Rap has always been a male-saturated industry. Sure, we’ve had greats such as Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim, but what about more up-and-coming female rappers or rappers who don’t fit the gender binary? Everyone knows Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea, but other than that, the female and gender-queer pickings in mainstream rap are pretty slim.
To remedy this, here are some of my favorite female and non-binary rappers you should definitely keep an eye on.
1. Junglepussy
Junglepussy is a 23-year-old rapper based out of NYC. She released her first mixtape, Satisfaction Guaranteed, in the summer of 2014, and she has gradually been gaining more recognition for her clever, self-written rhymes.
Part of why I love Junglepussy so much is because of how much she loves herself; she radiates so much self-love in both her music and social media presence that it’s hard not to be drawn to her. Take the song above, for example, with empowering bars like, “I’ve been feeling like a queen/I bought a globe, now the world is mine,” and “What’s a girl to do when the world’s against you?/Throw it in they face, let them know that you meant to.” Her album, Pregnant With Success, is set to drop fall 2015.
2. Barf Troop
Barf Troop consists of four female and non-binary rappers, or as their Tumblr bio says, “a group of filthy babes doing the damn thing.” The group is comprised of silky-voiced Babeo Baggins, Babenstein, Babe Field, and Babe Simpson. All the babes are wildly talented, and each brings something different to the table. One of my favorite songs by them is Babe Simpson’s “Martians,” a fast-paced track with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and playful instrumentals. Babeo Baggins also just dropped their mixtape, Posi+ive.
3. Chynna Rogers
Chynna Rogers (also know as just Chynna) is a 19 year-old model and rapper from Philly and the first lady to join A$AP Mob. Her lyrics have a precocious, DGAF attitude; she knows she’s good and her confidence is powerful.
4. Nyemiah Supreme
Nyemiah Supreme, star of the Oxygen series Sisterhood of Hip-Hop, is a rap force to be reckoned with. She just released her latest single, “No Questions,” featuring K Camp, and will soon be dropping her debut album Happily Ever After according to her bio on Oxygen.
My favorite song by Supreme is “I Don’t Know,” which shows a more vulnerable side of her, proving that even though she already has a single with Timbaland under her belt at age 24, she still has insecurities. The song addresses the comparisons between her and other female rappers (like Nicki Minaj), and feeling torn between listening to herself or other people’s opinions when thrust into the spotlight.
These are the rappers I’ve been loving lately — what new artists are on your playlist?
Cover image courtesy of Scarlet Bodega.
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