The Return of the Female MC

So, if you haven't noticed before: I'm a feminist. I think women and men are equal (though not equivalent) and should be treated as equals. I think women bring a very different perspective to the rap game, and so I'm very happy to tell you that the female MC is back in full force. Queen Latifah is releasing her first non-jazz album in years, and she's going to rap on it (though not all of it) but there are some new players that I think are poised to remind the world that women can spit too.

Before I get into all that, let's salute the old guard: Lil Kim, Eve, Foxy, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliot, Left Eye (RIP), Queen Pen, and Da Brat to name a few. A few of these women have new singles that I'm not particularly enamored with, so let's remember the good ol' days.


And now onto the newbies:

Lil Mama: While I despise her dress sense and think she makes absolutely no sense when she judges ABDC, she can spit. Here's one of her better tracks.



One Hit Wonder - Lil Mama

Get Em Mamis: Fresh from Baltimore, these chicks are FIRE. Two of my favorite of their current tracks:



Cold Summer - The Get Em Mamis

Nikki Minaj: Newly signed to Lil' Wayne's Young Money imprint, which also is home to everyone's favorite new rapper Drake, (who impresses me less and less these days), she's making waves. I'm not a huge fan, but she's got skills. You should definitely listen to her remix of "Put A Ring On It" and I'll post her own track, featuring Weezy himself, which I am really digging right now.


Single Ladies Remix (feat. Nicki Minaj) - Beyoncé


I Get Crazy (Snippet) - Lil Wayne Ft. Nikki Minaj

The Fly Girls: Who would have thought that young girls from Brooklyn would be putting out records? I love that they're getting the opportunity to do this at such a young age, and that they can actually spit. Awesome.



TNT (Tifa, Natalie, Timberlee): Three female MCs from KingstonJamaica each doing their own thing, but performing together as TNT, and rocking the dancehall world. I could make a really bad pun to describe how awesome they are, but I'll post my favorite of their solo tracks, this one by Tifa, "Spell It Out", and link you to the site where you can preview and buy their mixtape.



Tifa - Spell It Out from Music Videos on Vimeo.


Nola Darling: Named after a character from one of my favorite Spike Lee films, these women from Brooklyn are tearing it up. Check out their remix to "Boom Boom Pow" entitled "That Nola D", which is, in my opinion, a great improvement on the original.

"That Nola D" by Nola Darling *Boom Boom Pow Remix" from Nola Darling on Vimeo.


Kid Sister: Remember Pro Nails? Kid Sister is finally releasing her debut album, Ultraviolet, in October, and I can't wait. I love Right Hand Hi, her first single, but my favorite track of hers so far is definitely Control:


Control - Kid Sister


So what do you guys think? Is the female MC back?

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