Eve
Eve made her debut in the late 1990s after signing a deal with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment as Eve of Destruction. However, Dr. Dre had other priorities, having recently discovered Eminem, which resulted in Eve being dropped from the label in 1998. Rather than putting her tail between her legs, Eve persevered and, less than a year later, found a new home at Ruff Ryders Entertainment.
Eve was the first woman signed to the imprint, and she shared the stage with DMX, The Lox, and Swizz Beatz, to name a few. Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders First Lady, her debut album, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was certified two times platinum. Eve won a Grammy in 2001 for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” which featured Gwen Stefani and was taken from her sophomore album, Scorpion. It was Eve’s highest-charting Hot 100 single to date.
Lil’ Kim
With the release of her debut album, Hard Core, in 1996, Lil’ Kim’s sexuality was front and center. Lil’ Kim boldly embraced her sexual exploits with lyrics like, “I used to be scared of the dick/Now I throw lips to the shit/Handle it like a real bitch,” something no other female rapper had done before her. She is widely regarded as the first to confront men with the never-ending objectification of women.
Lil’ Kim has sold over 15 million albums and received numerous awards along the way. Her collaboration with Pink, Christina Aguilera, and Ma on “Lady Marmalade” in 2001 is one of the best-selling singles of all time, earning Kim a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Lil’ Kim is a one-of-a-kind performer known for her outrageous fashion sense and distinct stage presence.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is one of the most successful female artists of all time. The Queens native has broken down any barriers that women face in the hip-hop industry, selling over 100 million albums worldwide while rapping alongside some of the genre’s most prolific male rappers, such as Drake and Lil Wayne. Throughout her roughly 20-year career, she has earned 100 Billboard Hot 100 entries, surpassing Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, and 21 Billboard Top 10 hits, the most for any female rapper.
She has two diamond songs, “Super Bass” and “Tusa” with Karol G, as well as numerous platinum and gold records. In November 2022, Minaj’s collaboration with Maluma and Myriam Fares, “Tukoh Taka,” became the first FIFA World Cup anthem to feature English, Spanish, and Arabic lyrics. Furthermore, she has already begun 2023 with another historic achievement. Nicki has surpassed Missy Elliott’s record as the Billboard Hot 100’s longest-charting female rapper. A significant victory for the Barb.
Salt-N-Pepa
There isn’t a single rap fan alive who hasn’t heard Salt-N-“Push Pepa’s It,” “Snoop,” or “Let’s Talk About Sex.” Very Necessary, the trio’s 1993 album, was the highest-selling rap album by a female act (solo or group) in history at the time of its release. Their music was impossible to ignore. Salt-N-Pepa, along with Queen Latifah, became the first woman to win a Grammy for “None of Your Business,” winning in the Best Performance By a Duo or Group category.
Sandra “Pepa” Denton, Cheryl “Salt” James, and Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper is one of the most commercially successful rap groups in history, having sold over 15 million albums worldwide. Salt-N-Pepa received its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022. Yo-Yo, MC Lyte, and Roxanne Shanté were on hand to reflect on Salt-N-achievements, Pepa’s including being named “The First Ladies of Rap.”
Queen Latifah
All hail the King! In 1989, Queen Latifah was introduced to the world for the first time by the Queen. The Newark, New Jersey native was among the first women rappers to spit about feminist issues, as brilliantly illustrated by the album’s lead single, “Ladies First.” Queen Latifah’s third studio album, Black Reign, became the first gold-certified album by a solo female rapper in 1993. The album also resulted in Queen Latifah receiving a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance for “U.N.I.T.Y.,” a first for any female rapper.
Queen Latifah would go on to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two NAACP Image Awards as an actress. She made history in 2006 when she became the first female rapper to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Queen Latifah continues to work as an actress, most recently in the hit CBS crime drama The Equalizer.
Missy Elliott
Since launching her solo career in 1997, Missy Elliott has been blazing a trail for other women to follow. Her breadth of creative work speaks volumes, from her unforgettable video for “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” to her two-times platinum album, Under Construction. Elliott was a secret songwriting weapon for Aaliyah, 702, Total, and SWV.
So it’s no surprise that Elliott was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019, making her the first female rapper to do so. During her acceptance speech, Elliott, who was visibly moved, said, “Every time I come up to a podium… even with all of my work, I don’t know why I’m here, and I’m assuming it’s just God. ‘Do not give up,’ I want to say to the writers, especially the aspiring writers.” And she has never done so.
Cardi B
Cardi B is everywhere these days. The Bronx-bred firecracker shot to international fame after her diamond-selling single “Bodak Yellow” in 2017. Her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, was released in 2018 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 255,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Cardi B not only broke Lauryn Hill’s record for the longest-charting album by a female rapper, but she also won the coveted Best Rap Album Grammy in 2019, making her the first female rapper to do so as a solo artist. Needless to say, the album went multiplatinum, propelling Cardi into a position of respect.
MC Sha-Rock
Sharon Green, also known as MC Sha-Rock of the Funky 4+1, is widely regarded as Hip-first Hop’s female MC. Sha-Rock, also known as the “Mother of the Mic,” was the first female MC to appear on national television in 1981, when Debbie Harry, frontwoman for the new wave band Blondie, invited the Funky 4+1 to be the musical guest on a Valentine’s Day episode of Saturday Night Live. Sha-Rock remains dedicated to hip-hop culture, hosting her radio show on SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells channel and teaching hip-hop history as an adjunct professor at Bowie State University.
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill rose to prominence as a member of the Fugees, alongside Wyclef Jean and Pras. But it wasn’t until her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, that her career truly took off. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1998, becoming the first chart-topping effort by a female MC. It went on to win the coveted Album of the Year award at the 41st Grammy Awards, marking yet another first for a female rapper.
In its first week, the project sold a record-breaking 422,000 copies and was certified double platinum in less than a month. It was awarded a rare diamond distinction in 2021, making Hill the first female MC to receive the honor. It is also housed in the Loeb Music Library at Harvard University, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, and the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. Her only solo project is The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, but she continues to perform songs from the critically acclaimed album at her live shows.
Roxanne Shante
Roxanne Shanté made a storm with her debut single, “Roxanne’s Revenge,” in 1984. Written in response to UTFO’s “Roxanne, Roxanne,” the song became part of hip-first hop’s recorded beef and cemented Shanté’s position as a member of the legendary Juice Crew alongside Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Marley Marl, and Kool G Rap, among others. Shanté, who was only 14 years old at the time, rapped with the ferocity of any of her male contemporaries and proved she was a force unto herself. Shanté eventually returned to performing after a lengthy hiatus. She is now the host of SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells channel’s Have A Nice Podcast and Have A Nice Day radio show.
