Stevie G: Female rappers are doin’ it for themselves, in style

This is arguably the golden age for women in rap. You could argue that there have been better eras. There was a time when Lauryn Hill ruled the world, and the 90s also brought us amazing rappers such as Foxy Brown, Da Brat, Left Eye, Missy Elliot, Eve, Lil’ Kim, and Bahamadia. Before that we had legends such as MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Roxanne Shante and groups such as Salt-N-Pepa and JJ Fad.

The old school deserves maximum respect and all of these legendary women paved the way. There’s hardly a rapper in history that can hold a candle up to Lauryn Hill at her peak, and that goes for men and women. But these days women are dominating rap commercially too.

The girls have been gathering momentum for many years now, and since 2000 Nicki Minaj has certainly been one of the biggest names in hip-hop. Nicki, as mentioned last week, has been number one for ages with ‘Super Freaky Girl’. The Queen Mix also features a whole host of 2022’s best girls on the mic, with JT of City Girls, BIA, Katie Got Bandz, Akbar V, and Maliibu Mitch all offering assistance.

Meanwhile, Cardi B continues to create hit after hit and appears on many strong features too, while Megan Thee Stallion is another who has proved she has some of the best bars in the game.

Latto, who delivered one of 2022’s biggest tunes with her ‘Fantasy’ update ‘Big Energy’, is doing big things at the moment, while Ice Spice will hope to capitalise on her own newfound fame after dropping the infectious drill street banger ‘Munch’.

Coi Leray delivered one of the best performances at the recent Longitude festival, while in the UK the likes of Little Simz, Stefflon Don, Ms Dynamite, Nadia Rose, and (going back) Estelle have proved their worth time and again. Elsewhere, there’s Flo Milli, Kash Doll, Rico Nasty, Erica Banks, Saweetie, and this is just naming a few.

In Ireland, our women are doing big things on the mic, too. Denise Chaila is arguably our best-known rapper right now while King Koko, CelaviedMai, Melanin Tee, and Tracey Jackson are a few of the others making waves, but as I say below, there’s tonnes more out there.

Many of the women obviously have totally different styles and to the non-discerning ear who checks out Cardi or Megan or Nicki, it will sound totally different to the girls who paved the way in the 80s and 90s. But you could say the same about some of the biggest male rappers too. The genre has evolved and so will the MCs.

One thing that won’t change is that rappers will talk a lot of trash. It’s an essential part of the culture really, and there’s a reason why flamboyant figures such as Muhammad Ali were so influential on hip-hop music.

Those who think the girls of today have foul mouths could do well to listen back to some of the hardcore rap that Shante and Lil’ Kim used deliver back in the day. Sure, things seem to be even more sexualised in 2022, but you could also make a good argument that the girls are simply taking control of the narrative.

For so long mere sexual objects to some rappers, it makes sense that many woman are turning things upside down in this regard. The b-word has been turned from an insult into a badge of honour and empowerment, and other close members of the hip-hop family in the pop world, such as Beyonce and Rihanna, have helped spearhead a type of girl power that matches business success with music hits.

As I speak, many of the women are at each other online, and there seems to be a huge beef developing between Nicki and her many rivals, but this happens with men too, and it’s been a part of hip-hop since the block parties back in the Bronx.

The huge commercial success of women in rap means these online fueds will escalate, and the fairly pathetic nature of “stan culture” on Twitter means that many more insults will be traded in the coming weeks.

But at least the women aren’t shooting each other, and at least they are all making some great music. There are plenty more who are waiting in the wings too, so hip-hop better get used to it!