The Rap Game- Mixtape

Brianna Richardson 1 Dr.Harris ENGL 2017 22 April 2026 The Rap Game I have focused on creating a curated playlist of African American female rappers that I listen to from the 90’s to the 2000’s. Through this playlist, I hope to showcase the influence of black women in the music industry, specifically the rap field in the 90’s and how it has influenced black female rappers today. While also showing how female rap has focused on black womanhood, southern black culture, and has combated the stereotypical oversexualization. African American women in the 1990s rap scene have played a big role in shaping the genre, as their distinctive style, lyricism, and performance style continue to influence and inspire African American female rappers today. “Dirty South Feminism: The Girlies Got Somethin’ to Say Too! Southern Hip-Hop Women, Fighting Respectability, Talking Mess, and Twerking Up the Dirty South” by Adeerya Johnson does a good job showcasing this in the article. She shows how black women combat respectability politics by reading what is known as “ ratchet," asserting sexual autonomy, and performing twerking as diasporic dance traditions. Dirty South Feminism really focused on black womanhood, girlhood in Southern black culture, and the use of public performance as resistance. Instead of just viewing black women as hypersexualized victims, this description of “Dirty South” cultural architect, and knowledge procedures. In Johnson’s article, she stated scholars 2 have classified black women in hip-hop as modern-day Jezebels, and sapphires who lack agency and control due to misogynistic images and heteropatriarchal structures identity Women like Missy Elliot, Gangsta boo and many more amazing black female rappers who combated the ladylike social norms and asserted lyrical dominance, introducing the aggressive, sexually assertive personas. With this curated playlist, I have chosen women who trailblazed the southern hip-hop game from the 90’s and 2000’s. I have chosen women such as Lil' Kim, who was a female rapper from Brooklyn, New York, and gained her popularity by being a part of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A formed by The Notorious B.I.G. Even after the group, she continued to have an amazing solo career, creating songs that many still recognize today, like Crush on You and No Matter What They Say, which I have incorporated into this playlist. I’ve also included artists such as Foxy Brown, Gangsta Boo, Khia, Jacki-O, Mia X, MC Lyte, Missy Elliott, and Da Brat. These women each brought their own unique voice, regional influence, and perspective into hip-hop, helping to redefine what it meant to be a Black woman in a male-dominated industry. Through their music, they challenged societal expectations, embraced their identities, and used their platforms to express themes of empowerment, independence, and resilience. Their contributions not only shaped the sound and culture of 90s and early 2000s rap, but also laid the foundation for today’s generation of female artists who continue to push boundaries and redefine the genre. Overall, this playlist serves as both a celebration and a reminder of the lasting impact African American women have had on hip-hop. By highlighting their artistry and cultural influence, it emphasizes how their voices, stories, and performances continue to resonate, inspire, and shape the evolution of rap music today. 4 Crush On You (feat. Lil' Cease) [Remix] -Lil' Kim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH54w6Q1wpk&list=RDwH54w6Q1wpk&start_radio=1 Sock It 2 Me (feat. Da Brat)- Missy Elliott https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V67t8eu8ee4&list=RDV67t8eu8ee4&start_radio=1 Not Tonight (feat. Da Brat, Left Eye, Missy “Misdeameanor” Elliot & Angie Martin)- Lil' Kim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2StcXjwrGHY&list=RD2StcXjwrGHY&start_radio=1 Where Dem Dollas At (feat. DJ Paul & Juicy J)- Gangsta Boo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1vxn1ica14&list=RDJ1vxn1ica14&start_radio=1 Candy (feat. Kelis)- Foxy Brown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwCvKC9kNGo&list=RDwwCvKC9kNGo&start_radio=1 Two Seater (Flavor Remix)- MC Lyte https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6x3CCh_tn0&list=RDO6x3CCh_tn0&start_radio=1 Everyday- MC Lyte https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaCGZv-_7eI&list=RDEaCGZv-_7eI&start_radio=1 No Matter What They Say- Lil' Kim 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcZoqpJ1PYs&list=RDLcZoqpJ1PYs&start_radio=1 Sugar Walls- Jacki-O https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJZSoNnd5d4&list=RDYJZSoNnd5d4&start_radio=1 My Neck, My Back (Lick It)- Khia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzDilsFEixU&list=RDKzDilsFEixU&start_radio=1 Ghetto Ties E- Mia X https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAPzJbZfqXI&list=RDxAPzJbZfqXI&start_radio=1 Mask 2 My Face- Gansta Boo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1b-7SvDhsY&list=RDB1b-7SvDhsY&start_radio=1 What’chu like-Da Brat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKrVAznccZ0&list=RDpKrVAznccZ0&start_radio=1 Apple Music Playlist https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/dirty-south/pl.u-EdAVzvWTDRbdaYg Works Cited 6 Johnson, Adeerya. “Dirty south feminism: The Girlies got somethin’ to say too! southern hip-hop women, fighting respectability, talking mess, and twerking up the dirty south.” Religions, vol. 12, no. 11, 22 Nov. 2021, p. 1030, https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12111030.

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