My love for women in hip-hop began when I first listened to Azealia Banks’s Broke With Expensive Taste (2014), and has only grown and expanded with each new artist I’ve discovered. I have specifically grown to love the female rappers of the late 90’s and early 00’s, but as I bring them up in both online spaces and in real life, I often find that these women are completely forgotten about, having their artistry and legacies ignored. I will share a list of some of my favorite forgotten female rappers from this era, along with a brief overview of their artistry and some song recommendations for those interested in listening.
The first woman I want to highlight is Charli Baltimore, a local Philadelphia native who rose to fame in the late 90’s due to her romantic affiliation with Biggie Smalls and controversial appearance in his Get Money music video. Baltimore also had multiple well-known features on many Murder Inc records, such as Down 4 U with Ja Rule, Ashanti, and Vita.
Her solo work contains a high-energy, gritty East Coast style with Baltimore having a uniquely animated delivery while rapping about themes of sexuality, hustling, and multiple references to Philly. Her songs “Angel’s Dust” and “Feel It” are two of my favorites, but if there was only one song that I could recommend from this entire article, it would probably have to be “30 Miles From Baltimore,” the closer to Baltimore’s debut album, Cold As Ice.
Sitting at just above 12,000 streams on Spotify, I would argue that this is one of the most underrated songs of all time. Baltimore dramatically tells a violent and grandiose narrative of her persona, loosely based on the plot of The Long Kiss Goodnight. Her vivid storytelling is backed by an eerie, cinematic beat and hook that all work together to create a true masterpiece of a song.
Another incredibly talented female rapper I want to highlight is the first lady of DTP Records, Shawnna. This Chicago rapper was well known for being the daughter of musician Buddy Guy, and for being Ludacris’s foil on the hook for his song “What’s Your Fantasy?”
Shawnna is arguably the most technically skilled rapper on this list, and in my opinion, one of the best rappers in all of female hip-hop. My love for Shawnna comes from her flow and delivery with smooth, satisfying rhyme schemes that become earworms even after just one listen. Complimenting her addictive voice are lyrics about hustling and partying over classic 00’s beats. Some of my favorite tracks of hers are “My Chicago Pt.1”, “My Chicago Pt. 2,” and “Block Reincarnated,” which was featured on the Fast and Furious 2 soundtrack.
The next incredible Women I want to mention are Diamond and Princess from the Atlanta hip-hop group, Crime Mob. These women are probably the most well-known on this list through their multiple generational hits with Crime Mob, such as “Knuck if You Buck,” “Stilletto (Pumps),” and “Rock Yo Hips.”
These songs all actually have something in common: Diamond and Princess wiped down every other member on the track. This remains true with almost every Crime Mob song as Diamond and Princess end up stealing the spotlight with their violent, raw, and unfiltered lyrics souring over classic crunk beats.
These women simply “take it there” even more so than their male counter-parts creating an incredible juxtaposition of character with their fabulous feminine looks. Along with the aforementioned hits, “Circles” is another great Crime Mob song that really highlights Diamond and Princess’ talents.
Continuing in the south, the last woman I’m going to talk about is the late Gangsta Boo from Three Six Mafia. Gangsta Boo was a pioneer in all senses of the word. She was one of the first major female rappers from the South along with Mia X and Trina, and along with her group mates, Boo was one of the creators of horror-core hip-hop.
I definitely don’t think Gangsta Boo gets enough credit for the latter achievement as she was able to take this alternative sound and elevate it on albums such as Both Worlds, *69 when no other women in the industry was close to that sound. Alternative female rappers like Rico Nasty wouldn’t exist without Gangsta Boo and her signature sound.
Gangsta Boo has incredible features on Three Six Mafia songs like “Now I’m Hi Pt. 3”, and “Late Nite Tip,” but her solo work is equally, if not more impressive with songs like “Hard Not 2 Kill” blending horror with upbeat Southern style. Gangsta Boo passed away on January 1, 2023 due to an accidental overdose, but her legacy and impact will be felt forever.
It’s important to ask ourselves why these women are not getting the credit they deserve, and the truth is that many of these women had their careers cut short one way or another by the largely male-dominated industry. These female rappers had to work twice as hard and got half us much, and many were erased from the industry before they got a true chance to grow and develop as artists.
Because of this we need to appreciate and give credit to women who were able to create incredible bodies of work when all the odds were stacked against them and the simplest way to do so is by simply indulging in their incredible music.
