7 women you should be checking for...
I'll be real. I'm completely BORED of the lack of new, female hip hop artists getting any real exposure. I feel we're missing innovation and diversity of sound when it comes to the women with any type of large platform. We've got the big names: Nicki and Cardi, along with more up and coming artists receiving traction like Saweetie, Kash Doll and Molly Brazy. There seems to be a "mould" for current female rap artists... the "Fashion Nova" figure (and continous references to the brand. Can we stop lol), possible stripper background, latex clothing and repetitive lyrics about their genitals - even these are lacking any basic substance at this point. Don't get it twisted, I certainly don't need lyricism to enjoy an artist. However their is such a lack of it with commercialised female artists I'm literally desperate for something fresh. So, I've devised a list - in no particular order - of talented AF females (some I've had my eye on for a while, most I discovered while researching for this post) who I think deserve your time and attention. From straight bars to emotive melodies, there's something for everyone. I've inserted one stand out song from each artist so you can have a quick listen without having to go anywhere. Check it.
1. Maliibu Miitch
Bringing attitude and a 90's flair to the new age, I urge anyone who hasn't already to give this chick a listen! The Bronx native brings classic New York tones with her delivery and raw, straight talking lyricism - along with deep, husky vocals that make her recognisable against others in the game (very important in an increasingly saturated genre). Think Foxy Brown x Lil' Kim. She's versatile too, rocking old skool vibes and trap beats in equal measure. Miitch could be the injection of 90's realness the culture needs right now, so I'm hoping to see her gain the traction she's been working since 2011 to receive in coming months.
Instagram: @maliibumiitch
If you love eerie, sexy, melodic trap vibes like me, then Kodie is 100% for you. I've been kind of obsessed with her in recent months, and her two bodies of work "Back From the Future" and"Big Trouble Little Jupiter" are such easy and impressive listens top to bottom, with a perfect balance of trap and RnB infused sounds. Born in Atlanta, she was the only female affiliated with Lil' Yachty's "Sailing Team" (which supposedly "sailed off"over summer. I can't say that name with a straight face so thank god). Her vocal range, delivery and melodies are straight infectious and I'd love to see more colabs with big names. She speaks a lot on her various escapades with women, and the confidence she exudes effortlessly throughout her songs will have you feeling like she's actually about to snatch up your girl. I seriously fuck with her.
2. Kodie Shane
Instagram: @kodieshane
3. Leikeli47
Brooklyn born Leikeli needs to blow the fuck up. Like now. I genuinely haven't heard a woman with this kind of of upbeat funkiness meshed with raw spitting ability since Missy Elliot. I also get some M.I.A and A$AP Ferg vibes, but she is totally unique and fresh. Initially, the mask made me think gang shit, intimidation or marketing tool. It turns out, she really just wants the focus to be as solely on her music as possible - which, lets face it, as a woman is next to impossible to maintain as there are constant comparisons in appearance to contend with and the "need" to sexualise yourself to garner attention. Her flow and delivery is sick, she has an amazing singing voice and she takes creative control of her production and music videos, too. Real musician shit. Her demeanour is super sweet and kind of shy, her back story seems to have a lot of depth so I'm intrigued to find out more. She has just dropped her new EP "Pick a Color" and there's a tonne of other stuff to check by her. Her visuals are sick, too.
Instagram: @leikeli47
Source: www.nylon.com
4. Tierra Whack
If you really fuck with music, girl is a serious standout on the list. She is Philadelphia born, and grew up around traditional cypher culture - enabling her to hone in on a witty, uplifting and introspective style of lyricism. Her music is certainly experimental and full of soul, coupled with some fun, arty, weird, juxtaposing visuals that convey her overall "whacky" style. The quirkiness kinda reminds me of Anime, and it's so refreshing to see given women in rap are usually hyper-sexualised and confined to mediocre music and ass cheeks. I recommend you go watch her 15 minute visual for her aptly named album "Whack World" - listen to the lyrics and watch. Super talented.
5. DeathbyRomy
Her image may be giving you some weird, goth vibes but her music may come as a surprise to you. She's like if Evanescence and Lana del Ray hopped on a trap beat... its pretty cool and definitely different. Her ethereal melodies and impressive vocal ability work perfectly on top of the trap beats we've come to know and love, so I think she may have found herself an interesting little niche to market herself in. As the genre continues to expand we see a lot of supposedly rock inspired rappers, but I find it doesn't always convey in their music or lyrical content. The mix of her image, voice and beats actually makes sense and I'm intrigued to see if rappers like Uzi or Trippie will colab with her.
Instagram: @deathbyromyy
Instagram: @tierrawhack
6. Omerettà the Great
Bringing that Atlanta street shit, Omerettà comes with serious barring ability. With some deep, relatable tracks alongside the more typical, braggadocios content we see in rap - whatever she's spitting she kills it with her wordplay and flows. The contrast between her soft spoken voice seen in interviews and how hard this chick goes off on freestyles and tracks is surprising, and she could easily murder almost everyone we've seen on the XXL Freshman list in recent years. She should have way more recognition for her skill than she already does... if you wanna hear straight bars check her out, her song "Dat's Cap" is another favourite of mine, too.
7. Chika
Instagram: @omeretta
In case you haven't seen Chika circulating social media recently, let me bless you with her. She is proficient in spoken word poetry as well as rap, and discusses some real, relevant, pressing topics throughout her art. It was her freestyle on J Coles "1985" beat that got her gaining followers, telling HipHopDX that the song gave her some hope that "somebody still cares about the impact of what they're saying to the culture." She's now had cosigns from Ice T, Wale, Cardi and rapped live in the studio for Akon just a few days ago. With no full length tracks or music videos out as of yet, check out her Funk Flex freestyle (skip to 0:45 for the start) and be sure to follow her on Instagram, where she showcases plenty more of her talent. I hear she's dropping a mixtape soon, so I'm on the lookout for that.
Instagram: @oranicuhh
So there you go, 7 females that stand out to me right now, and could be the faces you start to see more of in future. And please, if anyone stands out to you... keep supporting them and showing love. All of these women represent something totally separate from the "mould" the media has set up for women in the music industry (and elsewhere) to succeed. We need more of that. Stay tuned for the next post, where I'll be taking a deeper look at the emo/rock influence that is flooding rap music right now.
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Miya xo