My long time selection for greatest female MC of all of time is..................
MC Lyte, to this day, truly exemplifies what I feel a female hip hop artist should be. She doesn't have to (and never had to) remove any clothing, talk fully sexual, do anything else to appeal to a certain group of fans, respectively, change her image for sales. Now, one would argue that when she released her 4th album "Ain't No Other" in 1993 (along with the hit single "Ruffneck"), she did change things up a little by becoming a little "hardcore", but she mostly kept it real and she could still bring it on the mic, and that's largely what counts. With two classic albums, "Lyte As A Rock" and "Eyes On This", as well as classic singles like "10% Dis", "I Cram to Understand U" (Sam), "Cha Cha Cha", "I Ain't Havin It", "Cappucino", and "Paper Thin", she's a true hall of famer if you ask me.
And RIGHT behind Ms. Lyte is........
Of course, it doesn't stop with MC Lyte and Lauryn Hill regarding the female presence in hip hop. Others have come before and after them, and you know I have to take a look and offer my thoughts!
"Living Single" is not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Queen Latifah. "Ladies First" is the song that introduced me to her and I still like it to this day, especially considering you're NEVER going to hear a song released like that today. Although she's mostly known for her talents on screen in TV shows, movies, and commercials, we can't forget where she started, and that's on the mic.
I haven't heard that much from Jean Grae, but if her verse on Pharoahe Monch's song "Assassins" (W.A.R.) is any indication, I would like to hear more.
I liked Da Brat around the time her debut album "Funkdafied" was released. I remember everyone wanted that braid style that she made so popular at the time. From her sophomore album on forward, I wasn't too impressed with her material, and even her recent attempts at a comeback were lackluster to say the least.
Although I'm no longer of fan of No Limit, I was a fan back in 98 and 99, unfortunately. One thing I remember is Mia X, who was perhaps one of the most aggressive female artists of her day. Sometimes she even outshined some of her labelmates on their own tracks. In my opinion, she was one of the reasons behind the success of No Limit.
Next to Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot gets my vote as the most creative female MC, especially when it came to her song writing skills, production, and her videos. Her "Supa Dupa Fly" album carries a strong nostalgic vibe with me, and I can listen to this day and it'll instantly take me back to 1997.
The female powerhouse behind the Ruff Ryders, I've always been a fan of Eve. "Love Is Blind" remains her best song ever, and after releasing 3 decent albums, she transitioned to movie and TV roles and did a very good job.
Oh it's not over yet, lol!
Roxanne Shante- She gets credit for her contributions in the 80s, but honestly I've never been too impressed with Roxanne. I respect her for standing her ground in the midst of the "Roxanne Wars" though, as well as a few of her male counterparts.
La Chat- NEXT, LOL.
Bahamadia- To this day, I never got a chance to check out her "Kollage" album, but she was decent.
Heather B- Another artist who made good singles ("All Glocks Down", "If Headz Only Knew", "My Kinda N****), but her albums were hugely slept on. She could bring it on the mic too.
Charlie Baltimore- Aside from a few good verses and a tight single with Ghostface Killah ("Stand Up"), I was never impressed with Charlie Baltimore.
Gangsta Boo- Ah, Where Dem Dollars At, lol. I never heard any of her albums (and never planned on doing so), but she wasn't wack or in the same class as La Chat.
Remy Ma- Her show stealing verses on MOP's "Ante Up (Remix)" and Terror Squad's "Lean Back" remain her career highlights.
JJ Fad- Oh yeah, I remember "Supersonic", lol.
Trina- To the fellas, she was definitely easy on the eye, but again, I wasn't too impressed with her. "Nann N****", well, she stole the show on that song, but that was pretty much it.
The Lady of Rage- I never heard "Unnecessary Roughness", but her verses on the "Chronic" and "Doggystyle" albums, and both versions of "Afro Puffs" are classic.
Yo Yo- "You Can't Play With My Yo Yo", I remember that one. She showed early promise, but after that song, that was pretty much it regarding her career.
Wow, I'm slightly exhausted after creating this, lol, but it was worth the time!!!!!
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