There's the obvious stuff - Queen Latifah ("U.N.I.T.Y." is my personal fave), Salt n' Pepa, MC Lyte, Lauryn Hill, MIA, Eve, Nicki Minaj.
Less well known: Jean Grae, Bahamadia, Monie Love, Lil Mama, Lady Sovereign, Yo-Yo
Mos Def is a current male artist who is refreshingly non-annoying. "Brown Skin Lady" is a charming love letter to darker-skinned WOC - awesome. OutKast is also fairly unproblematic. Old school folks like Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul are non-gangsta, often political, and non-lady-hating.
Sadly, I think it's necessary to include some "IT'S A TRAP"-type warnings of female hip-hop artists a lot of folks find problematic: Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott. ME in particular breaks my heart because she is SO GODDAMN TALENTED and there's such awesome fuck-you sass, but ten seconds later there's some wretched, wretched shit. You'll be rocking right along to the badass beats and then run across a line like, "treat me like a prostitute" and ow ow ow. YMMV on Lil' Kim - some folks find her problematic, some find her in-your-face sexuality rockin' and empowering.
If you would like more, I can ask my friend, Alyx, who blogs at Feminist Music Geek and is most wise in the ways of these things.
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There's the obvious stuff - Queen Latifah ("U.N.I.T.Y." is my personal fave), Salt n' Pepa, MC Lyte, Lauryn Hill, MIA, Eve, Nicki Minaj.
Less well known: Jean Grae, Bahamadia, Monie Love, Lil Mama, Lady Sovereign, Yo-Yo
Mos Def is a current male artist who is refreshingly non-annoying. "Brown Skin Lady" is a charming love letter to darker-skinned WOC - awesome. OutKast is also fairly unproblematic. Old school folks like Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul are non-gangsta, often political, and non-lady-hating.
NOW's NYC chapter did a list of 200 "feminist certified" rap songs. I have problems with some of their choices, but it's a useful starting point.
Sadly, I think it's necessary to include some "IT'S A TRAP"-type warnings of female hip-hop artists a lot of folks find problematic: Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott. ME in particular breaks my heart because she is SO GODDAMN TALENTED and there's such awesome fuck-you sass, but ten seconds later there's some wretched, wretched shit. You'll be rocking right along to the badass beats and then run across a line like, "treat me like a prostitute" and ow ow ow. YMMV on Lil' Kim - some folks find her problematic, some find her in-your-face sexuality rockin' and empowering.
If you would like more, I can ask my friend, Alyx, who blogs at Feminist Music Geek and is most wise in the ways of these things.