Nicki Minaj and Remy Ma are not the only two girls in the game. While the history of rap has been male-dominated, plenty of ladies have been holding down the underground since the beginnings of the genre. Billboard charts and radio stations may only be able to pay attention to one or two women at a time, but the internet has popularized a vast network of impressively talented lady newcomers who, for whatever reason, simply don't get as much attention as they deserve. Now, we're counting down some of the hottest new women in the rap game.
CupcaKKe
Young Chicago rapper cupcaKKe has already dropped a handful of mixtapes and albums which have received attention from Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. Known for her hyper-sexual lyrics and abrasive attitude, cupcaKKe's softer side emerges in her loving interactions with fans and her loud pro-LGBT politics. Her latest album, Queen Elizabitch, dropped in March.
Parri$
Best known for her work as the choreographer on Justin Bieber's beloved "Sorry" video, the New Zealand born Parri$ is as fashionable as she is skilled. As would be expected, her music videos feature stark, energetic dancing and ferocious looks for days.
Ash B.
Part of New York City's iconic ballroom crew Qween Beat, Ash B.'s vogue-inflected chant-rapping is the perfect backdrop for hitting some fierce spins and dips. The legendary DJ MikeQ has said that Ash B.'s vocals "can give you realness or cunt and still serve you down."
Princess Vitarah
This Nigerian rapper went viral after when her deliciously vulgar song "Nigerian Pussy" was passed around music blogs. But Vitarah ain't no novelty act — and she's got the bars to back up her sass. "It’s serious," Vitarah told OkayAfrica. "I don’t know why people think it’s a joke. Like, that’s a real song. Everything is real. I don’t take my music as a joke. I take my music really, really seriously."
Kaycee Ortiz
We featured the intrepid Kaycee Ortiz as an Artist of the Day earlier this year and we couldn't be more excited about her forthcoming EP, dropping sometime before summer. Ortiz hopes her deeply personal lyrics, which deal with her struggles as a transgender woman, will serve as an inspiration to the downtrodden.
Barf Troop
Barf Troop is a Washington DC based trio of arty rap women. Members Babeo Baggins, Babenstein, Babe Field, and Babe Simpson each have their own solo careers too, but their collaborative work is both hard-hitting and innovative. It would be easy to categorize the crew as "alternative," but just because their sound is more lo-fi doesn't mean their music isn't fire.
Queen Envi
A frequent collaborator of Bad Girls Club alum Lucci Vee, Queen Envi's hard trap-influenced rap is aggressively fierce. Hailing from Chicago, Envi is often associated with the WWA (Women With Attitudes) collective made up of the aforementioned Lucci, Katie Got Bandz, Chella H, and Sasha Go Hard.
Lizzo
Despite her popularity in the indie music world, Lizzo seems to be constantly overlooked by mainstream rap outlets, although she gets plenty of coverage elsewhere. It's a shame too — although her raps tend fall somewhere in between electro-pop and straight-up hip-hop, Lizzo can keep up with the best femcees on this list and beyond. "“I hate when things that are good for people become trendy and people belittle their importance. That’s happened with terms like feminist, activist, and safe space. It’s scary how the oppressors or the mainstream can work that way," she had said to Vogue earlier this year.
Young M.A.
It would be too easy to dismiss the "OOOUUU" rapper as a one hit wonder — and the skill behind her freestyles proves that Young M.A. is here to stay. Her breakout success as an openly gay rapper is totally unprecedented in the history of rap, and she's already managed to impress the brightest stars on the scene.
Leaf
Not to be confused with Le1f, Leaf is a Brooklyn-born rapper who has impressed the likes of Action Bronson and Lil Yachty. Leaf's older mixtapes were more EDM influenced and her latest output is closer to R&B than rap, but don't get it twisted: she can spit just as well as she can sing. "I think that if you are an artist, you are making a statement regardless of if you’re making a statement not to talk, or making a statement to talk ... I think, as an artist, it is your job to talk about things. I think the greatest part is talking about things," she said to NYLON last year.
Mariah Lynn
Mariah Lynn's "Once Upon A Time" has become a gay bar classic the likes of which we haven't seen since Azealia Banks' "212" blew up in 2011. The Love and Hip Hop star is certainly one to watch in the future. And if she never produces a song this good again, that's fine too: her reaction gifs alone are good enough to keep us as fans.
Ms Banks
Another confusing name here: Ms Banks, not to be confused with Azealia Banks, is a UK-based grime rapper who lists Lauryn Hill, Lil Ki, Nicki Minaj, and Dizee Rascal as her biggest influences. You can certainly hear hints of each in her verses, which generally avoid overt sexuality. Keep it classy!
Princess Nokia
Princess Nokia took a break from that moniker for a while to release a handful of delightfully retro soul tracks under the name Destiny, but she came back to her rap roots with her most recent release, 1992. The new EP was a loving ode to the Bronx and her childhood in New York City. Nokia is clearly an expert rapper, but she's also a self-proclaimed "professor bitch."
Lady Leshurr
Leshurr's been in the game for a while now but she still gets slept on, for some reason. With nine mixtapes, four EPs and innumerable one-off singles, Leshurr's diss tracks are amongst the most savage available on the internet. Her British-Carribean flow is unmatchable.
Miss Eaves
Miss Eaves' unabashedly feminist raps cover themes ranging from body positivity to the joys of masturbation. If you like your hip-hop with a side of optimistic social commentary, Eaves is the girl for you. "There are lots of amazing feminist rappers who have incredible messages, but there are also still a lot of female rappers who feel like they have to pander to the male gaze. And I don’t want to do that," she said to Thought Catalog.
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