From groundbreaking pioneers to modern chart-toppers, these women revolutionized the rap game! Join us as we count down the most influential female MCs who broke barriers and changed hip hop forever. These trailblazers didn't just participate in the culture—they redefined it with their lyrical prowess, bold personas, and undeniable talent. Which revolutionary queen tops your personal list?
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00:00Now let me kick a little song about this lady named Boo
00:03Haven't you heard of the things that Ms. Boo is capable of doing?
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo
00:08And today we're counting down our picks for the groundbreaking female hip-hop performers
00:12who paved the way for tomorrow's stars
00:15I'd rather be famous instead
00:17I let all that get to my head
00:19I don't care, I paint the town red
00:22Number 10, Eve
00:24Need you to understand me, daddy
00:26I ain't your average
00:27Baby girl doing it, dog
00:29I'm well-established
00:30Is there anything this trailblazer can't do?
00:33Born Eve Jahan Jeffers
00:34She played a major part in orchestrating the female rapper takeover of the early 2000s
00:39Becoming the third female rapper to hit number one on the Billboard 200 album chart
00:43with her debut record, Let There Be Eve, Rough Rider's First Lady
00:46Selling over 200,000 copies in its first week
00:56That 1999 album was followed up by 2001's Scorpion
01:00That album featured the smash hit Let Me Blow Your Mind
01:02A Gwen Stefani collaboration that won the very first Grammy Award for Best Rap Song Collaboration in 2002
01:09Drop your glasses, shake your asses
01:12Face screwed up like you having hot flashes
01:14Which one? Pick one, this one, classic
01:17Number 9, Cardi B
01:19This swaggering megastar had a less than conventional rise to fame
01:30Following a troubled upbringing, Cardi, whose real name is Belcalese Marlenes Cephas
01:35Went viral on the social media platforms Vine and Instagram
01:38Following this, she was recruited to appear on the sixth season of the VH1 reality show Love & Hip Hop New York
01:45Becoming a breakout star in the process, Cardi left the show to more seriously pursue music
01:49And it definitely paid off
01:58Her eventual debut album, Invasion of Privacy, debuted atop the Billboard 200
02:03And became the first project by a solo female rapper to win Best Rap Album at the Grammys
02:08She followed up these achievements by becoming the female rapper with the most Billboard number ones
02:13Not bad
02:14If it's up, then it's up, then it's up, then it's stuck
02:17If it's up, then it's up, then it's up, then it's stuck
02:20Number 8, Nicki Minaj
02:21This one is for the boys with the booming system
02:24Top town AC with the cooling system
02:26When they come up in the club, they be blazing up
02:28Where are Barb's at?
02:29In all seriousness, there's a reason that Onika Tanya Mirage is sometimes referred to as the queen of rap
02:35Or several reasons
02:36Since being signed to Lil Wayne's Young Money Records
02:38Minaj has kicked off an increasingly impressive list of accomplishments and accolades
02:42In this very moment, I'm king
02:44In this very moment, I slay, glide with a sling
02:47This very moment, I bring
02:49Following waves of social media buzz
02:51Her 2010 debut album, Pink Friday, reached the peak of the Billboard 200
02:55The first of three
02:57Giving her the most number one records of any female rapper
03:00Acclaimed for her musical versatility, outlandish personal style, and sharp lyricism
03:06Minaj has also garnered praise for advocating for artists to retain a greater share of their streaming revenue
03:11There's a non-zero chance that you've never heard of Roxanne Chantay
03:26And that's a shame because Chantay deserves her flowers as one of hip-hop's founding figures
03:31She's even been described as the genre's first female star
03:34While we can go back and forth as to who truly deserves that distinction
03:37What's inarguable is that Chantay gave the genre one of its pillars
03:41The diss track
03:42A 14-year-old Chantay freestyled Roxanne Roxanne
03:52Which took aim at rap group UTFO for reneging on a scheduled concert
03:56Ushering in the Roxanne Wars
03:58While Chantay has mostly stayed out of the spotlight since the early 90s
04:02Her influence on shaping hip-hop cannot be understated
04:05Number 6
04:15Salt and Peppa
04:16Sometimes referred to as the first ladies of rap
04:28The trio consisting of Salt, Peppa, and DJ Spinderella crafted some of the nascent genre's earliest major hits
04:34In fact, their debut album, 1986's Hot, Cool, and Vicious
04:38Was the first record by a female rap act to hit both gold and platinum status
04:43As if that wasn't enough
04:52The hip-hop trailblazer's 1993 album Very Necessary became, up to that point
04:57The best-selling album by a female rap act with over 7 million copies sold worldwide
05:02The group won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a duo or group
05:07Just ahead of Queen Latifah's win at the same ceremony
05:10Becoming one of the first Grammy-winning female rap outfits
05:13Number 5
05:20MC Light
05:21For a video full of women who have amassed an impressive amount of firsts
05:31Lana Michelle, MC Light Moorer may have one of the most impressive
05:35That remarkable achievement would be becoming the first female rapper to record a full-length album
05:401988's Light as a Rock
05:42Upon its release, Light as a Rock was hailed by critics as one of the genre's most important
05:46Not just at the time, but especially in retrospect
05:49Said Pitchfork's Simon Pearce
05:58One of the first artists to call out the misogyny and sexism that were unfortunately all too common in hip-hop
06:10Light is more than deserving of a place on today's list
06:13Number 4
06:23Lil' Kim
06:23After escaping a fraught home life and dropping out of high school, Kimberly Denise Jones met Christopher Wallace
06:37Whom you might know better as the notorious B.I.G., forever changing her life
06:42Initially a member of the rap group Junior Mafia, Lil' Kim, as she now went by, broke out with her debut solo album Hardcore
06:49The record was on the receiving end of intense controversy over its raunchy explicit rhymes and Kim's exuberant joy in delivering them
07:01Rolling Stone noted that quote
07:03Hip-hop had never seen anything like Brooklynite Kimberly Jones at the time of her solo debut
07:07As such, Lil' Kim is often imitated but never quite duplicated
07:12Number 3
07:18Lauren Hill
07:19Billboard named her the greatest ever female rapper
07:29She's won 8 Grammys
07:31The most for any female rapper
07:33She was the first rapper to appear on the cover of Time
07:36Need we go on?
07:37Ms. Lauren Hill is one of the most innovative, most beloved, and often most controversial hip-hop performers of this and any other era
07:44First rising to prominence via her film roles and membership in the Fugees
07:54Hill's debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauren Hill became the first album by a female rapper to debut atop the Billboard 200
08:01And Hill herself the first rapper, regardless of gender, to win the Grammy for Album of the Year
08:07Now can we please get a sequel?
08:09In three weeks since you've been looking for your friend
08:11The one you let hit it and never called you again
08:13Remember when he told you he was about to bend your mans?
08:16Number 2
08:17Missy Elliott
08:18Missy be putting it down
08:19I'm the hottest ground
08:20I told you I'm f***ing
08:21Y'all can't stop me now
08:23Owning the music charts in the late 90s and early 2000s
08:26Reliable hit maker Elliott's absence from the recording industry has been deeply felt
08:31Debuting as part of the ill-fated R&B group Sista in the 90s
08:34Elliott went on to nourish one of hip-hop's most commercially successful careers
08:38Crucially, Elliott's considerable solo success was instrumental in proving that female rappers could not only compete with the guys
08:45They could roundly outdo them in every way
08:48A four-time Grammy winner, Elliott is also the highest-selling female rapper of all time
08:57Having sold over 40 million records, said ABC's Gab Burke
09:01Missy Elliott, quote, railed against the male-dominated mainstream rap scene throughout her career
09:06Constantly pushed the boundaries and cemented a place for women in hip-hop
09:10I've got a cute face, chubby waist, thick legs in shape
09:14Rump shake in both ways, make you do a double take
09:18Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions
09:21Bahamidea
09:22Megan Thee Stallion
09:31Remy Ma
09:37Tierra Whack
09:45Trina
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10:14Number 1, Queen Latifah
10:17Yeah, maybe you saw this one coming
10:26But how could you blame us?
10:28Born Dana Elaine Owens, Queen Latifah is the definition of a game-changing...
10:32Well, you get it
10:33Boasting a powerful singing voice in addition to her skills on the mic
10:36Latifah first garnered critical acclaim for her take on rapping
10:39But don't you be calling me out my name
10:42I bring rap to those who disrespect me like a dame
10:44That's why I'm talking
10:46Specifically, she turned her focus both inward and outward
10:49Speaking on issues important to her and to black women as a whole
10:52Often referred to as the queen of rap, and for good reason
10:56All Music's Steve Huey summed it up by noting that Latifah was
10:59Quote, certainly not the first female rapper
11:01But she was the first one to become a bona fide star
11:04Which hip-hop queen is your favorite?
11:11Are there any we missed?
11:12Be sure to let us know in the comments below
11:14Do you agree with our picks?
11:16Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo
11:18And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
11:22We'll see you next time