The Women Who Shaped Hip-Hop

Clover Hope: “This is a vibrant anthology of women in hip-hop, all profiled by the best culture writers in this space: Greg Tate on Eve, Kierna Mayo on Queen Latifah, Andréa Duncan on Da Brat. Formatted as a glossy, it was the first text I bought as research for my book.”

CH: “The opening essay in Hip Hop Divas is something of an elegy by dream hampton, the renowned writer and phenomenal filmmaker behind the groundbreaking docu-series Surviving R. Kelly. So much of hampton’s writing is music culture canon, including this heartbreaking personal piece on the way hip-hop hurts women and girls and divorces us from the enjoyment of it.”

CH: “Another book I bought for research was this memoir by MC Sha-Rock, the lone female member of the hip-hop crew Funky Four Plus One. What struck me most was how she wrote with a deep desire to be recognized as the first in a space that fails to duly recognize women.”

CH: “When it comes to talking about hip-hop and the impact of Black women in popular music, few do it better than Danyel Smith, an indispensable cultural commentator. In this profile, she writes lovingly and frankly about Latifah’s queen persona and her career transition into film with Set It Off.”

CH: “This has long been essential reading for hip-hop feminists and should be for anyone writing about hip-hop or music in general. Morgan writes ingeniously and soulfully about the contradictions of being a woman who’s a fan of rap. She questions and embraces these complications in a conversational way. It’s absolute scripture.”

CH: “Missy’s first music video is indisputably one of the most groundbreaking music videos ever made, so I knew I needed to kick off the Missy Elliott entry in my book by breaking down its imagery and how she changed music while wearing what looked like a trash bag (but wasn’t).”

CH: “I rediscovered this article and interviewed Good Marable about Kim for the Lil’ Kim entry in my book. It’s an excellent example of how to profile an artist with clarity and empathy. What I loved about Vibe and XXL was that the writers and editors weren’t afraid to confront what it meant to love a controversial artist.”

CH: “The Netflix biopic executive produced by Roxanne Shanté tells the story of a young girl from Queensbridge who became a battle rapper and is widely known as the first major female rap star because of her song “Roxanne’s Revenge.” It’s notable that only in 2018 (three years ago!) did we get the first widespread biopic about a female rapper, but it’s fitting that it’s Roxanne Shanté.”

CH: “A fellow longtime hip-hop writer published this book last year, using personal anecdotes as a framework to document how women have been essential to the narrative, ebb, flow, and evolution of hip-hop, with first-hand accounts from unsung MCs like Gangsta Boo and Rah Digga.”

CH: “Before Nicki Minaj, there was a long span in pop where very few women rappers were signed to major labels or visible on the charts. Younger’s essay does a great job of bridging the gap between then and now, charting the rise of a new generation of women while also asking if hip-hop is even in a space to let them cook.”

CH: “Like many of the women who felt underrecognized in hip-hop, Sheri Sher figured if no one was gonna tell her story, she would. She published this novel based on her true story of forming the group Mercedes Ladies in the 1970s. It’s an unofficial memoir in 2008, based on the diaries she kept in high school. I bought the book early on in my research process and later interviewed Sheri Sher and other Mercedes Ladies members.”