Mar 08, 2016
The disparity between men and women in the hip-hop scene is unmatched by almost any other genre. Women in hip-hop are often thought of to lead a narrow existence next to the word “feat.,” coming in to sing a sexy chorus and then promptly leaving just in time for the men to rap in the verses. In the genre, women are generally either excluded or put in demeaning roles. Cheesy hip hop lyrics and music videos oversexualize women’s bodies, and little of its music is by us or for us.
The musical landscape in the past year has witnessed some incredible moves towards awareness of social justice issues. Many American artists spoke out on the massive issue of police brutality and institutional racism in the country, from Kendrick Lamar’s lyrically eye-opening commentary on African-American culture in To Pimp a Butterfly to Beyonce’s black power references in her Super Bowl performance. M.I.A. advocated for refugees in her song “Borders”, while rapper Killer Mike has been actively campaigning for Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. Hip-hop just might be getting political again, but the question remains: where are the women?
Well, here's five of them. Enjoy:
Sampa The Great
Australian (via Zambia) rapper Sampa The Great has been making quite a splash of late. "Class Trip" is from her mixtape aptly named The Great Mixtape, but she has since released a new mixtape, called Weapon Chosen. She has opened for the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote, Little Simz, and Ibeyi.
Gifted Gab
Seattle rapper Gabby Kadushin goes by the moniker Gifted Gab. "Pay Me," is off her debut Girl Rap, named after receiving the comment 'you're good, for a girl' one too many times. She is the only female in Seattle hip-hop collective/crew Moor Gang.
Magna Carda
With humble beginnings at St. Edward's University in 2012, Megz Kelli and Dougie Do began as a MC/producer duo, and have now been joined by a full band. Magna Carda doesn't seem to have extended their audience far beyond their hometown of Austin, Texas, but hopefully that changes before long. In February, Magna Carda released new album Cirqlation (check it out on Spotify) but my personal favorite is their two-year-old banger, "Shoes $ Money."
Kari Faux
Kari Faux went from Chick-Fil-A waitress to up-and-coming rapper/producer in a matter of years. The Little Rock native prides herself on being the girl next door, but after Childish Gambino discovered her and joined her management team, she has become quite the star.
Jean Deaux
This young artist could be Chicago's next big thing. At only 20-years-old, Jean Deaux is already making a name for herself. She's teamed with Donnie Trumpet on her song "Stay" and is performing at this year's SXSW.
Can't get enough? Check out these honorable mentions:
Little Simz
Dej Loaf
NoName Gypsy
Junglepussy
Jean Grae
Rapsody
Tink
Kamaiyah
Syd/The Internet
Khia
Angel Haze
Lizzo
IMAGE: Saint Heron