“The Future is Femme:” The Current Femcee Rap Roster Taking Over New Skool Hip-Hop

With the evolution of our society, inclusion, and more representation of marginalized groups, the women of Hip Hop and Rap Culture have stepped up to the plate in recent years. Since the early 2010s, you have known individuals like Nicki Minaj, Azealia Banks and a handful more dominating the mainstream radios and conversations, but the year of 2018 has opened up an entirely new order and wave of Femcees.

A Femcee is defined as the female linguistic equivalent to the rap term “Emcee”, with a Femcee’s content also focusing heavily on lyrical excellence, traditional principles of Hip Hop, and a flair with their aura that asserts their personality and feminine identity.

Although we cannot include every Femcee killing the game right now, the purpose of this article is to highlight locally acclaimed, regionally acclaimed, nationally acclaimed, or otherwise underrated Femcee acts who have built their brand up for years. This list has been chosen for those current Femcees who are actively breaking records and norms within the modern Hip Hop sphere, challenging their male peers in terms of musical composition, quality and technical rap abilities. In the canon of Hip Hop Culture, WOC’s (women of color) contributions have been marginalized in all areas with their voices (journalism, DJ-ing, rap, etc.) due to patriarchy permeating rules of the culture and their restrictions on women’s expressions. This article, in the purpose of the The Demo Tape to make things matter, will use the musical knowledge of writers Njera P. and Maurice Valentino to highlight the current atmosphere of Femcee excellence in 2018, with a lens of Black women..
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Noname:

A lot of times we only recognize the big names among female rappers that it seems like there aren’t many femcees out here on their grind, but that’s an ignorant assumption to make considering all the raw talent that fails to be acknowledged. Someone that falls into that category, in my opinion, is Noname - a 26-year-old female rapper hailing from Chicago. She started to see a rise in my career when she was featured on fellow Chicago native Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap tape. Unlike some of her counterparts, she doesn’t brazenly try to outdo her male competition; instead she delivers angelic, yet somber filled bars of poetic style. What’s so amazing about Noname is she defies the stereotypes of rap with her poetic lines that hold such a level of intimacy you feel hypnotized listening to her rhymes. Her 2016 project Telefone was a meaningful debut that gave her more rank. She’s one of the most underrated femcees out there, but her talents will soon be recognized by the masses. The world isn’t waiting for her to catch up, she’s waiting for the world to catch up - word to Drake. -NP

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Rapsody:

A colleague once brazenly but accurately began to discuss of why aren’t femcees placed in Top 5 conversations in terms of greatest rappers of all time? Is it because of patriarchy/sexism within the music industry? When you hear an artist like Rapsody from the structure of her bars, projects, and collaborations, you realize that she definitely deserves to be in these conversations. Rapsody is able to go toe-to-toe with lyricists like Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, and practically any male MC that you can name in the game currently. When you listen to her music, delivery, flow, punchlines and tenacity it can be hard to disagree that this juggernaut deserves her rightful spot. -MV

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Janelle Monae:

Janelle Monae may be an all-around artist, actress, curator, CEO, full-time activist, humanitarian and much more, but we must not forget that Cindi Mayweather AKA The Electric Lady AKA Django Jane can throw bars against the best of her male peers. She can legitimately spit bars whenever needed and has been doing so for years. If Janelle Monae was to be a full-time rapper, there would be a lot of individuals who couldn’t even hold a candle; both male and female. Her bar structure, meticulousness and unapologetic personality shines in her bars and beyond. -MV

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Rico Nasty:

DMV native Rico Nasty is a lyrically merciless femcee with an affinity towards anime, punk rock, and other indulgences of alternative mainstream Black Culture who grew up to be the baddest b**** that you have never seen in terms of personality, sauce, and unapologetic carefree Black girl power. This DMV artist deserves her current shine, even getting a deal with Atlantic Records and more as their career takes off at the age of 21 with hard-hitting bars, battle tracks, and realistic depictions of her life that shows that she is not to be trifled either with the fame or without the fame. Her songs instrumentally crank as she can effortlessly ride a beat and deliver great bars with minimum punchlines laced with guitar riffs. Her versatility and unbound confidence is incredible considering her age and how much farther she has to go in the game. -MV

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Cardi B.:

The biggest success to hit the music industry in years, Cardi B is the epitome of a rags to riches story. The Bronx-bred rapper jumped over many obstacles to fight her way into the industry - battling an abusive relationship, being a stripper, turning to reality TV - her hustle was unmatched. When she first started taking music serious, there were a lot of people who didn’t believe in her talent much less would have predicted the success she’s seen which makes her story that much compelling. Her underdog image made her rewarding triumph that much sweeter to watch. Launching her way into music superstardom, Cardi B started her career off on a high note with her record-breaking single, “Bodak Yellow” that made her a notable upcoming femcee. Her confident delivery and unique flow sets her apart from most female rappers out there, but her debut album definitely proved she has the ability to sustain longevity in the music industry. -NP

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Megan Thee Stallion:

This class act out of Houston, TX has made her mark with some of the most eloquently and genius linguistic manipulation of sex raps and gritty bars that compete with her male peers, only at the age of 23 years old. After getting a national buzz from a freestyles, figure, and everything else that goes into a brand, Megan Thee Stallion is just getting started in putting the industry on its heels.

 

 

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Cupcakke:

Most people know her for her outrageous, sexually-explicit raps, but the Chicago rapper represents more than that. Before Cupcakke, we haven’t seen another female rapper openly express their sexual desires in such a vulgar manner since Lil Kim’s Hardcore album. This in fact sets her apart from a lot of her peers, but more importantly her free self-expression in her music is what makes her brand so fearless. While many condemned her style of rapping for being entirely too raunchy, she’s creating something that’s been missing from Hip-Hop for far too long - freedom. Most female rappers that come along feel like they have to fit into a box to be accepted, but Cupcakke’s daring raps challenge this narrative making her a special kind of femcee. -NP

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Asian Doll:

Among the many female rappers out there, we’ve also seen a new wave of rappers rise for the next generation. Included in this new influx is Asian Doll, a Dallas-native who’s a rising rap star gaining a lot of traction in the Hip-Hop realm. The 21-year-old femcee has a fierce presence similar to that of Nicki Minaj’s early days, but her relentless raps give a new meaning to trap rap. She’s gained so much attention for her music that she caught the eye of Gucci Mane, signing to his 1017 Eskimo Records. Her recent deal and co-sign is a huge victory for her career especially since La Flare is known for not only being a major influential artist, but responsible for jumpstarting a lot of rapper’s careers. I hope for her career’s sake that this will be a game-changer for her in the future as she continues to put on for the women in Hip-Hop. -NP

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Saweetie:

“Got rich off a mixtape, got rich off a mixtape, yeah!”-Drake

Or rather, got famous and rich off a freestyle. Having burst onto the scene last year with “Icy Girl, a freestyle over Khia’s “My Neck, My Back” California’s Saweetie followed up with a great record deal and equally great project that showcased her affinity to the old school lyrical style of Hip Hop without having to exaggerate about her rapper aesthethic, but still being modern to the times with respectful/inspiring messages for women listeners and crews out to get the money, fame and everything they deserve. Her verbal acuity, punchlines, flow and more remind you of the Old Skool while showing a bright way forward for her community. -MV

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Kamaiyah:

Putting on for the Bay Area, Kamaiyah is a promising femcee that has paved her own way in music, recreating sounds and adding her own personal twist. She’s made strides in her short career so far after releasing her debut tape A Good Night in the Ghetto in 2016 and appearing in YG’s “Why You Always Hatin?” video alongside Drake. The 2017 XXL Freshman remains humble in her music, making uplifting tracks and infusing her distinctive 90’s influences to create her own sound. Her looks have earned her some criticism for not fitting into the perceived image that female rappers need - being oversexualized. Even with her tom-boy style, she’s still managed to separate herself from other fellow female artists. -NP

https://soundcloud.com/kamaiyah/sets/a-good-night-in-the-ghetto

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Dreezy:

Dreezy unequivocally proves that the future of rap is indeed femme. Her rhymes are incredibly sauced up, tougher than anything that her competitors and haters can throw at her, and she has flow and punchlines that should be quoted in a list when it comes to describing reigning artists of the New Skool. Her freestyles, lyricism, storytelling and relentless power on any tracks helps her continue to put Chi-Town on the map as much as possible. Her versatility and range allows for her to create ballads with veterans like T-Pain, politically charged verses with Kodak Black, and Chicago bangers with people like Lil Durk. If you’re sleeping on Dreezy, STOP. -MV

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Tink:

Tink does not get enough credit for being an incredible R&B artist and rap artist duality in the Post-Boom Bap lyricism environment. This is not to say that women cannot be and have not been diverse in their lyrical range, but Tink represents a power and amazing blend that reminds you of Lauryn Hill in her prime out of every woman out of this list. With a keen sense of bar structure, raps destroying her opponents lyrically, and emotional vulnerability / emotional intelligence that shows the pain and realness in each and every bar are showcased in each one of her projects. Even with industry individuals trying to hold back her career and projects, Tink still shines with her mixtape series “Winter Diary,” and a notable standing to outshine every peer in the 2015 XXL class. -MV

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Bri Steves:

Philly’s music scene has proven to produce some of the most talented artists in the industry and Bri Steves is no different. I knew she was a standout talent when I heard her song “Summer’s Mine,” an ode and her take on to DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith’s “Summertime,” two years ago. Her music gives new life to Hip-Hop as we know it and adds some edge with her multifaceted contributions. She’s got keys to success as a real femcee - bars, melody, a sense of vulnerability, but also boldness that has allowed her to create her own lane. While she still has a ways to go still being a newcomer earning her stripes, Bri Steves brings her own flavor to the table that will one day enable her to take the game by storm. -NP

There are a plethora of other femcees who deserve a spot on here but long-form can only go so long. Support your favorite femcee today and comment/share to continue to conversation on the women breaking through the game.

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