As hip-hop grew up, prolific female rappers in the 1980s and 1990s garnered mainstream attention and demanded respect for their rhymes but were still overlooked for shaping hip-hop’s sound across the country: New York (MC Lyte, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, etc.); New Jersey (Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, Rah Digga, Lady Luck); Los Angeles (Yo-Yo, MC Trouble, The Lady of Rage); Memphis (Gangsta Boo, La Chat); Chicago (Shawnna, Da Brat), Philadelphia (Eve, Bahamadia); New Orleans (Mia X); Virginia (Missy Elliott); Miami (Trina).
But in Atlanta, a city revered as a Black mecca for music and culture, that same rich history for female rappers doesn’t exist.
“(We were) an endangered species,” said Princess, a member of the Atlanta rap group Crime Mob.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, a cultural phenomenon that sparked a groundbreaking musical genre. Although Atlanta’s emcees may have picked up the mic nearly a decade after the movement was birthed in Bronx, New York, ATL’s influence is undeniable. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is celebrating the city’s influence with the upcoming premiere of “The South Got Something To Say,” an insightful documentary on Atlanta’s rise in hip-hop. Accompanied by a monthlong, 14-story series, the AJC is exploring how Atlanta cemented its spot in hip-hop history. Follow along online, in print and in the Unapologetically ATL newsletter.
The universal plight of female rappers trying to gain visibility within the genre has always been a notoriously difficult climb that has been even more true for Atlanta’s female rappers. As influential and extensive as the city’s rap history is, it is also overwhelmingly male. In fact, Atlanta’s rap terrain is so rigidly male-dominated that it wasn’t until 2021 that a solo female rapper from Atlanta had a certified platinum single. Now, there’s a fresh variety of female rap upstarts who are creating a sustainable landscape for Atlanta female rappers to both exist and…
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