From Queen Latifah to Lil’ Kim: The Evolution of the Feminist M.C.

Abstract

The feminist lyricism of early female hip-hop artists conveyed a message of empowerment, and an awareness of the power of one’s own femininity. Artists like Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, Monie Love and Queen Latifah reigned as the queens of hip-hop in the late 80’s and early 90’s, cementing their legacy as hip-hop royalty. But it was during the late 90’s and into the millennium, that this feminist message within hip-hop music began to change. A new kind of feminism was developing within the music and culture, with lyrics focused on sexual liberation, control, and sexual domination. In this paper, I will argue that while the style in which these concepts were presented, there no distinct difference between the feminist philosophy of a socially-conscious artist like Queen Latifah or a more sexually liberated artist like Lil’ Kim. Both encouraged women to be liberated, empowered and to resist sexist oppression through the genre of hip-hop.