It’s unfortunate but we all know the life span of Female rappers is half, maybe even one-third of what it is for a male rapper. When they come out they come in to a male dominate rap world, fighting to prove themselves worth a space in this competitive market. They come with their hardcore lyrics, tough girl attitude and sexy but still don’t f*ck with me demeanor. Fast forward two to three albums later, and they become somewhat lost and fizzle out. They have nothing else to prove, therefore they try to switch it up, but ultimately fade out into female rap history.
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Then comes Nicki Minaj. Now, I have to admit, I was not a Nicki Minaj fan at first. I came from the era when Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, and Eve were the best female rappers around. They came with raw, emotional talent, spit hard verses and created street anthems. But I’m a public relations major, so I know more then a few things about branding strategies and target markets. Nicki Minaj has created this whole fan-base on her fashion-style, catchy flow, and mass-market appeal. She is the first major female rapper to cross over into a pop market BEFORE even releasing her album, something female rappers in the past of done when releasing their third LP.
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I’m also not saying that female rappers have not been able to cross over. Rapper Eve did it perfectly with her hit single ‘Blow Ya Mind’ featuring pop-rock princess Gwen Stefani and Missy Elliot had a whole slew of hit that were heard on both the hip-hop station and the top-40. But with Nicki’s new song ‘Check It Out’ featuring pop-producer galore Will.I.Am, the man behind Usher’s crossover hit ‘OMG’ and front man of ‘The Black Eye Peas’, many have compared it to something that might of been heard from Katy Perry, and with her success record, that is not a bad thing at all.
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Now I KNOW there is a army of Nicki Minaj haters gathering together now that are about to rip me apart, but hear me out. I am by far saying that Nicki is the best female lyricist in the game. Lord knows that title most definitely could be given to some of the pioneers of female rap, I.E Lil Kim, Queen Latifah, and MC Lyte. But I am proclaiming her as the total package on what it is to become a mainstream success in this rap game. She’s got the look, she’s got the lyrics (home girl definitely got bars under her belt), and she’s got the love. There is a whole army of wannabe ‘Barbies’ that follow her every move. And that, to me, is what I think makes the ultimate female rapper. Now I could be totally wrong and she could flop, but I sincerely doubt that.
