The Ladies of Hip Hop
Women made their way into hip hop in the late '70s. According to Laura Jamison (writer for Vibe Magazine) " Males didn't start rap, but were the first to be put on wax."
The Sequence was one of the first female rap groups. The trio consisted of Cheryl Cook (Cheryl The Pearl), Gwendolyn Chisolm (Blondie), and lead singer/rapper Angie Stone (Angie B.). The group hailed from Columbia, South Carolina as high school cheerleaders and were signed to the Sugar Hill label in the early 1980s. In 1979 they had a single entitled "Funk You Up" which was the first rap record released by a female group.
Founded in '76, Mercedes Ladies were also one of the first female rap groups. As DJ's and rappers they were pioneers of hip-hop, originating from the Bronx. One of the members D'Bora (D'Bora Lippett) aka Baby D was taught to spin by none other than the Grand Wizard Theodore. Group member Sheri Sher has published a book "Mercedes Ladies" depicting the groups journey. Mercedes Ladies were never signed to a label but are known for their live performances.
In 1980, a female rapper by the name Lady B is said to be one of the first females to record, but was never given official credit. She recorded "To The Beat Y'all" in 1980 and later was a DJ at Philadelphia's W.U.S.L radio only to later become editor-in-chief of the hip-hop magazine Word Up!
Sha Rock was the female MC in the group Funky Four Plus One (Funky 4 + 1). The first hiphop/rap
group from the Bronx, New York, to receive a recording deal. They were also the first rap group to perform live on a national television broadcast. As the only female member of the group Sha Rock
(Sharon Green) is one of the most celebrated old school female MC. She has inspired a whole generation of female MCs.
Females contributed to hip-hop in other ways besides rap. Lady Pink (Sandra Fabara) was a graffiti artist raised in Queens, New York. She started her career in 1979 while at the High School of Art & Design. By competing with her male counterparts, she made a name for herself in graffiti subculture. She has been featured in the film Wild Style (1982) and the Hip Hop Files a book by Martha Cooper.
"The imfamous diss records craze of the '80s blew up the careers of several MC's. In 1985, an unsuspecting trio of male rappers called U.T.F.O. cut a song called "Roxanne,Roxanne" about a stuck up girl who had nerve to resist their charms." - Alan Light. U.T.F.O's efforts were shut down by Roxanne Shante who would later be known as the Mistress of Diss. She had sparked the "Roxanne Wars" and over a year had from 30 to over 100 answer records (according to different claims).
Verbal disses became very popular and sparked a light within female MC's. Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Yo-Yo were also caught in the slews of battles. It was a brand new era of hip hop. "Big Mama" was a response record that launched the careers of Salt 'N' Pepa. The group was made up by three women: Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandy Denton), and later Spinderella (Dee Dee Roper). Salt 'N' Pepa debuted with their album Hot Cool & Vicious in '86. It went double platinum after two years and Pamela Greene (the original Spinderella) left group and Dee Dee Roper replaced her. They released the song "Push It" in '87 that went gold along with their sophomore/junior album(s) A Salt With A Deadly Pepa and Blacks' Magic. "But Salt 'N' Pepa's big sales were amorally. The fact is, women were still not selling a lot of records." - Ibid. It was basically a male dominated industry that wasn't ready for women taking tough posture that defined rap. Salt 'N' Pepa decided to drop their pro-sex rhymes over R&B melodies.
MC Lyte was a young teen when she debuted in 1980. A 16 year old that had been raised in Queens and Brooklyn who had learned to rhyme from her half brothers. The songs on her first album Lyte As A Rock produced classics "10% diss" aimed at rival rapper Antoinette. MC Lyte's single "Paper Thin" sold 125,000 copies that didn't have much airplay. She became more popular with album Eyes On This in '89. Cha Cha Cha instantly shot up the charts. She brought in her new album with a makeover to replace her tomboy look. Act Like You Know failed, by Lyte bounced back in '93 with Ain't No Other and her single "Ruffneck" was the first rap single to go gold. " MC Lyte has enjoyed great longevity than nearly all of the men who debuted when she did." - Kurtis Blow.
Rapper Yo Yo was still a high school cheerleader when Ice Cube discovered her in an L.A. mall in '89. Her feminine image was very beneficial to her career in the '90s. She had created four albums.
Queen Latifah represented the afrocentric and dispalyed positive rhymes. She grew up in New Jersey as Dana Owens and later called herself Latifah which means "fine and delicate" in Arabic. She put out the album All Hail The Queen in '89 at the age of 19. She was automatically a phenomenon displaying an image that exalted women while not dissing men. "Even though her next effort two years later, Nature of A Sista, didn't even sell as well as All Hail, Queen continued to buoy her in the public eye." - Hip Hop., p.1. It was 1993's Black Reign that finally earned Latifah her due as an MC. The premiere single on the album U.N.I.T.Y spoke out against disrespect of women in society. Many radio and TV stations played the song without censoring the words "bitch" and "hoes" because of the message in the song. The song won Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1995 Grammy Awards and peaked #2 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. Queen Latifah has starred in films such as Jungle Fever, Juice, House Party 2, Set It off, Chicago, Beauty Shop and others. She played Khadijah on a television sitcom Living Single. She is currently a spokesperson for Cover Girl.
Bold, blunt, and sex appeal are three characteristics associated with none other than the imfamous Lil' Kim. At 4'11" Lil' Kim may be small, but made a huge impact in hip-hop. Kim's over the top image is responsible for her claim as the "Queen Bitch" and verbal skills play a part as well. She was the protegee of rapper Notorious B.I.G. and before his early demise made sure the world knew her name, as he put it: "They're gonna love her." "How can we forget the poster promoting her debut album, Hard Core, on which Kim squatted scantly clad in a bikini, staring out at us younger then her intent." - Alan Light. Although Kim carries an image that screams controversy, she is creditably acclaimed for her openess. Most women agree with her theory that its okay for women to speak the truth about things they experience in life and speaking freely, even raunchily, about sex and getting paid.
From the Mercedes Ladies to Queen Latifah to Lil' Kim and others they were women who, like their brothers, were moved by the big beat and a love of the rhyme to create music, having claim for all women on this thing we call hip hop...
