The positive representations of females in the hip-hop genre are continually growing, as female hip-hop artists are continually breaking down the barriers between themselves and their male counterparts. In the late 1980s, consumers of popular hip-hop music were destined to see a rap world dominated by masculinity and presenting a conception of female suppression and objectification. While these trends still have a tendency to be presented, the black female hip-hop artist has broken into the male-dominated scene and projected herself as a vision of empowerment and female identity.
While some constructions of female hip-hop artist are highly sexualized and potentially demeaning to the female gender, many other Black hip-hop females have taken it upon themselves to change the conception and stereotype of female rappers. Beginning in the late 1980s and spanning through the 1990s, groups such as Salt-N- Pepa, TLC, Destiny’s Child, Queen Latifah, Da Brat and Lil’ Kim have fallen in the spotlight. They have taken away the reigns from the males and presented an image of feminism that presents the strength of women everywhere, especially women of color.
In Cheryl L. Keyes’s (2000) article, “Empowering Self, Making Choices, Creating Spaces: Black Female Identity via Rap Music Performance,” Keyes’s analyzes the manner in which Black women have contributed to a shift in the male-dominated structure of the rap and hip-hop industry. In addition, Keyes outlines the various roles that female hip-hop artists fulfill in the industry. By establishing these categories, Keyes is able to constructively explain the various roles Black females have taken on in the industry and the dramatic contributions these artists have made in the realm of Feminist theory.
The four categories guide Keyes’s discussion: “Queen Mother,” “Fly Girl,” “Sista with Attitude,” and “Lesbian” lead to a better understanding of how the Black female has been constructed within the rap and hip-hop industry.
Because this article was written in 2000, it lends itself to the use of older examples. However, comparisons can be made to contemporary stars in the hip-hop industry. What links all of these constructions together is that they all give ‘voice’ to the Black female, which was for a long period silenced in culture. Discussions of sex, gender and power were hushed in all dominions of music. But, as male rap and hip-hop emerged, these topics became voraciously splashed in lyrics and music videos. They cut females down, minimizing Black women to ‘hoes’ and ‘bitches,’ who slept around, contracted sexually transmitted diseases, and had children out of wedlock.
Instead of bitterly biting back, many Black female rap artists took to an uplifting of the male and a critique of his harsh constructions of the female. In addition, female rappers infused positive messages into their lyrical content as a way of giving empowerment to women everywhere, and letting females know that they did not deserve belittlement, in any area.
So, in observance of Keyes’s constructions, “Queen Mother” can be understood as those female hip-hop artists who are demanding of respect, because of the way they choose to dress and conduct themselves and also because of what topics they choose to confront in their music. In addition, the “Queens” also take it upon themselves to return to their roots as African Americans and showcase heritage, again in how they present themselves and in the lifestyle that they live. Often, Queen Mothers are the well-respected in the hip-hop community, and present a construction of pride in being a Black female and having African heritage. Mary J. Blige and Queen Latifah are the most fitting examples of two modern day hip-hop Queens.
Keyes’s next construction, “Fly Girl,” highlights the female hip-hop artists who fit the stereotypical mold of wearing tight-fitting clothing, having the ‘right’ hair, and quite simply flaunting sexuality to the masses. The key to understanding the “Fly Girl” construction is that it presents a mindset of independence.
TLC and Missy Elliot are both accurate representations of artists who dress how they choose. They have combated the established “female” style of dress, for something that makes them unique. Also, while their lyrical content may be abrasive to some, their message is powerful and empowering to Black women who listen to it.
A present example of Keyes’s “Fly Girl” construction is Rhianna, who dresses how she chooses, but also adorns herself with hot couture fashions, perfect makeup, and sexy hairstyles. Rhianna represents a shift back into masculine objectification, but through her music re-directs the path for females. Especially in her recent debacle with Chris Brown, Rhianna shone as a pristine example of female empowerment and poise. She wanted to role model for Black females and women everywhere that abuse, of any sort, cannot be tolerated. In addition, Rhianna has presented great challenges to listeners with her lyrics. Her meanings are intentional and often thought provoking.
The third construction, “Sista with Attitude,” represents those females of hip-hop who embrace their strength and are not afraid to confront the masculine power in culture. In fact, this construction re-claims the term “bitch” for themselves, as a turn to female empowerment through it. Lil’ Kim and white female rap artist, Lady Sovreign, of England, are pertinent examples of this classification. Basically, these are the rap artists who aren’t willing to take crap from anyone. They know they’re strong and are not afraid to voice it. Additionally, they also know the power that they hold before their audience.
Lastly, Keyes’s presents the “Lesbian” construction. The overarching importance of this construction is that it presents a dual or even trifecta struggle to be heard in the industry. As observed, it was difficult in general for females to emerge in the hip-hop and rap industry. Second, it was even more difficult for the Black female to find her place. This construction adds a third barrier to entry into the industry- lesbianism. While there have been a few artists to emerge from this construction, the journey has not been easy. Queen Pen, who released a debut album in 1997, battled to have her voice heard. She made claims for those lesbians such as Ellen DeGeneres, who did not experience as many restrictions because of their race. However, in all considerations, the lesbian construction has been a difficult wall to scale. This is tremendously unfortunate, because nuances of the black lesbian culture as so seldom talked about. In fact, lesbianism and homosexuality in the African American race appear to be extremely dispelled.
A modern day rap duo, God-des & She, have experience some of the similar barriers. However, this white duo appeared on the season finale of the L Word and will probably experience a greater expanse of success.
In summary, the realm of female hip-hop seemed to explode in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Messages were posed of Black female strength and identity. There were positive messages being sent out through the airwaves. However, in present day, it appears that the hip-hop industry has once again been reclaimed by the masculine viewpoint. Until the next “Queen” or “Fly-Girl” of hip-hop takes center stage, consumers will have to rely on the older representations of female power they have already been given.
