It is hard not to notice the evolution of Hip-Hop and its icons as time progresses. Hip=Hop used to be about inner emotions, rapping about what is genuine, and artists staying true to themselves. Hip-Hop used to be about expression rather than impression. Artists back then appeared to be more confident through their music and expressed legitimate things as well as the world around them. Today a lot of entertainers feel they have to promote themselves in order to become “the best.” With Hip-Hop changing, it’s become clear that change has affected our current female emcees.
The female rappers before today’s generation were seemingly more politically conscious, goal oriented and simply tasteful. Phenomenal women such as Lauryn Hill, MC Lyte, Missy Elliot, Queen Latifah, Eve, Lil Kim and many others set the map for women in the Hip Hop industry. The ladies from this generation had so much more to prove. They were stepping into a man’s territory. Being so, they had to prove that they were skillful enough to flow with a hot beat. With the given pressure and inevitable determination, their lyrics were more whimsical and aesthetic.
It is a lot easier to accept a woman in the game now than it was back in the day. As a result, today the ladies are more generic and predictable. With female emcees such as Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea, Azealia Banks, and Kreayshawn, it has become difficult to put them on such a high pedestal as the original queens.
Currently, the girls in the game seem more promiscuous and gimmicky: they do what they can to get their names known. Not saying there is anything wrong with one promoting themselves for the betterment of their career, but the demeanor in how they do it has become questionable. Iggy Azalea’s song “PU$$Y” or Azealia Banks’ “212” or “Liquorice”, for instance, are very sexual and explicit. Even Lil’ Kim was on the freaky side in the duration of her career, but overall, it did not take sex appeal to win over a crowd back then.
Lauryn Hill had some sensual and passionate songs, but she did not resort to promiscuity. With the songs “Sweetest Thing” or “Killing Me Softly”, she was able to woo the people with her sultry-like voice without going over the top. Just look at her today. People still classify her as not only one of the greatest female rappers, but one of the greatest, period!
Ladies back then had purpose. They were able to set a strong and fearless image for women. Females now have purpose, yet it is hard to say their words are as significant to the women who came before. In fact, it is almost as if the women nowadays knowingly partake in degrading the female race.
Keep in mind there are numerous of female artists today that exhibit tremendous talent. The sad thing is, it’s so hard to get noticed without selling out. The lovely Nicki Minaj is a prime example of what selling out can do to a great artist. With her mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty, she wasn’t only more lyrical and expressive with her music; she was also both innovative and creative. Even when she started doing features like “Monster” for example, she was killing it. The song “Can Anybody Hear Me” contains lyrics such as:
Def Jam say I’m no Lauryn Hill, can’t rap and sing on the same CD. The public won’t get it they got ADD.
She acknowledges that she has to change in order to please the public. She even mentions in the song she wanted “to save this thing called female rap.” Ironically, as time progressed, she contributed to its downfall. One of the “baddest” female rappers is now becoming simply a bad female rapper. Songs like “Stupid Hoe”, “Starships”, and “Beez In The Trap” may make a splash on the mainstream charts, but they’re a far cry from the expressive artist she used to be. Even Nicki Minaj knows that they do not make sense! Her song “Dear Old Nicki” from Pink Friday, clearly states she misses being the person she used to be. Hearing this song years later is actually quite sad.
Not only have femcees changed, but women in general have changed. Women today are more arrogant and have less to prove than the lady force back in the 80’s, 90’s, and earlier 2000’s. People are not as motivated anymore. So many people want to be famous and for many, they have a much easier way of doing so: creating music with commercial appeal but little to no artistic merit. There is hardly any drive any more. And is that okay? Is it okay that as time continues to move forward, artistic expression and aspiration can possibly be decreasing? Is it really okay that many of our talented individuals have to recreate themselves from who they were originally to become iconic? Maybe so. The unfortunate fact of the matter is: IT’S HARD TO SELL IF YOU DON’T SELL OUT.
