Female artists redefine rap industry

The R&B music industry has been dominated by male artists for the entirety of its existence—until recently.

Over the past few years, many new female artists have risen to fame, especially in the rap genre. According to Spotify, Megan “Thee Stallion” Pete, who released her debut album in 2017, became the 24th most listened to artist in the world after the release of her most recent album, "Suga," and singles that followed.

Pete’s music is very explicit, speaking about her body in the same way that male artists often speak of women. Instead of allowing herself to be objectified by these men without consent, she takes charge of her female intuition and releases music that legitimizes women’s untamed confidence and power. Pete uses her platform to bring attention to many human rights issues and topics, such as feminism and the Black Lives Matter movement. She performed her music on the first episode of Season 46 of Saturday Night Live, and used her time on air to bring attention to how Black women, specifically, are disrespected in the United States. She continuously and unapologetically advocates for her rights as a Black woman in America, and encourages her fanbase to do the same.

There are a number of other female artists who use their platform similarly to Pete. For example, Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly, more commonly referred to as Rico Nasty, used her time on stage at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2019 to speak about Black Lives Matter protests. She voiced her support for protestors, saying they were fighting “for something we should have been had,” in reference to equal rights.

Onika Maraj-Petty, better known as Nicki Minaj, is one of the most well known rappers in the industry and has arguably been the most influential female rapper of this century. She has previously expressed the struggles of being a female artist in a male-dominated genre.

“It was getting someone to take you serious, and that was the whole thing I was worried about,” Minaj said in a 2020 interview with Billboard. “I didn’t know if you would take me serious, because at the time people had really given up on female rappers.”

Other artists who deserve recognition for their recent contributions include, but are not limited to, Doja Cat, Flo Milli, Ashnikko and Young M.A. All of these artists are redefining and rerouting an industry that has for so long objectified them, treated them as subjects for male approval and not given them the same respect or opportunity that it gave male artists. They work fervently not only to release incredible music, but to inspire other women to do whatever they want to, in whatever field they want to do it in. They are working to grant young women the confidence that has for so long been considered taboo, allowing these women to truly become comfortable in their bodies and environments.