Before there was Nicki Minaj, Azealia Banks, Lil Mama, Remy Ma, Rye Rye or Kid Sister…before there were iPods, wireless Internet or digital music stores…there was the golden age of hip-hop; where female rappers such as Yo-Yo, Lady of Rage, Roxanne Shante, Da Brat, Mia X and Jean Grae were a mainstay on the scene-always delivering enthusiasm, originality and wisdom in a verse. They rapped persuasively apart, and also came together to make masterful collaborations (ex. Ladies Night and Ladies First). Of course, none of this is to say that present day female artists aren’t throwing down in the studio, but that back-in-the-day, raw talent and frill-less music videos could go a long way, especially when you already have the qualifying skills to be regarded as a true rap/hip-hop legend.

QUEEN LATIFAH

Queen Latifah is inarguably one of the most highly regarded female emcees of all time. She had a powerful, even flow that made audiences want to stop and listen.  In her heyday, she produced energetic songs that were socially and politically conscious, often dwelling on gender issues and street violence. She gave us classics like “U.N.I.T.Y,” “Just Another Day,” “Ladies First,” and “Come Into My House”.

I’m sure you’ve seen just enough stories about today’s female lyricists waging war on each through rap beefs, or ones telling you to pick your favorites from the slim pickings of talented female fire spitters we have available to us these days. All of ‘em at this point are caricatures of other people, white women saying the N-word, straight up haters, or they haven’t been able to break into the mainstream. But back in the day, things were different. Where are the female rappers from yesteryear? We know where Lauryn, Lil Kim, Queen La, Missy, Foxy and more are, but what about the Roxanne Shantes? The Heather Bs? The Monie Loves? We’ve figured a thing or two out for you.

Source: bombsite.com

Yo-Yo

Yolanda Whittaker, girl, what have you been up to? The lady best known for her time spitting with Ice Cube, playing Keylolo on “Martin” and rocking those blonde braids hasn’t been one of the bad misses of rap for a while. Her last album was Total Control in ’96, and while she did try and release her fifth album, Ebony, some years later it never made it into stores. Since then, we’ve seen her perform at the BET Hip Hop Awards in ’08, and doing more television appearances than anything else. Her credits include the documentary, “My Mic Sounds Nice: The Truth About Women in Hip-Hop” and co-host of the female rap competition, “Miss Rap Supreme.” She’s been working on an EP that she wanted to drop in ’09 called, My Journey to Fearless: The Black Butterfly, but it still hasn’t been released. But if you’re still thirsty for anything from her, she has been featured on tracks with Kurupt, Brooke Valentine and DJ Quik. Come back Yo!

Source: brandnewz.com