FEATURE:
A COMPLEX Debate
IN THIS PHOTO: London-born Rap legend Estelle
Does Rap Still Have an Issue with Sexism and Platforming Women?
_________
RATHER than undermine something beautiful…
IN THIS PHOTO: Little Simz/PHOTO CREDIT: Jackie Nickerson for DOCUMENT
and celebratory, there was an interesting takeaway from COMPLEX’s recent feature ranking the best fifty British rappers ever. It was shared a week ago. The results highlighted some incredible British Rap talent. One alarming aspect of the top fifty was the lack of women. In all, only six women were included! Estelle came in forty-third:
“Only four Black or mixed-race British women have ever won a Grammy: Estelle Swaray (2009) follows Sade (1986) and Corinne Bailey Ray (2008) and precedes Ella Mai (2019). The success that the Hammersmith rapper/singer created cannot be understated, particularly in America but also especially when we consider just how difficult it is for Black British women to make a mark in British music (let alone the US), something Esetlle has been rightfully and politely vocal about during her career. Starting out behind the counter at the iconic Carnaby St record store Deal Real, the budding rhymer initially featured on records by Skitz and Blak Twang before attracting her own audience with 2004’s utterly endearing “1980” from debut album The 18th. She quickly courted the attention of then-unknowns Kanye West (who she met outside a Roscoe’s in LA) and John Legend, signing to Legend’s Home School label three years later. In 2008, Estelle dropped Shine, an album that still stands up tall today. Soulful and joyful, it may have featured Sean Paul, Swizz Beats, Mark Ronson and Kanye, but Estelle’s compelling storytelling was far from overshadowed; her talent truly shone through. Her achievements now include a Grammy, a Silver Clef award, MOBOs, BRIT and Mercury Prize nominations, a Top 10 UK album (Shine) and No. 1 UK single (“American Boy”), as well as a Top 40 Billboard album (Shine) and Top 10 Billboard single (“American Boy”). To reiterate: this isn’t easy for anyone to do, but especially for Black British women who are historically underpromoted, poorly marketed and ignored by mainstream media. It’s worth noting here that Estelle’s campaign at Atlantic Records UK was driven by Black and POC women. She has since released three further albums, including 2018’s reggae-based dedication to her parents, Lovers Rock, and hosts The Estelle Show every weekday on Apple Music. —Hattie Collins”.
NoLay was in thirty-eight; So Solid Crew were in thirty-fifth. A mostly male collective that featured Lisa Maffia, they appeared one place behind Ms. Dynamite. Without doubt one of thew pioneers and queens of British Rap, it was good to see her included:
“Where barring is concerned, Niomi Mclean-Daley—aka Ms. Dynamite—has always been in her own lane, becoming one of the few mic-wielding stalwarts revered across a plethora of genres. From the earlier days of pirate radio sets and her residency at FWD>>, where the then-unlabelled dubstep and grime was the order of the night, she merged reggae influences for something far more hard-hitting. Delivering technical verses that always slapped when it came to UK garage (“Envy” will continue to destroy any UK dance for years to come), her own Sticky-produced debut, “Booo!”, a now-dependable club classic, gave Ms. Dynamite the platform to push forth a new strain of Black female empowerment, still felt today. Winning the Mercury Music Prize in 2002 for her debut album, A Little Deeper—while notably on more of an R&B tip, it landed her two BRIT Awards (including British Female Solo Artist) and three MOBOs. Despite largely stepping back from the limelight after the birth of her son and second LP, Judgment Days, in 2005, collabs with Magnetic Man, Katy B, DJ Fresh and her 2011 single with Labrinth, “Neva Soft”, have always demonstrated the talents in abundance. Having made her live show a family affair over the years, Ms. Dynamite is still a regular on the circuit, landing headline festival spots (as well as an MBE for services to music in 2018) and showering down corporate industry parties; big up YouTube and their Legacy Party, which celebrated 50 years of hip-hop with a standout performance from Ms. Dynamite this year. —Chantelle Fiddy”.
Only two women appeared in the top twenty-five! This seems fuck*ng insane! Taking that twenty-fifth place spot is the phenomenal Lady Leshurr. She is an undeniable Rap great who has inspired so many other women to come through:
“Born and raised in Birmingam, Lady Leshurr secures her position among rap royalty through her distinctive fusion of articulate, rapid-fire flows and impeccable wordplay. Throughout the late-00s and early 2010s, her dedicated fanbase was built off the back of her unwavering work-rate; her unadulterated authenticity took centre stage in 2011 on the Friggin L mixtape, while her remix of Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now” saw her display her cheeky humour and bright singing voice, and boy did she give Busta a run for his money with her own fast-paced verse. The rapper, singer and songwriter solidified her name in London’s buzzing music scene early on by bringing her magic to every live show and radio set she could, consistently dropping projects and collecting video freestyles on platforms like SBTV (see: F64s) like shiny Pokémon cards. Lady Leshurr’s 2015-launched freestyle series, Queen’s Speech, took her name international and showed the potential to be unlocked in UK music’s relationship with social media—something we often see now on TikTok but was a rare thing back then. Lady Leshurr’s 10,000 hours were instrumental in not only breaking down barriers within a male-dominated scene but also helping to establish the building blocks between 0121 and London. Miss O’Garro deserves all her flowers. —Hyperfrank”.
The top ten featured one female rapper. Little Simz was named our tenth-best rapper. That is a well deserved honour. When you consider twelve percentage of the rappers in the COMPLEX feature are women, that raises questions about the genre. I think that a U.S. equivalent might reveal more women in the pack. Missy Elliott, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and quite a few contemporaries could mean that there’d be less of a divide (I’d predict they’d select maybe twelve to fifteen women). Even if a U.S. version of that feature was less male-dominated, it still shows that Rap and Hip-Hop both make it harder for women to get noticed and raised like the men. It also mean there are those not being as celebrated and spotlighted as they should. COMPLEX had their view and rightly championed some Rap greats. Even if it is subjective, one wonders how many other features in the U.K. about the top rappers would include more women. One feels that there would be similar issues. Rap is a mighty genre where some of the greatest music ever has emerged from, there is always this discussion around misogyny and exclusion. Are women as embraced as they should be?1 Things have markedly improved from very dark and toxic days we have seen. Even so, I wonder if Rap and Hip-Hop is an environment women naturally look to as attractive and inclusive. Think about Pop and how women dominate there. This recent feature names the fifteen best female rappers ever. There is the new and established talent out there. Women who have changed the game and opened doors.
This 2018 feature observed how the patriarchal nature of Hip-Hop and music in general saw (and sees still) women in Rap being pitted against one another. Compared rather than commended and appreciate in their own right. Something I still think is happening in 2023, yes:
“It could all be so simple, but we’d rather make it hard. In the 45 years that hip-hop has been around, the lack of representation of women in the industry has become a circular conversation, pointing out the gross misogynistic behavior that was there since birth amongst other things; yet whenever a woman enters the ring, she can only stand alone — at least that’s what the field’s competitive nature has led everyone to believe.
Women empowerment and hip-hop are two concepts that many have been trying to marry for as long as the genre has stood and it seems like they can’t coexist all the way — as of yet. In a sea flooded with prominent male hip-hop figures who have sustained longevity in an ever-changing business, women in hip-hop who are on that same level are few and far between, almost always leaving room for only one to hold that title over a certain period of time. Why is that? The answer is pretty obvious: the hip-hop industry has diversity issues and similar to what many female professionals face in the workplace environment, women often deal with sexist behavior that is a direct reflection of the man’s need to always be in power.
In 2018 alone, listeners are witnessing a new era of female rappers coming to the forefront. Tierra Whack, Saweetie, Rico Nasty, Kash Doll, Maliibu Miitch are just a few of the newcomers making waves this year, but the one making the biggest splash of all is Cardi B. Over the past year, the Bronx native has earned Grammy nominations and quadrupled her fan base thanks to her music and larger-than-life personality. The industry hasn’t seen a female rapper reach this kind of commercial success since Nicki Minaj entered the scene about 10 years ago. Has Nicki met her match or is hip-hop making room for more women to rap”.
That COMPLEX feature I opened with, appropriately, does raise a complex debate. They are not saying there is a lack of women in Rap. They feel that most of the top fifty best British rappers are men. That is problematic in its own right. America might not be as regressive as the U.K. regarding highlighting female MCs and making the genre more accessible and less sexist. I do think any feature that ranks the best rappers and includes so few women – only two in the top twenty-five remember! – does hint at issues in Rap that have not really moved on and been eradicated.
If things are moving on slowly each year in terms of inclusiveness and recognition of women in Rap, struggles and discrepancies being highlighted five years ago are largely true today. Is the apparent lack of visibility and recognition of British Rap queens down to continued patriarchy and the assumption that the genre is a man’s territory?! That the best and most important rappers are men?! The Guardian published a feature in 2018 that explained that female MCs are not being heard and given their dues:
“Yet it’s worth talking about women MCs, because the commercial gap between male and female artists is a chasm. In the same way that rising gender equality in the workplace overall doesn’t negate the fact that fewer than 5% of Britain’s top companies have a female CEO, or that so few of the BBC’s top earners are women, so it’s true that while there a huge number of female MCs out there, almost none are breaking through to the top tier of the music industry. Apart from Nicki Minaj, who is undoubtedly a global superstar and the exception to the rule (although even her last album only charted at 22 in the UK) it’s been a long time since a female MC broke the Top 10 or played near the head of the bill at a UK festival.
For Little Simz, the muted reaction to Stillness left her faced with a question she had always tried to avoid: would things have been different if she were a man? “She did everything perfectly,” says Caroline SM, the founder of the UK rap collective New Gen and an A&R at XL Recordings. “I think she was just ahead of her time. Four years ago, grime, rap, whatever it is, was not getting a look-in at all – men or women. It’s taken so long even to get to this point. Our scene is so slow.”
It’s true that many of the British men who are currently on top, artists such as Giggs and Skepta, have been releasing music for well over a decade. But even among relatively new artists like Stormzy, J Hus, Nines and Section Boyz, it seems as if the path to success has been fairly straightforward.
Lady Leshurr has asked similar questions about her own career and says that one of the reasons male artists do better is that they look out for each other. “In grime, there’s a circle of people that all support each other and, guess what, they’re all male: Stormzy, Skepta, Wretch 32. They’re people that will always support another person’s music. When you look at the females, there’s not really that collective of people who will show love. If more female rappers in the UK were more supportive of each other it would be completely different.”
She says the picture is further complicated by race. “In my opinion [the issues are about] gender but it’s also the colour of your skin. It can be harder if you’re a dark-skinned girl trying to make it in this industry because it’s always been hard.”
Leshurr has found that while in some ways the situation for women has improved, the double-standard about physical appearance, and skin colour in particular, has gotten worse. “For men it doesn’t really matter what you look like. Ed Sheeran, for example; I’m not saying he’s ugly, but you’d never think he’d be the biggest pop star in the world. Whereas for women, it’s still based on image, and men will always think about what the female looks like before they hear what she’s gonna say. It’s always going to be ‘She’s ugly’ or ‘Look at her hair’. Whereas guys can just put a hoodie and a snapback on and record something and everyone will be like ‘Yeah they’re sick’.”
IN THIS PHOTO: Lady Leshurr/PHOTO CREDIT: Alec McLeish for FADER
Both Leshurr and Caroline SM believe that these problems are particular to the scene in the UK at the moment, and that the recent success of male artists will eventually open the door for female MCs too. But discrepancy in fortunes between men and women stretches back a lot further than that. Ms Dynamite, probably Britain’s most famous female MC, managed to combine critical acclaim with chart success on her debut record A Little Deeper, which went on to win the Mercury prize in 2002. She was unable to turn that initial success into a sustained career as an album artist – her second record didn’t chart in the top 40 and eventually she went back to her first calling: singing verses on club tracks. Seven years later another female MC, Speech Debelle, won the Mercury prize, but she was even less able to build a career from the exposure. She’s now working behind the scenes, as a music relations manager for Arts Council England.
“Somebody needs to change the formula. The way people approach music,” says Angel Haze, an artist from Detroit. A few years ago, Haze was the belle of the music press: an incredible MCing talent with a horrendous story, overcoming sexual abuse and life in a religious cult. She was interviewed by everyone, reliving her awful childhood experiences over and over again. Then she released her debut album, Dirty Gold, which charted at 196 in the UK.
“You don’t get the recognition based on what your music sounds like, it’s all about the hype around you, who said what about you. But it’s this reality TV generation, everyone has a 30-second attention span and on to the new shit, and only the craziest of people survive.” What’s strange is that it’s a cycle that no one can seem to get out of, artists and press playing their dutiful roles, unable to stop history repeating itself. Just last year, Young MA had a Billboard Top 20 hit with her track OOOUUU. The record, a brilliantly blue ode to cunnilingus, was one of the most open celebrations of same-sex relationships in mainstream hip-hop. Talking to the Fader in August last year, she said that the song’s success motivated her to do more. “Let’s keep it moving now. Let’s keep giving ’em this fire and let’s not stop this,” she said. But one year on, she has released an EP to little fanfare. It charted at No 166 in the US and another hit has not emerged.
It would perhaps look foolish now to suggest that this could all be about to change, considering how often that prediction has been made in the past and been proven to be wrong. Yet everyone I speak to seems to believe the first superstar female MC of the 2010s is just around the corner. There’s Ray BLK, who won the BBC’s Sound of 2017 poll and combines R&B singing with MCing. Cardi B, who found fame on the American reality show Love & Hip-Hop, but whose brazen personality and track Bodak Yellow have meant that, unlike every other person on that show, she is now being taken seriously as a star.
“I feel like there was a glass ceiling before, but this new generation of people coming out are changing things,” says BLK. “We can more easily connect with our fanbase – things are spreading a lot further because of that.” Among this new wave, though, there is one name that everyone is saying is going to be the person to finally shatter the ceiling: Stefflon Don. “We haven’t seen someone like her before. Not in my lifetime. Not in the UK,” says Caroline SM. “We really haven’t seen someone like that. She’s a gangster. Boys are scared of her and she’s sexy. She came through on the Section Boyz remix, she rolls with rappers. She’s one of a kind”.
I hope that attitudes soon change! That radio stations include more female rappers. That the problems of misogyny and sexism that have always existed becomes negligible. That the modern queens are given their rights and space. That women are not pitted against one another. The COMPLEX feature did not include many ‘contemporary’ female rappers compared to the men. Little Simz, Estelle and Lady Leshurr. So half of the six. Hopefully things will change in years to come and we see a less divisive genre. It is strange that there is not this recognition happening, considering how women are redefining Hip-Hop and Rap. Medium explored this for a feature in 2021:
“The biggest way women have tried flipping the script on hip hop is with their bodies and their sexuality. This idea has been very controversial in today’s media as more women follow in this direction. Many feel that it is still distasteful and just plays into the sexualization and objectification that was happening before. Various people find this even more demeaning, while others argue that it is sexually liberating. It’s seen as empowering because these women are doing it to themselves rather than letting others force them into it. It’s a step in the right direction — women are getting more of a say in their content and how it should be portrayed. “…Women artists have been able to define themselves within the constructs of male domination, eschewing the tendency to play an accommodating role to men” (Balaji, 8). Especially in today’s music, women have made it a priority to speak sexually about themselves as a means of not allowing men to do it for them. When that happens, there’s typically a degree of objectification that occurs, resulting in women not being taken seriously. When men are in control of what women do and treat them like trophies, it perpetuates the idea of violence towards women. On the other hand, when women do it, they reclaim that power that men once had. “Similarly, Kistler and Lee (2010) discovered that male college undergraduates who viewed highly sexual hip-hop music videos expressed greater objectification of women, sexual permissiveness, and stereotypical gender attitudes than male participants who viewed less sexual hip-hop videos” (Aubrey et. al, 364). This being said, it can be discouraging and seem like a bad way to empower others as this could promote violence towards women, especially women of color. Our society has to realize that women can’t be accountable for what men feel when seeing imagery that is sexual.
While this can appear as if it is a setback, many new-wave feminists see it as an opportunity for empowerment. Ever since the release of “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, this topic has been widely debated as the music video and lyrics are based upon self-sexualization. It makes many women around the world proud of themselves and their bodies, and even gives a sense of confidence. “Today’s contemporary hip hop from women paves a space for these women, instead, to become the representative, as they have been increasingly able to compete and succeed with the men in the same genre” (Kim). Although black women have a rich history of being sexualized and objectified, artists are making their own definition of being a confident woman. Artists like Cardi B, among others, want to create a more equal playing field between men and women in the industry by making their mark. They are letting everyone know that they are important and deserve the same respect as their male counterparts. So, although it may seem as if it is a hindrance towards equality, it’s breaking new boundaries and questioning society’s ideal woman.
Women have also shown their dominance by telling their stories and letting others know what it’s like from their perspective. As musicians, making music and telling a story are the most obvious ways of making change. This idea was first executed by Roxanne Shanté when she released the track “Roxanne’s Revenge.” This song is a very important contribution to hip-hop feminism, because it questions what had never been questioned before. Her song is in response to “Roxanne, Roxanne” by UTFO. It is inspiring, because she heard the song and how demeaning it was, and created her own spin on it. This song launched the start of her career and became just as popular as the original. What was most impressive about her is that she dared to question male artists at least twice her age”.
The COMPLEX feature sparked something in me. Wonderful to see some great British rappers ranked and highlighted! Shaming and sorry that there were six women among the fifty. It does emphasis the fact that, regardless of the innovation and talent from female MCs and Rap queens, there is still less airplay and opportunities for them. Fewer festival bill slots. Less in the way of commercial acclaim. That may be less true in the U.S. It does seem like the British Rap scene has more work to do. Some may say that it is all down to quality. If women are not included in the list then they are not good enough. That is patently not true! There are so many out there who have either been overlooked, are ‘honourable mentions’, or have not been deemed ‘worthy’ enough. With the waves coming through the past few years, the balance will start to shift more noticeably. The future of music is female. I think that there are genres that are disconnected and deaf to that. Maybe history and the fact there is so much work that needs to be done in Rap means we will not see things change for a long time. In any case, greats like Little Simz are breaking barriers and clearing the way for their sisters coming up and through. Even if features like COMPLEX’s seem to paint British Rap’s best as male-heavy, there are amazing women who should be named and given their propers! Let’s hope that this rather one-sided view of a terrific genre is shifted…
AS soon as possible.