How YouTube, Instagram, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj and a new generation of women rappers rewrote the rules of hip-hop
- Major labels were unwilling to push female rappers in the 2000s unless they were sexy or tough stereotypes
- Now social media has changed everything again, and women are back at the top, and making their own rules
Long stereotyped as a boys’ club, not least for its boastful lyrics and objectification of women, the rap world has seen a bevy of female stars reclaim their space.
During the past decade, diverse talent has climbed up through hip-hop’s ranks, as women shun old ideas about what makes their acts marketable and the internet opens new avenues to stardom.
Women were prominent players in rap’s formative years –the list includes Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, Foxy Brown, Lil’ Kim, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah – and set the stage for future generations.
But if the 1990s saw women carve out room to shine, the 2000s saw them pushed aside, with labels fumbling to survive as illegal music downloads began upending standard procedure.
“The industry took a nosedive – when it came to cutting the costs of everything, of course women were the ones who felt it the hardest,” said Kathy Iandoli, whose recent book God Save The Queens details the trajectory of women in rap.
