Lauryn Hill is considered one the greatest rappers to ever breathe into a microphone, male or female. She was at the forefront of the blending of Neo-Soul and Hip-Hop that was so popular in the late 1990s and 2000s, along with acts like A Tribe Called Quest, D'Angelo, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Outkast, and Kanye West. Her 1998 debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, is considered one the greatest Hip-Hop albums of all-time, and has left fans anxious for a follow up. She rose to fame as part of the rap group, The Fugees(along with Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel). Her appearance in Sister Act 2: Back In the Habit, and the Fugees breakout sophomore album, The Score, led to her rise in popularity. Since the release of her solo album, she has fell out of the public eye, reappearing periodically, most notably when she reunited with The Fugees for Dave Chappelle's Block Party. She also appeared on the soundtrack of What Happened, Miss Simone, the biopic of the legendary Nina Simone. In the 20 years since its release, Miseducation has impacted and entire generation , and has heavily influenced just about every female rapper that come after her, as well as male emcees such as J.Cole and Kanye West. In fact, West originally featured her on his single "All Falls Down".
Queen Latifah may be the female rapper closest to being a household name, due to her discography, as well as her acting credits. She brought a tomboyish bravado that demanded respect from her peers. Latifah is known for her deep subject content, especially the womanist approach she brings to her material. Her debut album, All Hail The Queen, was chosen as one of The Source's 100 best rap albums. She released two more albums, Nature Of A Sista, and Black Reign, after which she stepped away from rap. Since then, she has released two jazz albums, and become one the most well known actresses in Hollywood. Her filmography includes Set It Off, Living Single, House Party 2, and Girls Trip. Latifah was one of the first, as well as one of the biggest female rap superstars we've seen. Black Reign was the first gold album by a female rapper, and the song "U.N.I.T.Y" off of the album earned her a Grammy for Best Solo Rap Performance, making her the first female rapper to do so.
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes is criminally underrated when discussing female rappers, and well as women artists in general. As one-third of the legendary group TLC, she holds the honor of being the only female rapper with a diamond album(TLC's CrazySexyCool has sold 14 million albums). She was known for her quirky voice and her brash, outspoken, sometimes explicit behavior. Left Eye was crucial to the group, with her verses being the staple of some of their biggest hits (Waterfalls, What About Your Friends, No Scrubs). She also showed her versatility as the group shed their New Jack Swing, Bel Biv Devoe-type sound of Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip for more of a grown, soulful R&B style as they grew into CrazySexyCool and FanMail. TLC was groundbreaking, especially for women, and most especially those in Hip-Hop and R&B. Every female current R&B or Pop singer owe TLC a great debt, and every female rap owes Left Eye a tremendous debt. TLC empowered women with their lyrics, breaking stereotypes and showing that women, especially black women, come in different types, with problems and insecurities that deserve to spoken on. The group was an equal trio of three parts, but Lisa was arguably the attention drawer of the group. To quote Jermaine Dupri "She was the one who would curse on TV. She had the tattoos. You could not expect the unexpected. When you see Lisa, you could expect something from her. That is the gift she carried". Lisa's debut album, Supernova sold poor overseas, and was not released in the United States. However, that should be attributed to a low budget and lack of the marketing push it deserved. Her lack of huge solo work is part of the reason she is overlooked, however, I would like to point out that Andre 3000 has never released a solo album, and is still in most rap fans' Top 10, if not Top 5. Lisa was ahead of her time, both with her deep, quirky raps, and her futuristic concepts for videos like "No Scrubs". She laid down the blueprint for a lot of rappers, and her influence can be seen today in artists like Nicki Minaj.
No female rapper may have ever been domineering as MC Lyte in the late 1980s. She was the Hip-Hop version of the girl who bullied everyone one the playground, striking fear not only into other female rappers, but her male contemporaries as well. She was the first solo female rapper to release a full album, Lyte as Rock, which was critically acclaimed, and one of the most influential almost in Hip-Hop history. Like Latifah, she was well known for her empowerment of women in her lyrics, and the hardcore bravado she attacked the microphone with. She has made a number of hits, including "Poor Georgie" and "Cha Cha Cha". Lyte showed that female emcees could play with the boys, and were to be respected. Without Lyte, there's no Lauryn, no Nicki, no Rapsody.
There have been a large number of female artists and producers that have contributed to Hip-Hop over its almost 40 year long mainstream history. They have produced countless classic, inspired artists, and given way to others. Their impact has been monumental, not only musically, but in some of the thought process and social exchange they have sparked. Not only from the four I went into detail about, but countless others including Roxanne Shante', Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, Nicki Minaj, Eve, Monie Love, Salt N' Pepa, JJ Fad, and even non-Hip-Hop artists like Aaliyah, Beyonce, and Janet Jackson. So who's next? Who will take the torch and enthrall audiences next? Will it be someone we've already seen, who blossoms into a superstar? Or will it be a new face? Stay tuned.
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes is criminally underrated when discussing female rappers, and well as women artists in general. As one-third of the legendary group TLC, she holds the honor of being the only female rapper with a diamond album(TLC's CrazySexyCool has sold 14 million albums). She was known for her quirky voice and her brash, outspoken, sometimes explicit behavior. Left Eye was crucial to the group, with her verses being the staple of some of their biggest hits (Waterfalls, What About Your Friends, No Scrubs). She also showed her versatility as the group shed their New Jack Swing, Bel Biv Devoe-type sound of Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip for more of a grown, soulful R&B style as they grew into CrazySexyCool and FanMail. TLC was groundbreaking, especially for women, and most especially those in Hip-Hop and R&B. Every female current R&B or Pop singer owe TLC a great debt, and every female rap owes Left Eye a tremendous debt. TLC empowered women with their lyrics, breaking stereotypes and showing that women, especially black women, come in different types, with problems and insecurities that deserve to spoken on. The group was an equal trio of three parts, but Lisa was arguably the attention drawer of the group. To quote Jermaine Dupri "She was the one who would curse on TV. She had the tattoos. You could not expect the unexpected. When you see Lisa, you could expect something from her. That is the gift she carried". Lisa's debut album, Supernova sold poor overseas, and was not released in the United States. However, that should be attributed to a low budget and lack of the marketing push it deserved. Her lack of huge solo work is part of the reason she is overlooked, however, I would like to point out that Andre 3000 has never released a solo album, and is still in most rap fans' Top 10, if not Top 5. Lisa was ahead of her time, both with her deep, quirky raps, and her futuristic concepts for videos like "No Scrubs". She laid down the blueprint for a lot of rappers, and her influence can be seen today in artists like Nicki Minaj.
No female rapper may have ever been domineering as MC Lyte in the late 1980s. She was the Hip-Hop version of the girl who bullied everyone one the playground, striking fear not only into other female rappers, but her male contemporaries as well. She was the first solo female rapper to release a full album, Lyte as Rock, which was critically acclaimed, and one of the most influential almost in Hip-Hop history. Like Latifah, she was well known for her empowerment of women in her lyrics, and the hardcore bravado she attacked the microphone with. She has made a number of hits, including "Poor Georgie" and "Cha Cha Cha". Lyte showed that female emcees could play with the boys, and were to be respected. Without Lyte, there's no Lauryn, no Nicki, no Rapsody.
There have been a large number of female artists and producers that have contributed to Hip-Hop over its almost 40 year long mainstream history. They have produced countless classic, inspired artists, and given way to others. Their impact has been monumental, not only musically, but in some of the thought process and social exchange they have sparked. Not only from the four I went into detail about, but countless others including Roxanne Shante', Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, Nicki Minaj, Eve, Monie Love, Salt N' Pepa, JJ Fad, and even non-Hip-Hop artists like Aaliyah, Beyonce, and Janet Jackson. So who's next? Who will take the torch and enthrall audiences next? Will it be someone we've already seen, who blossoms into a superstar? Or will it be a new face? Stay tuned.
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