Intro
The 90's are widely regarded as the golden age for Hip-Hop, including for women in Hip-Hop as well. Multiple successful and influential women from the 90's emerged in Hip-Hop, such as Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, and Ms. Lauryn Hill. All of which are rightfully given their flowers for their impact on rap music and music for female artists in general. However, that is not to say that there were not any successful or talented women in hip-hop prior to this decade. While they did not necessarily reach the same commercial success as some female rappers in the 90s, they were still able to showcase their talent and what they were able to bring to the table in a genre predominantly overtaken by men. While I could talk about multiple acts, I am mainly going to talk about three female acts from the 80's, those being MC Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa, and Queen Latifah.
Note: I am mostly going to talk about their material from the 80's. Any material past that will most likely only get a brief mention.
MC Lyte
Lana Michele Moorer - Also Known As MC Lyte - is an American Rapper from Brooklyn, New York. Originally intended to be a part of her stepbrothers' group called Audio Two, Atlantic later decided to allow her to be a solo act without the aid of anyone else but her on the mic. In 2013, BET has honored the artist with the the 'I Am Hip Hop' Award during the BET Hip Hop Awards. She is known to have worked with artists such as Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, and many more. Nowadays, the rapper is most likely known for her song Cold Rock A Party from her 1996 album Bad As I Wanna Be. Often viewed as one the early female rap Pioneers, MC Lyte had several eyes on her from the near minute she busted into the scene after signing onto a major-label.
Lyte As A Rock (Debut Album)
\"If a rap can paint a thousand words, then I can paint a million.\"
MC Lyte released her debut album via Atlantic Records in early 1988, becoming the first solo female rapper to release an album under a major label. The album peaked at #50 on the Billboard Black Albums, a Billboard music chart before it was renamed to Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
In terms of sound, Lyte As A Rock is rather direct, containing straightforward east coast boom bap production mainly from Audio Two and producer King Chill. Lyte comes across as very competitive and determined, the confidence in her delivery while on the mic was able to rival most of the males at the time, dismissing those who disregard her talent because of her gender. Lyte uses her hoarse voice to her advantage, effortlessly riding on the beat and bravely delivering each and every rhyme with poise and strength. The rapper reaches her most combative moment on her signature diss track 10% Dis aimed at MC Antoinette, a song that starts a long reputation of the rapper being known for her well-executed disses. MC Lyte is well aware of the discrimination that she might face for partaking in a genre taken over by men, but uses it to her advantage and holds nothing back on the mic. However, pride and boastfulness is not all the album contains, as there is also the aptly titled track and her debut single I Cram To Understand You, a track about dating someone who is struggling with a crack addiction who later sadly loses to said addiction. Lyte As A Rock functions as one of the first major statements by a female hip hop artist challenging the age-old narrative that women are generally weaker rappers than men.
Lyte As A Rock was labeled the 157th best album of the 80's by Pitchfork.
Music Videos: Paper Thin l Lyte as a Rock
Album Links: Spotify l Apple Music
Eyes On This (Sophomore Album)
\"Shall I ease into the disses, go 20, then 30, or shall I got straight to 80 percent?\"
MC Lyte's Eyes On This was released October 3, 1989, when the rapper was just shy of 19 years of age. The album performed considerably better than the rapper's debut, peaking at #86 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums (now called Billboard 200) and peaked at #6 on the Billboard Black Albums.
Musically speaking, most people agree that the beats on this LP are generally weaker than on Lyte As A Rock, but the rapper continues to stand out on the mic, much like she did on her debut. About the same producers appear on this record, with King Of Chill handling production on a larger amount of tracks than before. Eyes On This tackles mostly the same themes that her debut did, with the record having an increase in speaking about social issues, like on the track Cappucino where the rapper showcases her storytelling, warning people about the dangers of addictions, heeding listeners to stay away from drugs. Considering the context that this album was released in the late 80's, the song is most likely a response to the crack epidemic that was happening during this time. The combativeness in the rapper continues such as songs such as the diss track known as Shut the Eff Up! (Hoe) once again aimed at rapper Antoinette as part of an at-the-time fued between the two women. Eyes On This helps the rapper in proving that her debut album was not simply a fluke and that she is able to consistently deliver such well-executed and confident rhymes.
Music Videos: Cha Cha Cha l Cappucino
Album Links: Spotify l Apple Music
Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa is an all-female hip-hop trio including the original members Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Pamela Greene (Latoya Hanson) that was first formed in New York City. These women have often been called "The First Ladies of Rap and Hip Hop" due to their accomplishments for the 80's and early 90's. Throughout their career, this trio have recorded and released multiple popular and recognizable songs to hip hop fans. Salt-N-Pepa was also one of the first female rap acts to receive a Grammy for the song None Of Your Business in 1995. Salt-N-Pepa are most likely the most commercially successful female hip-hop group to date.
Hot, Cool, & Vicious (Debut Album)
\"He had the nerve to tell me he loved me, but of course, I knew it was a lie, y'all\"
Hot, Cool, & Vicious - one of the first albums by a female hip hop group - was the trio's introduction to music released December 1, 1986. Their debut peaked at #26 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums and #7 on the Billboard Black Albums.
Salt-N-Pepa's debut album - almost entirely being produced and written by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor AKA "Fingerprints" - is comprised of mostly funk and pop beats along with 70's east coast hip-hop. This record plays as a blueprint of sorts for women who would later rap about equality, ambition, and sexual pleasure. While the members didn't exactly showcase the best rapping abilities in their songs, they were some of the first groups apparent in hip-hop that were upfront about what they wanted in the bedroom while simultaneously demanding the respect that should be given to women in general. Their breakout hit Push It is an upbeat track - often mistaken for being a song about dancing when it's actually about sex -became one of their most popular and well-known songs, reaching the Top 20 and Top 10 in several music charts worldwide. The other single Tramp has the group flipping the script and instead using the slur long aimed at women now against men for looking at women as nothing more than sexual objects. Not only that, but deep cuts such as Beauty and The Beat are noted for their empowerment and feminism by believing in each other enough to make music together. Although Hot, Cool, & Vicious is not a flawless body of work, it is still an album full of charm that functions as a solid start to the hip-hop group's career.
Hot, Cool, & Vicious was labeled the 192nd best album of the 80's by Pitchfork.
Music Videos: Tramp l Push It
Album Links: Spotify l Apple Music
A Salt With A Deadly Papa (Sophomore Album)
\"I'm not a pick-up, this ain't a stick up, I'm not stuck up, and turn to kick up\"
The hip hop group followed up their debut with their second album A Salt With a Deadly Pepa released August 2. 1988, with Spinderella (Deidra Roper) replacing Pamela Greene as the DJ. This record peaked at #8 on the Billboard Black Albums and #38 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums.
The majority of the album still being written and produced by Fingerprints much like the group's debut, A Salt With a Deadly Pepa aims for an even more pop-oriented and mainstream sound than Hot, Cool, & Vicious. Many people view this album as a "sophomore slump" due to its more commercial sounds and more simplistic production, but still remained enjoyable for its time when looking past its issues. The most successful songs on the record are the uptempo tracks Shake Your Thang and Get Up Everybody (Get Up). The former of those songs Shake Your Thang warned women against the dependence on a man as well as encouraging them to continue with the way they live their lives regardless of the criticism they might receive for being immodest or "too sexual". Despite the album's criticism, Salt-N-Pepa's second LP was still relatively successful in terms of commercial performance for its time, being certified gold less than four months after its release.
Music Videos: Shake Your Thang/Get Up Everybody (Get Up) l Twist and Shout
Album Links: Spotify l Apple Music
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens - more well known by the alias Queen Latifah - is an American rapper, singer, and actress from Newark, New Jersey. Just this year, Latifah has received the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the BET Awards. She also joined Salt-N-Pepa as one of the first female rap acts to win a Grammy in 1995 for her classic song U.N.I.T.Y.. Most people nowadays are more likely to recognize her name for her acting roles in movies such as Stranger Than Fiction, The Secret Life Of Bees, Set It Off, and many other films. Nevertheless, that is not to say that she didn't find a noteworthy amount of success in other fields as well. Although her commercial peak in hip-hop was more around the early 90's when she dropped her third studio album Black Reign, Latifah was still able to catch several people's attention in the beginning of her rap career.
All Hail The Queen (Debut Album)
\"A female rapper with the message to send, the Queen Latifah is a perfect specimen\"
All Hail the Queen was released independently via Tommy Boy Records in November 28, 1989 when Latifah was 19 years of age. Latifah's debut peaked at #124 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums as well as #6 on the Top Black Albums. This LP would also be nominated for the 1991 Grammys.
Based on much of the material that is heard on this record as well as Queen Latifah's hip-hop discography in general, Latifah could be considered by many people today as a "conscious rapper". From nearly beginning to end, the rapper comes across as a proud feminist, pro-black, and clever artist. Rapping about plenty of issues that black women face, from harassment on the streets to daily misogyny and domestic abuse, All Hail The Queen was praised by listeners and is viewed by many as her best work. Her work especially stood out for being so unapologetically socially conscious during a genre and time when such viewpoints and beliefs were not nearly as popular as they are now. Her smooth and suave flow as well as skillful lyricism on each song is only icing on the cake. One standout track on the record is Ladies First, the most successful song on the record that managed to impact a handful of charts. This upbeat and danceable track is an unapologetic feminist anthem, speaking on multiple of the tasks and abilities that women do every day, demanding that men give them the respect they deserve. While Queen Latifah would go on to take bigger and more popular roles in pop culture, All Hail The Queen still proves her as a more than capable musician and one of the first female rappers to speak so openly on heavier topics.
All Hail The Queen was labeled the 177th best album of the 80's by Pitchfork.
Music Videos: Ladies First (feat. Monie Love) l Dance For Me l Come Into My House
Album Links: Spotify l Apple Music
END
https://preview.redd.it/vvokzfrqrei71.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=818ca0bf9cb7ac9560bf8cc607fbeca6ddb91e8f
Albeit not reaching the same peak as as the women in hip-hop that have arrived after them, they were still able to stand out during a time when female rap was not nearly as normalised or "accepted" as today. Regardless of how poorly or how well their sound in the 80's might have aged, an endless amount of other artists have cited at least one of these acts as an influence to their image or music, such as Cardi B, Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott, Trina, Rapsody, Eve, Da Brat, the lists goes on.
That's all I wanted to say here. I hope you found some new information or artists you didn't know before. I also found a Spotify Playlist of female hip-hop music from the 80's containing material from more than just the three acts that I discussed here, so feel free to check it out if you're interested.
For those who want to know my thoughts on these albums, this is my personal ranking:
- Lyte As A Rock
- All Hail The Queen
- Eyes On Me
- Hot, Cool, & Vicious
- A Salt With A Deadly Pepa
