With women's history month approaching we at lavish life Magazine would like to delve into the world of female rap and look at the history of it and also where it stands today. Over the years the female rap game has held its own as there have been a plethora of artists who represent for the ladies and continue to show that they can hang with fellas and even surpass them as most recently Cardi b took the world the storm by becoming the first artist male or female to have three songs on the Billboard charts top 10 simultaneously. Even with this great success, there are many people who say the female rap game has changed and that now it is all about image opposed to lyrical ability. But there is no doubt that the ladies have left a mark on the game.

Throughout the year's female pioneer rappers such as Mc Lyte and Queen Latifah were very vocal in the feminist movement and made their male counterparts respect them as artists but as emcees. This inspired many young girls to freestyle and engage in a whole hip-hop culture. In the 80s and early nineties, most female rap artists were socially conscious and were about empowering women. The whole rap scene was changing as hip-hop was becoming less of a male-dominated genre and the women were making their name in the game. As the 90s came along, even more ladies became platinum-selling artists such as Lil Kim with her raunchy debut album “hardcore” which suddenly made her not only a rapper but also a sex symbol. Some would say this tarnishes the image of female rappers who let their sexuality be discreet and more open to the public.

Artists such as foxy brown and eve not only used their lyrical ability to captivate an audience, but also their sexiness. Even though sex appeal was on the agenda for most female artists. Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill took another route by letting their creativity be the difference between making both women become two of the best selling female rappers in the 90s. With debut albums Supa Dupa fly by Missy Elliott and x-factor by Lauryn Hill, these two ladies to this day still embody hip-hop despite that Lauryn Hill is pretty much off the radar. On the other hand, Missy Elliott continues to make music and tour as well. Currently, the female rap game has taken a nosedive with all respect to Cardi b especially with her being a poster model for female rappers. The question we ask I if she did not have that curvaceous body and attractive appearance, would we be crowning her the queen of hip-hop? Or is it because of the lyrical ability that she currently holds the title? That is something I always think about personally, but as with time, things change. And overall where do we see the world of female rap going?