Mic Chick: Fuse's Guide to Lady Rappers

Azealia Banks

The Harlem MC behind "212," one of the most startlingly fresh rap tracks in a minute, Azealia Banks has already netted and let go Lady Gaga's manager -- and her debut LP isn't even out yet. That album, 'Broke with Expensive Taste,' is slated for an early 2013 release, but her debut mixtape 'Fantasea' is excellent enough to keep us sated until then.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 02: Eve attends the 2012 Budweiser Made In America Festival at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Sept

Eve

Although she spent her teen years singing, Eve became one of the most respected female MCs in the game as Ruff Ryders' First Lady. Collaborating with Dr. Dre, DMX, Gwen Stefani and Alicia Keys, Eve racked up plenty of chart hits but never left behind her lyrical cred. Eve also acted in the 'Barbershop' films and starred in a sitcom (aptly titled 'Eve') for three seasons.

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes

Rapper, singer and songwriter, Lisa Lopes of TLC died in a car crash at age 30, but her memory and legend lives on thanks to the group's immortal catalog of hits. Forgotten by many fans, Left Eye also released a 2001 solo album called 'Supernova.'

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Ninja of The Go! Team

Drawing on five decades of music history to produce a sound that's ahead of it's time, British six-piece outfit The Go! Team own the live concert stage in no small part to frontwoman Ninja. She raps, chants, sings and leads the band in a sweetly cacophonous musical riot.

Scott Gries/Getty Images

Jean Grae

Although born in Cape Town, South Africa, Jean Grae grew up in New York City after her jazz musician parents relocated there. After making the smart decision to change her name from What? What? to Jean Grae (after the X-Men mutant Jean Grey), this MC announced herself as a major voice in the underground hip hop scene with her 2002 debut 'Attack of the Attacking Things.' Although she made a retirement announcement in 2008, Talib Kweli (who referred to her as "one of the last true MCs left") seemingly persuaded her to reconsidered.

David Corio/Redferns

Foxy Brown

One of the most legendary female MCs in rap history, Foxy Brown first made a splash as part of the New York-based, Dr. Dre-produced hip hop group the Firm (alongside Nas) before embarking on her own solo career. 1999's 'Chyna Doll,' her second solo LP, was the first album from a female rapper to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Charts.

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Queen Latifah

When modern audiences think of Queen Latifah, they probably think 'CoverGirl spokeswoman' or 'major movie actress' before they think 'hip hop innovator.' But after spending her teenage years beatboxing, Queen Latifah debuted at age 19 in 1989 with the classic rap album 'All Hail the Queen.' Since then she's branched out into countless other arenas -- lately, she's been plotting her return to daytime TV hosting for a 2013 show.

Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Kid Sister

Combining electronica and rap for a bold new sound, Chicago rapper Kid Sister has worked with Kanye West, Estelle, A-Trak and the Neptunes, who are producing tracks for her upcoming second album.

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Lil Mama

Popping onto the scene with the 2007 Top 10 single "Lip Gloss," Lil Mama reentered the Top 10 in 2008 with the Chris Brown, T-Pain featuring "Shawty Get Loose." She's currently a judge on 'America's Best Dance Crew.'

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Lauryn Hill

One of the biggest female MCs in the game, rapper/singer Lauryn Hill achieved massive critical and commercial success in the late-'90s with the Fugees and as a solo artist before dropping off the radar. Recently, Hill was charged with tax evasion, a situation she promised to rectify in court.

John Roca/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Missy Elliott

After writing for Raven-Symone, Jodeci and Aaliyah in the early to mid-nineties, Missy Elliott (and her frequent producing partner Timbaland) went on to produce on of the most unassailable string of albums in hip hop history from 1997's 'Supa Dupa Fly' to 2005's 'The Cookbook.' Despite a long hiatus and several delayed release dates, her new album 'Block Party' is supposed to drop this year.

J. Vespa/WireImage

Rah Digga

Formerly a member of Busta Rhymes' hip hop crew the Flipmode Squad a.k.a. the Conglomerate, Rah Digga has only two solo albums (separated by 11 years) to her name, but she's still considered "one of rap's most prominent women MCs," according to AllMusic.com. Case in point? One of the nicknames she goes by is Harriet Thugman.

Johnny Nunez/WireImages

M.I.A.

M.I.A.'s musical output is as much of a one-of-a-kind melange as her British/Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. Arguably the first MC to successfully meld hip hop, electronica and world music for a massive Western audience, M.I.A. has been the target of a variety of controversies touching on everything from terrorism to Anderson Cooper to truffle fries. Even if her third album alienated some fans by indulging in industrial noise, M.I.A. recently signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation management and continues to be one of music's most unpredictably worthwhile voices.

J. Shearer/WireImage

Khia

Songs don't get much dirtier than "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)," the debut single from Philly rapper Khia in 2002, the lyrics of which cover... well, nearly everything on the human body.

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Trina

After getting some buzz off an appearance on Trick Daddy's 1998 album, Trina debuted in 2000 with 'Da Baddest Bitch' which took a page from Lil' Kim's X-rated book. Over the course of four more studio albums, Trina earned the designation "the most consistent female rapper of all time" from XXL Magazine.

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

Da Brat

Chicago MC Da Brat became the first female rapper to go platinum with her 1994 debut 'Funkdafied.' After weathering appearances in the films 'Kazaam' and 'Glitter,' she got into a physical altercation in 2007 that resulted in a three-year prison sentence. Da Brat was released last year.

Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Rye Rye

After a few years of generating massive Internet buzz, M.I.A. protege Rye Rye debuted this year with the stylistically innovative 'Go! Pop! Bang!' album. In 2009, just before her 19th birthday, Rye Rye gave birth to her first child.

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Monie Love

The British MC started getting attention thanks to her appearance on Queen Latifah's women's anthem "Ladies First" in 1989. The next year she debuted with 'Down to Earth,' the influence of which looms larger than its chart success. She continues working in music not as a rapper but as a radio host.

Michel Linssen/Redferns

Nicki Minaj

What can you say about Nicki Minaj? Like Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim and Lauryn Hill, she's a female MC who has become so popular and such a pop culture force that no one feels the need to put the descriptor "female" before "rapper" anymore when talking about her. She simply is -- in fact, it's hard to remember what hip hop was like before her (other than less interesting).

Ray Tamarra/FilmMagic

Roxanne Shante

Before Queen Latifah debuted and before Lil' Kim combined hard beats with profane lyrics, there was Roxanne Shante. While only 14 years old, the Queens MC recorded response to Brooklyn rap crew UTFO's track "Roxanne, Roxanne" called "Roxanne's Revenge." Her 1984 hit bit back at the group for what she perceived was an insulting track about a woman who rejected their advances. Although UTFO responded by commissioning a female rapper called the Real Roxanne to diss Shante, it's "Roxanne's Revenge" that remains the classic track. FYI, it was reportedly recorded in one take (though re-recorded in 1985 with fewer profanities).

Michael Ochs Archives

Iggy Azalea

T.I. protege, A$AP Rocky pal, Azealia Banks Twitter beefer and the first woman to grace XXL's Top 10 Freshman issue. Australian rapper Iggy Azalea is already known for a great many things, despite the fact that her professional career is celebrating its one-year anniversary this fall.

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THEESatisfaction

The Seattle duo THEESatisfaction consists of rapper Stasia "Stas" Iron and singer Catherine "Cat" Harris-White. They debuted this year with the genre-bending album 'AwE NaturalE,' an underground LP that's a must-seek release of 2012.

Steven Dewall

Lady Sovereign

Jay-Z signed her to Def Jam following an on-the-spot freestyle, and in 2006 she released her deliriously fun and impressive LP 'Public Warning.' Since then, the British MC Lady Sovereign sort of dropped off the radar around the time she parted ways with her label. She released a follow-up album in 2009 and went on hiatus, saying new material will come out, "When the time is right."

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LONDON - SEPTEMBER 30: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Shys

Shystie

The 25-year-old actress and rapper has one studio album to her name (2004's 'Diamond In the Dirt') but a slew of mixtapes and appearances since then. After popping up on Azealia Banks's mixtapes, she recently modeled as part of New York Fashion Week 2012.

Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

Kreayshawn

This 23-year-old San Fran MC netted a record contract based on the strength of her 2011 viral hit "Gucci Gucci," which was controversial not for its subject matter but for what some cultural commentators decried as her performance style being reminiscent of "a modern day minstrel show" in the words of Madame Noire. Her debut LP, 'Somethin' 'Bout Kreay,' recently dropped.

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Shawnna

Shawnna is the daughter of blues legend Buddy Guy as well as a former member of Chicago rap duo Infamous Syndicate. She's part of a sadly elite group of female rappers who have appeared in singles that topped the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to her appearance in Ludacris' "Stand Up."

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Remy Ma

A former member of Fat Joe's Terror Squad, Remy Ma is one of the few female rappers (alongside Lil' Kim, Trina, Nicki Minaj and Shawnna) to top the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to the Terror Squad track "Lean Back" in 2004. She is currently serving an 8-year prison sentence in relation to a 2007 shooting. Remy Ma married rapper Papoose while behind bars in 2008.

Ray Tamarra/Getty Images

Lil' Kim

After gaining notoriety as part of the hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Biggie Smalls helped her join that crew), Lil' Kim embarked upon one of the most influential careers in rap history. The Brooklyn MC broke out on her own with the classic 1996 LP 'Hard Core,' an appropriately-named album that found a female rapping about sexually explicit tales over hard-edged beats for the first time since Roxanne Shante. Despite competing on 'Dancing with the Stars,' Kim has been mostly quiet since serving a prison sentence in 2005.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Ms. Dynamite

After leaving the UK garage group So Solid Crew, Ms. Dynamite turned her attention to blending rap, ragga and R&B on her impressive 2002 debut 'A Little Deeper.' While competing on a celebrity car racing show in 2006, she accidentally drove into a wall at nearly 100mph--luckily, her hospital stay was short-lived but she's taken a break from making albums since then.

Naki/Redferns

Neneh Cherry

Swedish rapper/DJ/singer Neneh Cherry scored an international hit in 1988 with the stylistically groundbreaking single "Buffalo Stance," which combined rap, dance and the immortal words "Bomb the bass, rock this place!" She recently released an album of experimental jazz covers with a group called the Thing.

Steve Eichner/WireImage

Northern State

Even if they never quite followed through on the promise of their hilarious and spunky debut 'Dying In Stereo,' the underground hip hop trio of Hesta Prynn, Sprout, Spero/Guinea Love was pretty killer when they debuted in 2002 with the mixtape 'Hip Hop You Haven't Heard.' Although the group initially started as a joke ("Could you imagine three white girls from Long Island opening up their mouths and acting like they could rap?" Spero once said), they ended up working with Ad-Rock of Beastie Boys, Questlove of the Roots and DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill.

Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Salt-N-Pepa

Groundbreaking New York hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa formed in 1985. Surprisingly, their best-known hit "Push It" was originally released as a b-side and didn't tear up the charts until a a DJ remixed it into the radio version we all know almost a year later. Although they disbanded in 1999 and haven't released an album since 1997, they still reform for select appearances and shows.

Tim Roney

UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 1970: Photo of Digable Planets Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Ladybug of Digable Planets

Mary Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira was 1/3 of Digable Planets, a New York-based trio that blended jazz and hip hop much like A Tribe Called Quest. Although their two albums "Reachin' (A Refutation of Time and Space)" and "Blowout Comb" are nineties hip hop classics, they disbanded shortly after releasing them. Ladybug, who now prefers to go by Mecca, began working as a DJ several years ago.

Michael Ochs Archives

MC Lyte

With 1988's 'Lyte As A Rock' (get it, she's heavy!), MC Lyte became the first female MC to drop a full-length debut. But Lyte's first album isn't merely of note for being an historical first: It's also a classic of hip hop's Golden Age (The Source called it one of the 100 best rap albums back in 1998). Bonus coolness: She helped introduce the world to an up-and-coming rapper by the name of Missy Elliott in 1996. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

More Galleries

Azealia Banks

Eve

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes

Ninja of The Go! Team

Jean Grae

Foxy Brown

Queen Latifah

Kid Sister

Lil Mama

Lauryn Hill

Missy Elliott

Rah Digga

M.I.A.

Khia

Trina

Da Brat

Rye Rye

Monie Love

Nicki Minaj

Roxanne Shante

Iggy Azalea

THEESatisfaction

Lady Sovereign

Shystie

Kreayshawn

Shawnna

Remy Ma

Lil' Kim

Ms. Dynamite

Neneh Cherry

Northern State

Salt-N-Pepa

Ladybug of Digable Planets

MC Lyte

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