In this blog post, we mention some of the best Hip Hop female rappers of all time. They have made great strides in proving themselves in the world of Hip Hop music. Most of them are doing their best to carve out a space for themselves in a male-dominated genre. We’ve seen promising emcee’s over the years but those mentioned here have proven themselves, beyond reasonable doubt, their ability and skill when it comes to spitting bars on the mic.
1. MC Lyte
MC Lyte is an iconic rapper and arguably one of the best female rappers of all time. Her ground breaking music career spans 30 years. The Hip Hop legend was the first female rapper ever to be nominated for a Grammy Award, the first rap artist to perform at Carnegie Hall, and the first female artist to earn a gold single. She’s also one of the first female rappers to point out the sexism and misogyny that often runs rampant in hip-hop, often taking the subject head on lyrically in her songs and helping open the door for such future artists as Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott.
- Real name: Lana Michele Moorer
- Born: October 11, 1970 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 426,000
Stream MC Lyte songs
Read more:
- Classic Albums: ‘Act Like You Know’ By Mc Lyte
- MC Lyte Talks About Being A Trailblazer For Women
- MC Lyte shares her thoughts on female rappers
2. Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah is one of first female rap artists who caught the music industry’s attention especially hip hop superstars. She was the first female rapper to be nominated for the academy awards. She made her mark in hip-hop genre by rapping about issues of black women. Her songs covered topics including domestic violence, harassment on the streets, and relationship problems. Her debut album All Hail to the Queen sold more than 1 million copies, and the single “U.N.I.T.Y” earned Latifah her first Grammy Award.
- Real name: Dana Elaine Owens
- Born: March 18, 1970 (Newark, New Jersey)
- Spotify monthly listeners: 980,000
Stream Queen Latifah songs
Read more:
- Don’t Let Queen Latifah’s Acting Career Overshadow Her Rap Legacy
- Queen Latifah on Women Uniting: ‘When We Stand Together There Is Nothing More Potent’
3. Da Brat
Dab Brat is one of the many females who broke into the hip-hop scene in the mid-1990s. Brat gained such a huge popularity in the music industry after releasing her studio album Funkdafied. She sold one million copies making her the first female rapper to have a platinum-selling album. Da Brat is a two-time Grammy Award nominee and a three-time Billboard Award winner. Critics have regarded her as one of the best female rappers of all time.
- Real name: Shawntae Harris
- Born: April 14, 1974 (Chicago, Illinois)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 670,000
Stream Da Brat songs
Read more:
- Da Brat Sentenced To Three Years In Prison For Atlanta Nightclub Fight
- Da Brat Broke The Mold And Made History
- Da Brat’s Coming Out Story Is 25 Years in the Making
4. Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott made a mark on the male-dominated hip-hop world with her talents for writing, rapping, singing, and music production. Involved in her local church and choir, Elliott in 1991 started Fayze, an all-female R&B group whose producer was neighborhood friend Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley. In 1996, Elliott worked with SWV, 702, Total, Destiny’s Child, and Aaliyah. Later that year she became a featured vocalist rapping on Sean “Puffy” Combs Bad Boy Records’ remixes. Her big breakthrough came when “The Rain”, a single from her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly (1997), became certified platinum.
- Real name: Melissa Arnette Elliott
- Born: July 1, 1971 (Portsmouth, Virginia)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 7.8 million
Stream Missy Elliott songs
5. Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj started creating a buzz after releasing the mixtapes Playtime Is Over (2007), Sucka Free (2008), and Beam Me Up Scotty (2009). After which she signed to Young Money Entertainment in 2009. No doubt Nicki Minaj is one of the best female rappers of all time. Her unique voice (which often makes use of various accents), and vigorous, fast-flow rap style have made her popular both as a solo artist and as a featured cameo voice on other albums. Minaj has received several music awards and 10 Grammy Award nominations. She’s also one of the best-selling music artists, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide.
- Real name: Onika Tanya Maraj
- Born: December 8, 1982 (Saint James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 49 million
Stream Nicki Minaj songs
Read more:
- Nicki Minaj Releases ‘Pink Friday 2’ Album With A Fresh Twist
- Nicki Minaj Is The 21st Century’s Insatiable Hip-Hop Monarch
- 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Nicki Minaj
6. Cardi B
Cardi B is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper, social media personality and former reality star whose commercial debut single, “Bodak Yellow,” surged to the top of the music charts in 2017. Cardi learned how to be self-dependent in life since she was a teenager as her cashier mother and cabbie father barely could make ends meet. During this time, she turned to stripping, calling it an escape from poverty and domestic violence in her relationship with her then boyfriend. Cardi B appeared as a regular cast member on the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York (2011), which represented the pursuit of her music aspirations. Later on, her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy (2018), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, broke several streaming records, was certified triple platinum by the RIAA and named by Billboard the top female rap album of the 2010s. Critically acclaimed, it won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making Cardi B the only woman to win the award as a solo artist, as well as the first female rap artist in 15 years to be nominated for Album of the Year.
- Real name: Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar
- Born: October 11, 1992 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 29 million
Stream Cardi B songs
Read more:
- How Cardi B’s Unconventional Success Is Impacting the Music World
- A Timeline of Cardi B’s Meteoric Rise to Fame
- How Cardi B Became One Of The Most Influential Rappers Of The New Age
7. Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion is a Grammy-winning rapper best known for songs such as “Savage,” “WAP” and “Hot Girl Summer.” The Houston rapper rose to worldwide superstardom with her confident flows and sexually charged lyrics. Her mother, Holly Thomas, was also a rapper who performed under the stage name “Hollywood” and would bring her daughter to recording sessions instead of daycare. Megan started rapping at the age of 14, which she continued to do until college. She made it to the top 100 list on Billboard Hot charts with the single ‘Big Ole Freak.’ Throughout her career, Megan Thee Stallion has received several accolades with at least three Grammy Awards. Few female rappers have achieved the fame and financial success Megan Thee Stallion has.
- Real name: Megan Jovon Ruth Pete
- Born: February 15, 1995 (San Antonio, Texas)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 30 million
Stream Megan Thee Stallion songs
Read more:
- The Year of Thee Stallion
- 10 Things You Didn’t Know about Megan Thee Stallion
- Why I Speak Up for Black Women”: Megan Thee Stallion
- Don’t Mess With Megan
8. Remy Ma
Remi Ma is an American rapper and one of the very few female rappers who have made it big in the American hip hop scene. After getting the attention of Big Pun through writing poetry, she took part in a meeting and freestyle session. Big Pun then took Ma under his wing and became her mentor. Ma kickstarted her singing career under the name “Remy Martin” on Big Pun’s album Yeeeah Baby which was recorded from 1999 to 2000. The Grammy nominated artist who was part of the rap group Terror Squad featured on the group’s hit song “Lean Back” with Fat Joe, and from their second album True Story and M.O.P.’s “Ante Up (Remix)” with Busta Rhymes and Teflon. Later on, she was sentenced to eight years behind bars in 2007 for shooting a friend and released in 2014.
- Real name:
- Born: May 30, 1980 (New York City)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 2 million
Stream Remy Ma songs
Read more:
- Remy Ma Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison And Released In 2014
- Why Remy Ma vs. Nicki Minaj Is One of the Most Important Beefs In Rap History
9. Eve
Eve is a rapper and actress, best known for hits like ‘What Ya Want,’ ‘Gangsta Lovin,’ and her Grammy-winning “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” collab with Gwen Stefani. At the age of 13, and formed a short-lived rap duo, Edge, and her friend, Jennifer Pardue. At the age of 18, she worked as a stripper until rapper Mase convinced her to stop stripping. Later on in 1998, Eve appeared on the Bulworth soundtrack as Eve of Destruction while signed to Dr. Dre’s record label Aftermath Entertainment. In 1999, she released her debut album, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady, which reached number one on the Billboard 200.
- Real name: Eve Jihan Jeffers
- Born: November 10, 1978 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 4.7 million
Stream Eve songs
Read more:
- How Eve and Dr. Dre Parted Ways Because the Two ‘Just Couldn’t Get Along’
- Eve critiques current state of hip hop: “There’s a lot of clones“
10. Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill is one of the creative forces behind some of the most innovative hip-hop of the ’90s, both with the Fugees and as a solo act. She met Prakazrel “Pras” Michel and his cousin, Wyclef Jean, and the three formed a band focusing on Hip Hop, soul and R&B. First called Tranzlator Crew (later becoming the Fugees), the group began performing in area clubs, with Hill singing lead vocals. Later on, she launched her solo career with the Grammy-winning album ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.’
- Real name: Lauryn Noelle Hill
- Born: May 26, 1975 (Newark, New Jersey)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 9 million
Stream Lauryn Hill songs
Read more:
- Lauryn Hill Reveals the Shocking Reason She Never Made Another Album
- Rolling Stone Interview: Ms. Lauryn Hill Speaks in Depth About Fame, Racism, and ‘Miseducation’
- Times Magazine: How Lauryn Hill Educated the Music Industry 20 Years Ago
11. Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-n-Pepa is a hip hop trio from Queens, New York. The group, consistis of Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and originally Latoya Hanson who was replaced by Deidra Roper as “DJ Spinderella”. Formed in 1985, the group was one of the first all-female hip hop groups. Salt-n-Pepa changed the look of hip hop with their willingness to talk about sex and their thoughts about men. They debuted with “The Show Stopper”, a response record to Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick’s “The Show” and it was an underground hit. The duo have arguably being considered one of the best female rappers of all time.
- Group formation: 1985
- Origin: Queens, New York
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 3.4 million
Stream Salt-N-Pepa songs
Read more:
- Salt-N-Pepa Outsold Wu-Tang, So Why Don’t We Talk About Them More?
- The Story Of Salt-N-Pepa’s Friendship Forged In The Lunchroom
- Salt-N-Pepa Biopic and The Duos’ Impact on Hip Hop Culture
- Hip-Hop Pioneers Salt-N-Pepa Discuss the Ongoing Barriers Facing Women in Music
12. Trina
Trina became famous as a rapper and has been nominated for over seven BET Awards in hip-hop. Trina originally underwent a profession as a real estate agent before she was spotted by Trick Daddy, a local Dirty South rapper. Interested in her raw talent, the gifted artist then included her in the making of his single, “Nann Nigga” which surprisingly became a regional hit, even managed to enter the top 3 of Billboard Hot Rap Singles in 1999.
- Real name: Katrina Laverne Taylor
- Born: December 3, 1978 (Miami, Florida)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 670,000
Stream Trina songs
Read more:
- After More Than 20 Years in the Game, Trina Still Insists She’s the Baddest
- Trina reveals Lil Wayne is one of the most honest men she’s ever known
- Still Da Baddest: Trina On Longevity, Trick Daddy, And Love For Latto
13. Lil’ Kim
Lil’ Kim found success as a female rapper starting in the mid ’90s, with her explicit lyrics and sexy persona under the guidance of hip-hop icon Biggie Smalls. She donned a provocative façade and released her debut album Hard Core in 1996 that earned her much appreciation. Critics loved her raw, unapologetic style of rapping, which was much more gritty and vulgar than female MCs that came before her like MC Lyte and Queen Latifah.
- Real name: Kimberly Denise Jones
- Born: July 11, 1974
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 4 million
Stream Lil’ Kim songs
Read more:
- Lil’ Kim Opens Up About Her Enduring Reign
- Life Lessons from Lil’ Kim
- The Meaning of Lil’ Kim: The complicated legacy of one of rap’s boldest provocateurs
14. Lady of Rage
Lady of Rage is a rapper best known for collaborations with several Death Row Records artists, including Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg on the seminal album Doggystyle. Her big break came when both Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg requested her to record vocals for several tracks on their albums The Chronic and Doggystyle under the name Rockin Robin. She’s the rapper behind the Dr. Dre-produced “Afro Puffs,” one of the biggest street hits of 1994. Her debut solo album, Necessary Roughness, was released in June 1997 and peaked at #32 on the Billboard 200 chart.
- Real name: Robin Yvette Allen
- Born: February 6, 1966 (Farmville, Virginia)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 60,000
Stream Lady of Rage songs
Read more:
- Shelved: The Lady of Rage’s Eargasm
- Lady Of Rage Is Still Kickin’ Up Dust
- The Lady of Rage – The Best Death Row Records MC
15. Foxy Brown
Foxy Brown is famous for her solo career as a musician and numberless collaborations with prominent hip hop stars in the music industry. She has been a significant part of the hip hop group known as The Firm. She began rapping in her teens and won a local talent competition in 1994. Because of that win the 16-year-old was invited to rap over LL Cool J’s “I Shot Ya.” She was quickly invited to perform on tracks with other artists such as Toni Braxton, Case, and Jay-Z. Even though she received a lot of skepticism from critics because of her raunchy lyrics and sexual appeal in music videos, Foxy still managed to stay on top. The Brooklyn-based MC whose brash style helped mold a generation of sexually-activated female rappers.
- Real name: Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand
- Born: September 6, 1978 (Brooklyn, New York)
- Spotify monthly listeners: over 1 million
Stream Foxy Brown songs
Read more:
- Why Foxy Brown Will Always Be The Illest
- Ill Na Na: 4 Things You Didn’t Know About Foxy Brown
- The 10 Most Bizarre Rumors About Foxy Brown
Related posts:
Music Review: Ckeelay – G.O.A.T. (feat. Billie Dale & Xpression)
Danny Frati Celli Music Interview: Growing Up Listening To The Beatles & Making Rock Music
Nizzy Get Good: Finessing His Way to Hip-Hop Bliss with ‘The Art of Finesse’
Enchantingly Electrifying: Los Moralitos Band’s Dynamic Musical Journey