers as they storm the charts in a way that hasn’t been seen in hip-hop in nearly 20 years.
“I don’t compete with them, because you just can’t,” she says. “The best thing about this industry [is], there’s room for everybody. That’s why it’s no competition. I could be here and you could be here right with me. At the end of the day, even if we at the top of the mountain, I’ma be Coi and you gonna be you, and we could trade places or I could become someone else. I’m gonna determine my greatness, my destiny, and my future. What’s for you is for you, while we’re at the top together. Steel sharpens steel.”
She also listed some of her favorite peers in the rap game, naming GloRilla, Ice Spice, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Flo Milli, and rising star Lola Brooke, as well as name-checking Latto, who was recently embroiled in a ghostwriting controversy over leaked reference tracks for Coi’s “Blick Blick” and BIA’s “Whole Lotta Money.”
(@latto777)
