GRSJ224/Feminism in Rap and R&B

Introduction

Feminism in Rap and R&B music has only began to make itself known within the past few decades. While rap emerged in the South Bronx as a predominantly male genre of music, artists such as Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott, Destiny's Child, and, more recently, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, have created a space in rap for the female voice to be heard. This has in turn caused a sort of cultural revolution within the rap world, where we see the aggressive powerful energy of males in rap combine with a feminine empowerment that makes for a strong message.

History of R&B and Rap Music

The roots of rap music can be traced back to West Africa, where it was common to tell stories rhythmically over the beat of a drum. As slavery progressed in the United States, rap began to emerge in the form of blues music, which had root in the work songs of the slaves. By 1920, blues music was being rapped. Rap also garnered some roots in jazz music, jazz poetry, and non-African music such as vaudeville or musical theatre. The musical theatre influence is interesting to note, given that rap found it's roots in the South Bronx, right near the Broadway-hub of Manhattan. Rap continued to grow in popularity during the 1970s and spread throughout much of north-eastern America.

First Female Rappers

Women first began to enter the rap genre around the 1980's. First appearing popularity in groups, in 1985 the female duo Salt n' Peppa rose to fame with their album "Show Stoppa", and they have remained one of the best selling female rap act ever. In 1986, MC Lyte entered the scene, and in 1988, became the first soo female rapper to release a full-length album. It was around this time as well that Queen Latifah entered the rap world. MC Lyte and Queen Latifah played big roles in the entrance of feminism into rap music, and simultaneously were "a departure from traditionally defined black feminist icons such as bell hooks or Audre Lorde". These women were some of the earliest pioneers of females in rap music, but women in the hip-hop world really grew during the 90's.

In the 1990's, one of hip-hop's arguably greatest female musicians debuted - Lil' Kim. Lil' Kim was a protege of The Notorious B.I.G., who discovered her in 1994 when she just a teenager. She first joined Biggie's group Junior M.A.F.I.A., however her debut album "Hardcore", released in 1996, shot her to stardom. The album was certified double platinum and has sold over 6 million copies worldwide. "Hardcore" was a big movement for feminism in music, as Lil' Kim's lyricism, along with her image, heavily promoted female empowerment and embracement of sexuality. Indeed, on Lil' Kim's songs "Big Momma Thang", or "Queen B@#$H", she "stands for divinity, language, and sexual eroticism". The sexual liberation of females presented by Lil' Kim's lyrics indeed introduced a level of female empowerment that was revolutionary for the rap world, and arguably changed the genre forever. Lil' Kim's effects on the rap game can still be seen today in modern female rappers. Kim's career continued it's success into the early 2000's, with 2 more platinum albums. Feminism was also radically altered by Lil Kim. Her song, "Not Tonight", has been hailed as a feminist anthem, and she played a large role in initiating a era of female empowerment and embracement of their sexuality. The idea of sexual liberty for women was quite revolutionary for the 1990's, and Kim helped pave the way for feminists to explore this facet of their movement.

Progression of Feminism in Rap and R&B Music

By the early 2000's, women in rap and R&B had increased substantially. These women helped to garner popularity for feminism in hip-hop, and helped open the discussion for many of third-wave feminism’s movements. Acts such as Missy Elliot, T.L.C., and Destiny's Child were full throttle in their careers, and some of the biggest names in music at the time. They strongly promoted female empowerment in many different aspects of women’s lives, such as sex, finances, and sisterhood with other women. rap. This empowerment "includes an evolution of the concepts and acceptability of sexuality and an increasing willingness on the part of female rappers to display address issues of their own bodies and sexuality."

T.L.C. emerged onto the scene in 1990, and their 1994 album "CrazySexyCool" remains the only album from a female group to become diamond certified. The group was notable for promoting female sexuality, broadcasting a message that "there is nothing wrong with [women] who [are] sexual being[s] with sexual desires". T.L.C. introduced a new age of promiscuous-ness for women that revolutionized how society perceives sex. They were instrumental in politicizing female rap, as many of their topics included drugs, crime, and poverty in the U.S. These topics had never really been breached by female rappers as popular or successful as T.L.C. In 2002, the group's member Lisa 'Left-Eye' Lopes, died tragically in a car accident during the filming of a documentary. This ultimately forced the group into retirement, and their popularity waned off.

Around the same time as T.L.C. was gaining popularity, Missy Elliott was also gaining prestige in the hip-hop world. Missy Elliott was discovered by Jodeci , and throughout the late 90's and early 2000's gained popularity as a solo female artist with hits such as "Get Ur Freak On", "Work It" and "One Minute Man". She was highly esteemed in the production world as well, and worked extensively beside super-producer Timbaland. Missy Elliot opened up a new door into production, providing a new opportunity for women in technology. She was extremely influential and carved important paths for the holistic equality of women in hip-hop.

Destiny's Child was an R&B group that had a huge impact on the R&B world. The group went mainstream with the release of their first album "The Writing's on the Wall" in 1999, and saw continued success into the early 2000's with "Survivor". Destiny's Child were pioneers for feminism in the R&B world. Some of the group's biggest hits "Independent Women Pt. 1", "Survivor", and "Bills, Bills, Bills", "display a basic, if perhaps naive and postfeminist, 'girl-power' inspired feminism." Beyonce has been a very prominent figure in modern feminism. She has been consistently outspoken about feminist issues, and has inspired a new wave of inter-sectional feminism where both race and gender inequalities are addressed.

Present Day Female Artists

Today's present day female artists emulate a blend of Lil' Kim's sexual raunchiness with Missy Elliott's cool girl beats and Destiny's Child's independence. The two biggest players, among many, are Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. Both heavily discuss sex, drugs, and money in their lyrics, and take a 'gangsta' position that is of equal or higher status than their male counterparts. The two women have been influential in the body-positivity movement, as both women embrace and promote embracing their curves which has been inspirational for many. Indeed, Minaj "was quoted in an interview on MTV2's "Full Throttle" with host Funk Flex (2011) saying that she does not mind if people are talking about her butt. "It's conversational, that's what people are going to do. As long as they talking about Nicki Minaj, I'm good" (Minaj, 2011)." Cardi B has played a big role in marrying hip-hop and feminism: "Cardi B adopts [the feminist ideology] with pride. She often talks about feminism and takes a feminist position on the show that made her a star, Love & Hip Hop, and on her social media channels."

Reception

As these female rappers rise in popularity, they do not come up without their criticisms. Intially, artists such as Lil' Kim faced heavy criticism for their heavily sexual lyrics and images, which some viewed as detrimental and undesirable. As time has worn on, female rappers have become more normalized, but artists such as Nicki Minaj and Cardi B still face backlash for their overtly sexual images. Nicki Minaj has often been criticized regarding her butt, and Cardi B has faced negativity regarding her past as a stripper. Ultimately, these women have been and continue to be pivotal figures in the feminist movement, especially as advocates for sexual worker's rights and body positivity.