If you ask the average listener of mainstream music who the best female rapper is, you probably wouldn’t be too surprised to hear them say Nicki Minaj. She’s not bad, but she certainly isn’t the best. Much like WNBA players, rap fans have the habit of ignoring all other modern female rappers.
Sure someone will name drop Eve or Missy Elliot, but when is the last time either artist released any new music? Once, I heard someone say Iggy Azalea was the best female rapper of today and I felt our rap ancestors collectively give up on this generation. This was before the world of rap music disowned her, though sometimes, in my darkest nightmares, I can hear “Fancy” playing over and over until I awaken, inconsolable in a cold sweat.
She and some of these other women rely on looks and they think it makes up for talent. Showing your assets – emphasis on the “ass” — doesn’t make you a valuable part of the rap industry. It does, however, make you another joke waiting to happen and it’s hard enough to get people to take hip-hop seriously anymore.
I fear female rappers have the same stigma surrounding them as female comedians: they just aren’t as good as their male counterparts. Sure, there are some horrible female rappers out there. Remember Kreayshawn? It took Agent K’s neurolyzer and five shots of vodka to forget the musical tragedy that was her debut album. But here are so many diversely, talented women out there that it’s unfair to generalize them. Besides have you heard the hot garbage that comes from some of today’s male rappers?
Even Drake, once deemed rap’s Canadian savior, spits half-baked rhymes while making these strange jerking movements he probably thinks is dancing. Why not look for lyrical fulfillment with artists like K. Flay? They have just as much skill as any other rapper out there, if not more.
And as problematic as Azealia Banks is, you can’t deny her skills. Same goes for spitfire New York native Angel Haze. Is it looks? Are they too alternative for mainstream fame? They don’t operate on the need to be as well known or flashy as Minaj but they deserve more acknowledgement than they get.
Looking for someone whose flows are more poetic. No problem: Jean Grae is here to satisfy your socially conscious hip-hop needs. Timbaland’s protégé Tink is bringing back all that we loved about rap music in the nineties with her ability to smoothly incorporate R&B and rap. She was featured in Pentaonix’s remix of “Can’t Sleep Love” and made VH1’s list of 15 Female Rappers to Watch in 2015.
Noname Gypsy’s “Cherrypie Blues” makes a fantastic addition to any relaxation playlist. Even Janelle Monae, mostly known for her singing, is a decent rapper as exhibited in her songs “Neon Valley Street,” “Q.U.E.E.N.” and “Electric Lady.”
International stars like South Korea’s CL and the UK’s Lady Leshurr have been gaining popularity in the United States recently. M.I.A has been around for a while and is still adored by audiences internationally.
These women write their own rhymes and produce some of the most prolific songs in the game today without having to rely on gimmicks which is refreshing yet the world keeps sleeping on them like they aren’t someday going to mean the world to other aspiring female rappers – I mean, if they don’t already.
We need to start appreciating other female rappers as much as we revere their male counterparts. The way things are going now, Nicki is going to keep dominating in the Best Female Rap Artist at every awards show for years to come even if it means bringing back alter-egos Roman, Martha the nine other personalities. Though honestly, it’s time for us to give other female MCs a shot at the spotlight.