The female voice in hip-hop has always been present whether we’ve noticed it or not. The late Sylvia Robinson birthed the hip-hop music industry with the formation of Sugar Hill Records (and fostering “Rapper’s Delight”), Roxanne Shante’s 55 lyrical responses to fellow rappers were the first diss tracks and Missy Elliott’s bold and striking music and visuals inspired men and women in the game to step outside of their comfort zones.
These pillars and many more have allowed the next generation of emcees to be unapologetically brash, truthful and confident in their music. Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy and Nicki Minaj’s Queen might’ve been the most mainstream albums by womxn in rap this year, but there was a long list of creatives who brought the noise like Rico Nasty, Tierra Whack, Noname, and Bbymutha. Blame laziness or the heavy onslaught of music hitting streaming sites this year, but many of the artists on this list have hibernated under the radar for far too long.
VIBE decided to switch things up but also highlighting rap albums by womxn who came strong in their respectively debut albums, mixtapes, EPs. We also had to give props to those who dropped standout singles, leaving us wanting more.
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