10 Songs You Should Add To Your Women-in-Hip-Hop Playlist
Hip-Hop is still a fairly young genre of music, but there have been a lot of stories told since its inception in the late 70s. Itโs a male-dominated genre, so womenโs voices arenโt always amplified. But today, and in honor of Womenโs History Month, weโre celebrating the ladies. Get into this list of 10 songs by Black women in hip-hop to remind you to hype yourself up!
1. โDa Ladies in the Houseโ
In 1995, Big Kap put together an impressive group of lyricists that included Lauryn Hill, Precise, Bahamadia, Uneek, and Treep. They obviously proved that women could hang tough with the fellas, who dominated rap at that time. The video got some play on Video Music Box but the mellow groove is often left out of classic song status in discussions about 90s hip-hop.
2. โSavage (Remix)โ
Meg Thee Stallion enlisted Beyonceโs help to give her already hit single, โSavage,โ a turbo boost. Beyonce sang the hook but she also flexed some impressive flows as well. Two of Houstonโs finest went hard to rep their hometown. Throw this song on when you want to hype yourself up for a day or night out on the town.
โโhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEIqjoO0-Bs
3. โAfeniโ
Rapsodyโs album Eve is an entire womanist mood. Every song is named after an inspiring woman and discusses relevant topics related to confidence and celebrating Black womanhood, but โAfeni” is especially deep, with Rapsody eloquently going in on self-hating Black men โ you know, the podcast bro types who like to disparage Black women.
4. โLadies Firstโ
Queen Latifah tapped Monie Love for the women empowerment anthem of the century. This is one song everyone knows, and itโs about women unifying to make positive changes in the world.
5. โLove is Blindโ
Eveโs groundbreaking and heartbreaking song about domestic violence is a sad story, but itโs cathartic to hear her vow to avenge her friendโs death at the hands of an abusive spouse in the fictional but inspired by real-life events tune.
6. โLadies Nightโ
Left Eye, Missy Elliott, Lilโ Kim, Angie Martinez, and Da Brat got together and created another classic women empowerment anthem. Itโs about having a good time during a night out with your girls. Keep it simple and have some fun.
7. โWork Itโ
Missy has always been a clever lyricist, especially when it comes to talking about sex. This is yet another example of that. In โWork Itโ she makes it clear that she is a woman who knows what she wants and isnโt afraid to put it out there.
8. โDa Baddest B**chโ
The title is self-explanatory. Crank this up when you need to remind yourself who you are.
9. โLyte as A Rockโ
MC Lyte makes it clear in the intro that she coined the phrase, โLyte as a rockโ as a metaphor to explain โhow heavy the young lady is.โ Itโs a classic song, but the gist of it still rings true: Be great.
10. โMy Woesโ
Chicagoโs very own Sasha Go Hard put her own spin on the concept of what it means to be ride or die for friends. Crank this up on a girlโs night out.
