Throughout Hip-Hop’s journey, there have been many great emcees to bless the mic. Yet it’s funny that when discussing some of the greatest emcees to ever live, we often neglect to mention the female emcees who have paved the way as well. From Mc Lyte, and Queen Latifah to Jean Grae and Bahamadia, a female emcee has been Hip-Hop’s best kept secret for decades.
Some may wonder what makes for a good femcee, as she is most notably nicknamed. To me a good femcee has a combination of lyrics, swagger, and a hot flow. She can be rough, but still have that feminine quality about her that sets her apart from any man. In my opinion some of the illest females to ever grace the mic include Jean Grae, Bahamadia, Shawnna, Lauryn Hill, and Rah Digga. There are many more on my list, from new to old school, from underground to mainstream but these ladies stick out mainly for their original approach to the game. When you hear any of these ladies on the track, you know exactly who you are listening to and will not be disappointed with the outcome.
Now I know many may wonder about Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, or Trina who have been some of the most notable female rappers in mainstream Hip-Hop. However, my only problem with these females or any emcees in general, is people who don’t write their own material. Ghost writing is most definitely apart of Hip-Hop, some male rappers have them but it is more prominent as well as accepted amongst females in the game. To me, you can’t be considered one of the best if you have had someone else writing for you. You are no longer original, but rather a parakeet that merely mimics what it hears.
Other than this obviously being a male dominated society, I wondered if the reason why females are often overlooked in Hip-Hop can be directly correlated with the misogyny within some of these rap videos. Can you really take a woman who wants to rap seriously when on any given video; you see another woman used as a video prop merely shaking her ass in the camera?
I must admit that may make it a little more difficult to take women seriously. Another big problem is the fact that a lot of these female rappers are using “Sex as a Weapon.” It’s true that we are of a generation where sex sells and most of the female rappers today are definitely using that to their advantage. There’s nothing wrong with rapping about sex, my only problem is that if you’re going to rap about sex have some variety as well. So where does that leave those females who are conscious rappers? They are often shunned, overlooked, and never given their proper credit.
I have my own opinions, but I truly set out to discover the reason why so many females are slept on in the game. I came up with a few questions to get to the center of this issue.
- What Makes A Good Femcee?
- Do You Think That Video Hoes “Models” Make It Difficult For Females To Be Taken Seriously In The Music Industry?
- Do You Think That A Female Rapping About Sex (i.e. Lil Kim) Gets More Recognition Than A Female Spitting More Positivity (i.e. Jean Grae)
- Who Are Your Top Five Femcees…Why?
- There Has Been A lot Of Drama Surrounding Females In The Game Fighting And Hating On Each Other…Especially When Discussing Who Takes The “Queen Of The South” Title…Who Is The True Queen Of The South And Why?
I was surprised that many people actually had a consensus on this issue. This is what the people had to say.
L. Bradley
senior broadcast journalism student
“ 1. A great FEMCEE knows how to stand out.
There’s nobody like Lil Kil, Trina, etc.
2. I think video hoes do make it hard for females to stand out. Females are supposed to sexual, wear skimpy clothes, and shake their asses before you can even hear if they have talent or not. Olivia was an example. It was hard to even tell if she had talent because she was forced to look like a video hoe and dance.
3. Females rapping about sex does get more attention. You hear more Lil Kim and Trina and you have a hard time naming the females who do not rap about sex..
4. I have to come back to them. There are too many for me to name off the top of my head.
Well, Roxeanne Shante is number one.
5. I have to say Trina is the queen of the south. She just keeps coming back. She’s made her trademark, put her business out, and still showed the world she can keep going.
6. I think females should write their own rhymes. When they don’t write their own stuff it’s just another reason for the label to pimp them off as another video hoe.”
T. Bush
International
Game Design and development
“ 1. The same thing that makes a good emcee. all principals apply. Wordplay, subject, prescence, freestyles, battles.
2. Yes, the pressure is on the physical look and never the skill
3.Of course, sex sells everything, games, movies, music, etc
4.Jean Grae, Mc Lyte, Left Eye, Neb Luv, MC Guyver; they all have great wordplay and show a great amount of intelligence when they spit
5 I honestly dont care about any of these famale rappers from the south cuz they are all very garbage and cant do nothin but make themsleves look like overpriced hookers
6 any rapper who dosent write their own rhymes are puppets, just like any rapper who dont write their own rhymes is a puppet(I.E. Bow Wow)”
Finance Major
“1. A great MC is made up of lyrics and attractiveness, not raunchiness….
2.Female MC’s make it hard for themselves for trying to be video hoes.
3.Most of the time a female MC like Lil Kim or Trina would get more popularity, unless we are talking Lauryn Hill.
4.Lauryn Hill & Jean Grae are my only ones because they are nice lol.
5.Trina is the Queen Of The South because she is the most popular down there.
6.I could careless about those that dont write. The nice ones do.”
R. Nelson
The
Information Technology
“ 1. To me a good femcee is the same as a good emcee, content, and flow.
2. I do but then I dont. Most of the females that are in the game (Trina, Lil Kim) are rappin about hoish shit so they aren’t much different. But they do becasue no one takes a hoe seriously.
3. Anyone that raps about sex gets more recognition….
4.MC Lyte, Lauren Hill, Jean Grae, Bahamama, and Lady Luck
5. It doesn’t matter who the queen of the south is because all the chicks thats tryna stake claim rap about hoish garbage.
6.I think they are the same as the male rappers. The wont get as much respect for me if they usually get their lines ghostwritten but its not the end of the world.”
F. Pope
Management in Human Resource.
“ 1. A great MC must have delivery. She has to be able to play on words
and make the listener do that close fist over the mouth-Dayumm that
the dudes get.
2. Like any other lady, its how you carry yourself that gets you
notice. No video ho can take away from the skills. Can they make it
bad Maybe, now a rapping vidoe hoe. NEXT!
3. Sex sales but females from back in the day like Queen and Mc Lyte
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