April 11, 2026 • 33 mins
Over the years, hip hop has evolved and women have been at the heart of it since the beginning. We highlight some of the legends in this classic episode.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and all the stuff I
ever told you protection I heared you, and today we
are bringing back a special one. It was an anniversary celebration.
(00:25):
But I have to say, every time I think of
this episode, Samantha, I remember how you had me read
a quote that made me sound so embarrassing.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Didn't make you sound real white.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
It was real white, but also just it was very
nerdy in the explanation of hip hop, which is not
something you explained necessarily a nerdy terms.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
I loved it.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Well, you got a good chuckle out of it.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
So I won't lie. It may have been a little
bit of a setup.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
It was.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
I knew it was gonna knew how it was going
to play out, and it was quite delightful. But to
be fair, we don't talk a lot about hip hop
culture in general, so.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I have to get my digs in somehow.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
It was a good episode.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
We really should do a follow up because there's been
a lot happening in the hip hop world. But I
really enjoyed that one talking about the women of hip hop,
So I'm really glad we get to listen to it again.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yes, so please enjoy this classic episode. Hey, this is
Annie and Samantha and welcome to Steff. I never told
your production of iHeart Radio.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Annie.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
I know we've talked about hip hop a little bit
throughout all of our seasons slash episodes. No, we talked
about it for the Birds of Prey series because it
has a bomb soundtrack and we love it making the
Stallions on it. We heart Mega Stallion. We've actually talked
about her a lot, and we've talked about Misogy noir
(02:08):
in the hip hop world as well.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
So I know you know a little bit.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
But if you had to say, if you had to
pick one woman hip hop artist that you were like, yeah,
I dig this, who would it be?
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
No, it is very early in the morning, listeners, I thought,
I don't have a good I love the Birds of
Praise soundtracks, so that us making the Stallion does your
cat on it?
Speaker 1 (02:38):
I love that.
Speaker 5 (02:39):
It's okay, we'll come back to it because we're going
to go into the definitions and the definition is different
than what I thought. So, uh, today we are excited
to talk about the world changing genre of hip hop
and honestly, as we've researched Uh, and we're getting ready
for this episode. Uh, realize that there's a lot maybe
(02:59):
that I haven't learned personally, and so I'm like, yeah,
I'll enjoy the music, but knowing the background and some
of the historical context to it and how young it is, like,
it's not as old as I thought it would be,
even though it shouldn't have been a surprise. In fact, again, yesterday,
I think again we talked about the fact that you
and I talked about this and I really thought I
(03:21):
knew what hip hop was, and even tried to give
you a very generic explanation, but as we delved into this,
I realized it wasn't completely right. It's not wrong, but
not right either. And the genre in itself is broader
than just about music and different from other forms of
music that we often confuse it with, such as rap
and R and B, even though it could be a
(03:42):
part of it. So my simplified version is hip hop
is more rap and less R and B. Again, it
seems it could be both or neither or just one.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
So it's kind of like what, not just.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
What, but just listening to the fact that this is
a movement more than just a genre. So again, FYI,
as we start this year in twenty twenty three, it
marks the fiftieth anniversary for hip hop and this is
kind of while we're doing this episode, Yes, yes, just
to be honest, and we couldn't celebrate without talking about
(04:15):
the history and the women in the industry who made
and continue to make history in hip hop. And as
we begin, we want to go ahead and start with
those definitions that we're talking about, and again it's not
as clear, so we're gonna go from different sources. According
to Merriam Webster, it is quote a cultural movement associated
(04:37):
especially with rap music, and then it goes on to
say also the styleized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rap
also raped together with this music. So kind of yes,
as I said, I was like thinking more rap than
R and B, and I gave you examples, but I
would argue that both like Beyonce and TLC, who from
(04:58):
what I gathered, lean towards the R and B would
be hip hop. But again maybe you know again, I'm
just like huh, because at first, I was like Beyonce,
I thought they all thought was an R and B.
But then as I see the definitions, like she's a culture.
She's a movement who knows and it is her internet.
As we've said before, and for its technicalities. One article
(05:21):
describes hip hop music something that includes rhythm and blues
and beat.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Boxing, okay, and breaking that down. Masterclass describes it this way.
Hip Hop music is a varied musical genre, but most
hip hop songs incorporate several common elements. One strong rhythmic beat.
A rhythmic beat is the strongest unifying factor of hip
hop music. It can be fast and aggressive or slow
(05:46):
and relaxed, but it carries the song steadily forward and
serves a backchop for vocal performance. Most beats and hip
hop songs aren't simple drum lines. Beat making is a
complex and varied art form that results in other songs
and sounds. Two vocals. The majority of hip hop songs
incorporate rapping as their main vocal style, a rhythmic, usually rhymed,
(06:08):
type of chant that interplays with the beat. Other vocal
styles include singing, spoken word, auto tune, and ad libs.
Three breaks. Break is a term for long percussive periods
in a hip hop song. In the nineteen seventies, DJ
cool Hirk is credited with developing the concept of a
break and encouraging dancing called break dancing, breaking, or b boying.
(06:32):
During these instrumental measures, modern hip hop songs often include
breaks to harken back to the genre's roots or encourage dancing.
I have to tell you, I feel so nerdy right now,
but I love it.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I need it.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
Look, we need it, And to be honest, outside of
living it, I don't think people actually talk about what
it is and what it really encompasses. And there's even
a debate about what it is in different articles that
I read. It gets territorial, I will say that. So
even for us to understand it in an academic measure,
because that's what we do, more research based, it is nerdy.
(07:14):
We are breaking down a very cool genre into shows.
I read this and imagine, but we're.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Gonna keep doing it because that's who we are.
Speaker 5 (07:27):
In another article titled what is hip hop music, they
describe it like this. Hip hop is a musical genre
from the inner cities of the United States. In the
nineteen seventies. In New York City, African Americans, Jamaicans, and
Latinos combined rhythmic drum beats, djaying, and rapping to create
a new and unique musical genre. Rappers usually provide the
(07:47):
vocals and hip hop songs. These musicians use rhythmic vocal
technique over the music of a song instead of instruments.
The backing music tracks come from DJ playing records and
performing turntablists techniques. Hip hop songs combine a variety of
genres such as R and B, funk, disco, and dub,
and can even sometimes include spoken word. So again like
(08:09):
it kind of just encompasses all of that. They further
break down the characteristics similarly to master classes, but add
the following. So they add MCing and this is the
lead of the song. They'll most have singing and background vocals.
This includes the rappers that can be also called mcs,
DJing and turntablism. And this is where the two turntables
(08:30):
and mixer not microphone comes in, which loops in US
samples records, and this is where we see the beginning
of scratching as a form of musical technique.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
So using the record to make that I'm not going to.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Do it, yes, you know it, you know it.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
There's also drum machines such as the roll in tr
eight eight and if you've heard people referencing in their
apps eight eight's this is what they're referencing, and good
old beatboxing that is used to.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Make the beats.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
And I'm also not going to try that because I
know I'm not cool.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Okay, yeah, at least we're aware.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
But again that is a bit more simplistic than what
it has become. As one article put it, hip hop
has expanded from just being a music genre but to
a lifestyle. In an article written in the Digitalmusicalnews dot com,
they write the hip hop movement, for its part, consists
of rap and several cultural elements, including one's lifestyle and experiences.
(09:29):
Looking at what hip hop has become, it has become
a way of life, a cultural style. The article compares
the difference between rap and hip hop, saying rap represents
a rhythmic style of vocal recitation that's popular in most
of hip hop's top songs, but it's just one component
of the broader hip hop cultural movement. And the article
quotes mrs As saying you could be a rapper, and
(09:50):
you could be a musician, and you could be a
pop star, said Murrs, but it doesn't make you hip hop.
Hip Hop is definitely it's a culture, there's elements to it,
there's all types of things that go along with it.
And as music industry how to dot com writes, hip
hop is more than music. It's a culture that was
cultivated within inner cities of the United States but has
(10:11):
become a worldwide powerhouse, influencing modern music and generations to
come right.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
And we've talked about that when we talked about kpop
in itself and how big it has spread. It spread
faster than I thought. But yeah, and how it's taken
on the entirety of the globe today. And as the
state of hip hop continues to influence and change, we
can see how it's grown so large, but has also
been about a cultural way of being and not just
(10:37):
a type of music genre.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
So let's talk.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
About the history of hip hop.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
You ready, yes? Yes?
Speaker 5 (10:43):
So in the busy areas of the Bronx in nineteen
seventy three, DJ cool Herk made music history. During a
party to celebrate his sister, DJ Hark developed a new method,
the break, which we mentioned earlier, which according to Education
through Music, it is where the instruments jam out together
with very little vocal additions. This was a section where
(11:04):
folks could really let loose and show off their dance foods.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
He soon would.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
Extend the breaks into longer sections known as loops, and
he kept going as that same article, right, he decided
to try something new. He would play a break from
one song and once he had finished, he would go
into the break of another song. And he would call
this method the merry go Round, which we know is
the modern day DJing. Again, this is a really nerdy
way of explaining what's happening in the.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
World of hip hop.
Speaker 5 (11:34):
We are definitely the non black people explaining hip hops
all right anyway. But it wasn't until nineteen seventy nine
that the term hip hop would actually be used. It
was the sugar Hill Gain who would coin the term
and their famous and first Billboard charting hip hop record,
rappers Delight.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
We all know this rap. I hope you know.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Yes, I actually have an embarrassing story about it, but
yes I do. Just right along with us talking about
this because I didn't know it was such a long song.
And I told someone I knew all the lyrics and
he was like, oh really, And I was like, yes,
I knew all the lyrics to the shortened one, but
I did not know it was such a long version,
and I embarrassed myself and I still think about it
to this day.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Oh you thought you knew I did? What did he go?
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Poor white girls?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
The type of moment?
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Well, it was also a white guy, but yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Yeah, but they're more condescenting probably.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Again, this started the genre of hip hop spreading throughout
New York and it spread throughout the nineteen eighties even
wider around the world.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
So, now that we have the basics at the beginning
of hip hop, let's talk about the legendary women of
the hip hop world. So did you know that one
of the people who helped release sugar Hill Gang's Rappers
Delight was legendary R and B writer, singer, and producer
Sylvia Robinson. Here's what bill Board had to say about her.
She's arguably one of the most consequential producers and label
(13:05):
owners of all time. Her business opened the doors for
all the independents that followed from def Jam to top Dog,
and her music pioneered distinct concepts that set the template
for hip hop's entire creative arc, from party rocking to
the DJ as musician to social consciousness. Sugar Hill made
everything possible for today's hip hop stars. Her works were legendary,
(13:29):
but that isn't to say a lot of people tried
to erase it. It was known through her time in
the music industry many did not properly credit her for
her hard work, including her work for Ike and Tina Turner,
which she claimed she had quote paid for the session
taught Tina the song That's Me Playing Guitar, which had
earned their first Grammy nomination for the song It's Gonna
(13:49):
work out fine.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
Right, And I think in the article it says that
the Amel producer who owned the label was actually credited
for that instead of her, which we've seen a lot yep. However,
her work was undeniable. She would later be named chairman
of Epic Records, which happened only one other time before her,
especially on a major record label for a black woman.
(14:11):
So she was definitely making some headway. And as for
the historic first hip hop record, according to that same
Billboard article quote the creation story of rappers, Delight is
oft told how Sylvia's teenage son Joey, assembled three of
his friends, none of them experienced rappers, Henry big Bank,
Hank Jackson, Guy Master, Ghee O'Brien and Michael Wonder Mike
(14:31):
Wright at her studio to write and perform the rap.
How Sylvia instructed her studio band to replay the instrument
to Good Times as the song's musical bed. How the
resulting fifteen minute long track caught fire at radio at
a pace beyond even Sylvia's divine vision. How fans across
the country grappled and then grooveed with this strange talking record.
(14:52):
Sylvia's epiphany birthed a million musical revelations. Perhaps no people
were stunned as much as the creators of this rap style,
who across the Hudson River in New York and had
never heard of any crew called the sugar Hill Gang.
And it continues. Sylvia named the act after the fancy
Harlem neighborhood that loomed over her own childhood home, one
hundred and thirty seventh Street. She re christened her label
(15:14):
with the same moniker, making a clean break from the
all platinum debacle, and there was a lot of issues there.
The new record was Sylvia's Brainchild, produced by her but
financed in an arrangement that Joe had broken up by
Levy and Joe's her husband, She slapped a writing credit
for herself on Rapper's Delight, even though many of the
lyrics were crewed from Curtis Fisher, known as Grandmaster Kaz,
(15:37):
who had tossed his notebook to Big Bank Hank with
the shrug and the studio band played music composed by
Sheikhs Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards, who had to retain
an attorney to secure their rightful credit. Now, with all
her amazing work came a lot of controversy in drama
and there's a lot of criticism about how she did
things and what she did in the name of money,
(16:00):
which again eventually led to the end of a sugar
Hill record, as well as the divorce from her husband's
slash partner at the time. Soon after, she did start
another record label called Bona Me Records in nineteen eighty
nine that was signed a new up and coming talent,
Naughty by Nature. You down with obpny No, okay, I.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
See, I didn't mind. Was reading it and I was like,
what is that? And then when you said it, I
was like, ah, yes, I have heard that.
Speaker 5 (16:29):
I'm hoping you're going to respond with yeah, you know me,
But you know what it's okay. Unfortunately, towards the end
of her life, not everything was a happy ending. But
no matter what, her works and her contributions are legendary
and help build the foundation of hip hop.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
And then, in nineteen seventy nine, the first female group,
The Sequence, was formed. Not only were they one of
the first groups, they were the first assigned to a
major label and have their album go gold. Their influence
was so big that many use their music, including Doctor Dre,
who sampled their voices for one of his hooks. The
Groot comprised of three childhood friends from Columbia, South Carolina,
(17:05):
Cheryl the Pearl Cook Gwendolyn Blondie Chisholm, and Angela angib Brown.
Though they are not largely recognized today, they were the
beginning for so much in the hip hop world. Here's
a quote from a Rolling Stone article. The group recorded
the hard grooving sugar Hill Record single Funk You Up
(17:26):
in nineteen seventy nine, one of the very first hip
hop songs ever etched to Vinyl. Though never officially certified,
it was a nationwide smash, serving as the first rap
hit performed by women and only the third rap song
to chart in the top fifty of Billboard's Hot Soul Singles.
Thrust from a South Carolina housing project into the national spotlight,
(17:46):
the Sequence were also America's first Southern rap group, and
in a seventies landscape where the few rap records that
existed were chorus free rhyme marathons, the Sequence seamlessly mixed
singing and rapping, unwittingly paving a lane for artists like
Lauren Hill, Drake and future. Gangster rap. Came out of
my mouth? Did you know that?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Says Cook?
Speaker 1 (18:07):
She takes a minute to speedily cycle through her verse
on the nineteen eighty single, and you know that to
get to the smoking Gun. I said, we're not confunction.
We're not the gap where the sugar Hill Girls with
the gangster rap, She recites with force. We're not Chic
or sugar Hill or the Sequence girls with the gangster thrill.
We were the only ones talking about gangsta in records.
(18:28):
It came out of my mouth. They never truly got
the credit that they deserved, but they definitely left a
mark and the industry, being one of the first Southern
hip hop groups, as well as signing with sugar Hill
Records and touring with fellow artists. They were icons in
the industry, but deserving of more praise and more money.
Speaker 5 (18:45):
Yes, and if you will go back to the Rolling
Stone article, if you ever want to read about them,
they do talk about the side that they got screwed
over a lot, a lot, including not getting credit for
their work. Then we have the mother of the mic
Sharon Green Are better known as Sharp, who was a
Bronx based rapper. She was a member of the first
hip hop group that appeared on National TV. The group
(19:06):
called Funky four plus one, starting out as a B girl.
As we talked about before, it says bee boys, but
here they say be girl starting out as a be
girl or breakdancer. Was signed as the plus one for
the group on the sugar Hill Records in the late seventies.
Her style influenced many of the later mcs such as
MC Light and DMC of Run DMC. Here's a quote
(19:27):
from kim Beru McLeod, a music scholar about Shawrock. A
unique aspect of the group was that Shawrock wasn't portrayed
as a sex object, but was more or less considered
equal among the male members of the group. Aside from
the minor success of the all female sugar Hill Records
rap crew. The sequence Funky four plus one signified the
last moderate success of a woman rapper in the industry
(19:50):
until Roxey and Chantey and Salton Peppa came along in
the mid eighties. So the legendary MCS paved the way
for so many and even performed on Saturday Night Live.
Here's a quote from her from an NPR article. The
very moment I got my taste for hip hop is
nineteen seventy six, as a be girl, you know, being
out there breakdancing and watching young kids move around throughout
(20:11):
the Bronx, traveling as a nomadic be girl and bee boy,
just to hit those break beats. The n seeing came
in nineteen seventy seven. The first person that I saw
breakdance was friends of mine that had went to junior
high school with me. They taught me what it was
to uprock, which what it was to just hit the
beat whenever you hear that certain breakbeat and she goes on.
(20:31):
The circle was always male dominated. It was a young
male sport at the time. I was sort of like
a tomboy growing up, but there was just a feeling
that you knew you had to be a.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Part of it.
Speaker 5 (20:41):
Some of us was living in poverty, politicians always doing
their own thing. So when we came within that circle,
that was our way to get away from all the
other negative stuff. I mean just being out there in
the street and just listening to some of this, the
sounds of the music and the percussion, it just gave
you a feeling like you could just take on the world.
Empowered you as a woman. And she went on to
(21:03):
talk about her time as being the first female MC.
She says, in late nineteen seventy seven, I became the
first female MC, but at the time there were only
two male mcs in the organization, Keith Keith and KK Rockwell.
And then at the beginning of seventy eight, we added
another MC to the group, Rayhem. This is how we
became the original Funky Four. Then you had the Furious Four,
(21:26):
which was a Grandmaster Flashes group. They had four male members.
So the Funky Four and the Furious Four before we
became the Funky Four plus one and before they became
the Furious Five, recreated the first rap battles in the
history of hip hop culture. That means groups going against
each other. I was the first and the only female
MC to ever battle anybody. I was always a secret
(21:48):
weapon in order to compete with my group. A lot
of other groups were scrambling trying to find female mcs
that can be able to deal with shah Rack. I
never felt no kind of way because my group had
always led people know out there in New York City
or wherever we traveled, whether it was Connecticut, Washington, d C.
Any place up and down the I ninety five corridor,
that MC Sharrock was the best female EMC and that
(22:10):
they had the best female EMC ever. And she truly
was receiving many awards in her lifetime, including the Honorary
Award from Council of New York and the Women's Distinctional
Award by the Hip Hop Cultural Center.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
And then we have the legendary Roxane Chante also known
as Lolitas Chante Gudin. Chante began rapping at the age
of nine and would go on to put out an
instant hit Roxanne's Revenge, which was the pushback to Roxanne
Roxanne by UTFO in nineteen eighty four, which was the
first answer record which could be placed under distractur record
(22:45):
and this was a way of calling out others by
name and fyi. She was one of the first to
do this. She also was someone who helped other mcs
get exposure and helped their careers take off, including the
MC biz Markie.
Speaker 5 (22:58):
Then, of course, we couldn't go so passed the amazing
talents of saltn Peppa and y'all. They fuelled me in
my middle school days. Their records and tapes not only
made you move, but as a young girl, fed you
lines that made you feel powerful, confident and I'm sorry,
as we said back then, all that apologies, but I
had to be said. As one of the first women
(23:20):
hip hop groups, they flipped the narrative on its head.
During a time when rappers were objectifying women, the ladies
of saltann Peppa came out blasting about their own sexual
knees and wanes and turning the gaze back on the men,
and it was a successful tactic. Their debut album in
nineteen eighty six, Hot Cool and Vicious made them the
first female hip hop group to sell over a million records,
(23:41):
and they quickly became the best selling rap group of
that time. Saltan Peppa includes Sheryl James aka Salt, Sandor
Daton AKA Peppa and djrel roper Akay, DJ Spinderella, and
in their debut record, there was the mega hit which
is one of my favorite and is still on my
old school playlist, push It. Here's a quote from the
(24:03):
Riches dot Com. The album included the single hit push It,
which became a massive success, reaching number nineteen on the
Billboard Hot one hundred chart. As mentioned in Billboard, the
song's infectious beat and catchy lyrics quickly made it a
favorite among fans, and the iconic ooh Baby Baby hook
You're Welcome became instantly recognizable. In nineteen eighty seven, DJ LaToya,
(24:26):
who was originally part of the group, parted ways with
a group and was replaced by DJ Spinderella, thus giving
birth to the iconic trio. The success of Push It
propelled Sultan Peppa to stardom and help them become one
of the most successful female graph groups of all time.
Their follow up albums, Assault with the Deadly Peppa and
Black's Magic, continued to build on their success and solidified
(24:49):
their status as trailblazers. Throughout the nineties, Sultan Pepper continued
to release hit singles and albums, including Very Necessary, which
included the hit song.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
What a Man Shoop.
Speaker 5 (25:01):
The album became a huge success, selling over seven million
copies worldwide, as reported by You Discovered Music. Yeah, they
also had None of Your Business, which was one of
my favorites.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
And I just love screaming that and that that.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
Album is still so good. Guarantee you're going to see
people trying to carryoki either what a Man or Shoop today.
It isn't just that their music was that good, but
they inspired so many and broke down barriers. Here's another
quote from the article. Saltann Peppa also broke down barriers
for women in hip hop. They were one of the
first female rap groups to achieve mainstream success, and their
(25:40):
success paved the way for other female artists to follow
in their footsteps. Saltan Pepa has also received several accolades,
which include a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by
Duo or Group, multiple nominations from American Music Awards, three
MTV Video Music Awards, and two VH one Hip Hop Honors,
and in twenty twenty two, Iconic Trio presented a star
(26:01):
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as reported by People,
for their unparalleled contribution to hip hop. These awards were
all very well earned by the group and they continue
to inspire other hip hop artists today, including Megan thee
Stallion and so many more.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
And we have to talk about MC light. Mc lights
are Lana Michelle Moore was the first woman rapper to
release a solo album, but that isn't the only thing
she was known for. She was known to take on
issues of misogyny and sexism within her lyrics, so much
so she would eventually be credited with helping transition hip
hop from just good times to being a quote socially
(26:49):
conscious form of expression. Her work has influenced so many
including Queen Latifah, Little Kim, Missy Elliott, and Lauren Hill.
And of course, her work has gotten her many accolades
including ike A Lifetime Award, I AM hip Hop Award
from the b T hip Hop Awards, and honored with
the Lifetime Achievement from the Hip Hop Inaugural Ball and
so many more.
Speaker 5 (27:09):
Right, this would lead us to the legendary nineties my
era with the likes of Missy Elliott, Lauren Hill, Little Kim,
Foxy Brown. That era is incredible. There's so many more
that I've missed out, but so good, so good. I
would put TLC probably in that era too. Queen Latifa,
who was the first solo female rapper to earn a
(27:29):
gold certification and even was the first female rapper to
get a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and yeah,
she has become a household name. Her work influenced a
whole new generation.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Then we have Little Kim, who is not afraid to
be her sexy self. As xxlmag dot com put it,
Little Kim's sexuality was front and center in nineteen ninety
six the release of her debut album Hardcore, with lyrics
such as I used to be scared of the dick,
Now I throw lips to the handle it like a
real Little Kim boldly embraced her sexual exploits, something no
(28:01):
other female rapper had really done before her. She's often
considered the first to take the never ending objectification of
women and throw it in men's faces. And Samantha, I
appreciate you laughing at me off screen. Oh my god,
I love that you.
Speaker 6 (28:16):
Had to read that, and her work spote for itself,
selling over fifteen million albums and creating her own iconic
fashion statements that have been talked about for years.
Speaker 5 (28:30):
Now, do you I don't know, do you know what
the boob jiggle?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
I mean, I know of boob jiggle? I don't think
I know the boob jiggle.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
Well, she was on the red carpet and I don't
know who she was talking to, but she literally had
a pasty that she was the first one to do
with this like she had. It was a beautiful alphat
and her breasts were like just kind of of paisty
one of them. And the person who was interviewing her,
I forgot it was decided to tap it on the
red carpet.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Oh my god, it is.
Speaker 5 (28:55):
But that moment lives in history of MTV moments.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Oh my yes, Okay, no, I have not heard of that.
M so many thoughts. Well, this brings us to Lauren Hill,
who is a woman of many talents. From the beginning,
many new Hill would be successful. Her time with the
Fujis blasted her into hip hop fandom, and her solo
projects would become a sensation. Here's a quote from you
(29:20):
discover music dot com releasing The Miseducation of Lauren Hill
in nineteen ninety eight to public and critical Acclaim. Mixing
neo soul sounds with powerful feminist lyrics, Hill delved deep
into the complications inherent in womanhood, motherhood, black femininity, and
the music business. Hits like Do Wop That Thing, Everything
Is Everything, Lost Ones an X Factor still sound as
(29:42):
fresh and compelling today as they did at the time
of their release. And this album debuted at number one
on the Billboard one hundred, the first chart topping for
a female MC, and would go on to win the
Album of the Year trophy at the Grammys, a first
for a female rapper.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
Then we have Missy Misdemeanor Elliot. She is a legend
in every way. With four Grammys, a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, over forty million records sold, and
being the first female rapper to enter the Songwriters Hall
of Fame, she has become another icon in the hip
hop industry. Here's a quote from a Refinery twenty nine
dot com article. Together with Timbaland, Missy helped create the
(30:19):
experiential sound that defined hip hop in the late nineties
and early two thousands and solidified the success of several
of our favorite black artists in groups. But Missy is
more than a musician. She is a visionary artist who
is willing to reimagine the world she inhabits using visual elements.
Remember when she pulled her own head from her body
in the minute Man video, or when she seemed to
(30:40):
be the queen of some creepy underground species and get
your freak one. How many times have you seen a
poorly recreated version of our iconic costume from rain super
Dupa fly with black trash bags? That was an interesting,
interesting video. And yeah, the legends that she worked with
included Aliyah as well as Left Eye from TLC. Like
(31:03):
she definitely creates a lot of amazing music and still
does till this day, even with her diagnosis of Graves disease,
she is still trucking in that music industry. So these
are only a few of the many legendary women who've
been impacting the world of hip hop. Of course, today
there are new icons coming into play, from the Queen
(31:25):
Nicki Minaj to Megan thee Stallion to Lotto to Doja
Cat and so many more. And with new mediums such
as social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube, more and
more talented artists are stepping up to be a part
of this hip hop culture and being discovered in new ways,
creating new music videos or music takes dance challenges, which
(31:46):
we didn't even talk about. Dance in the hip hop
world as well, which is something that I love seeing
and I love watching because it's so visually pleasing. And Yeah,
with all of these amazing works, we didn't really delve
into any of the controversies that happen within the hip
hop industry, especially when it comes to women and black
women in the industry, as well as queer women in
(32:07):
the industry, because we are celebrating today, but there's a
lot to be said that that needs to be fixed,
that still needs to be addressed today. We see issues
constantly when it comes to black women rappers and what
they do, and we should always be aware of that
because it is something that should never be forgotten.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Yes, yes, hard agree, but we hope that you enjoyed
and that you can take a moment to celebrate. Maybe
listen to your favorite hip hop songs after this. I
know I've got some songs I want to I want
to go go listen to and send your favorites along
or anything we missed. You can email us at Stephanidmom
steph atiheartmedia dot com. You can find us on Twitter
(32:47):
at mom Stuff podcast or on Instagram and TikTok at
Stephane Never Told You. We also have a tea public store.
We have a book that you can pre order at
stuff You should read books dot com and also pre
order it on Audible. Thanks as always to our producer Christina,
our executive producer Maya, and our contributor Joey. Thank y'all,
and thanks to you for listening. Stefan Never Told You
his production of My Heart Radio. For more podcasts on
(33:08):
my Heart Radio, you can check out the Ihart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and all the stuff I
ever told you protection I heared you, and today we
are bringing back a special one. It was an anniversary celebration.
(00:25):
But I have to say, every time I think of
this episode, Samantha, I remember how you had me read
a quote that made me sound so embarrassing.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Didn't make you sound real white.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
It was real white, but also just it was very
nerdy in the explanation of hip hop, which is not
something you explained necessarily a nerdy terms.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
I loved it.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Well, you got a good chuckle out of it.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
So I won't lie. It may have been a little
bit of a setup.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
It was.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
I knew it was gonna knew how it was going
to play out, and it was quite delightful. But to
be fair, we don't talk a lot about hip hop
culture in general, so.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I have to get my digs in somehow.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
It was a good episode.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
We really should do a follow up because there's been
a lot happening in the hip hop world. But I
really enjoyed that one talking about the women of hip hop,
So I'm really glad we get to listen to it again.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yes, so please enjoy this classic episode. Hey, this is
Annie and Samantha and welcome to Steff. I never told
your production of iHeart Radio.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Annie.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
I know we've talked about hip hop a little bit
throughout all of our seasons slash episodes. No, we talked
about it for the Birds of Prey series because it
has a bomb soundtrack and we love it making the
Stallions on it. We heart Mega Stallion. We've actually talked
about her a lot, and we've talked about Misogy noir
(02:08):
in the hip hop world as well.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
So I know you know a little bit.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
But if you had to say, if you had to
pick one woman hip hop artist that you were like, yeah,
I dig this, who would it be?
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
No, it is very early in the morning, listeners, I thought,
I don't have a good I love the Birds of
Praise soundtracks, so that us making the Stallion does your
cat on it?
Speaker 1 (02:38):
I love that.
Speaker 5 (02:39):
It's okay, we'll come back to it because we're going
to go into the definitions and the definition is different
than what I thought. So, uh, today we are excited
to talk about the world changing genre of hip hop
and honestly, as we've researched Uh, and we're getting ready
for this episode. Uh, realize that there's a lot maybe
(02:59):
that I haven't learned personally, and so I'm like, yeah,
I'll enjoy the music, but knowing the background and some
of the historical context to it and how young it is, like,
it's not as old as I thought it would be,
even though it shouldn't have been a surprise. In fact, again, yesterday,
I think again we talked about the fact that you
and I talked about this and I really thought I
(03:21):
knew what hip hop was, and even tried to give
you a very generic explanation, but as we delved into this,
I realized it wasn't completely right. It's not wrong, but
not right either. And the genre in itself is broader
than just about music and different from other forms of
music that we often confuse it with, such as rap
and R and B, even though it could be a
(03:42):
part of it. So my simplified version is hip hop
is more rap and less R and B. Again, it
seems it could be both or neither or just one.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
So it's kind of like what, not just.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
What, but just listening to the fact that this is
a movement more than just a genre. So again, FYI,
as we start this year in twenty twenty three, it
marks the fiftieth anniversary for hip hop and this is
kind of while we're doing this episode, Yes, yes, just
to be honest, and we couldn't celebrate without talking about
(04:15):
the history and the women in the industry who made
and continue to make history in hip hop. And as
we begin, we want to go ahead and start with
those definitions that we're talking about, and again it's not
as clear, so we're gonna go from different sources. According
to Merriam Webster, it is quote a cultural movement associated
(04:37):
especially with rap music, and then it goes on to
say also the styleized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rap
also raped together with this music. So kind of yes,
as I said, I was like thinking more rap than
R and B, and I gave you examples, but I
would argue that both like Beyonce and TLC, who from
(04:58):
what I gathered, lean towards the R and B would
be hip hop. But again maybe you know again, I'm
just like huh, because at first, I was like Beyonce,
I thought they all thought was an R and B.
But then as I see the definitions, like she's a culture.
She's a movement who knows and it is her internet.
As we've said before, and for its technicalities. One article
(05:21):
describes hip hop music something that includes rhythm and blues
and beat.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Boxing, okay, and breaking that down. Masterclass describes it this way.
Hip Hop music is a varied musical genre, but most
hip hop songs incorporate several common elements. One strong rhythmic beat.
A rhythmic beat is the strongest unifying factor of hip
hop music. It can be fast and aggressive or slow
(05:46):
and relaxed, but it carries the song steadily forward and
serves a backchop for vocal performance. Most beats and hip
hop songs aren't simple drum lines. Beat making is a
complex and varied art form that results in other songs
and sounds. Two vocals. The majority of hip hop songs
incorporate rapping as their main vocal style, a rhythmic, usually rhymed,
(06:08):
type of chant that interplays with the beat. Other vocal
styles include singing, spoken word, auto tune, and ad libs.
Three breaks. Break is a term for long percussive periods
in a hip hop song. In the nineteen seventies, DJ
cool Hirk is credited with developing the concept of a
break and encouraging dancing called break dancing, breaking, or b boying.
(06:32):
During these instrumental measures, modern hip hop songs often include
breaks to harken back to the genre's roots or encourage dancing.
I have to tell you, I feel so nerdy right now,
but I love it.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I need it.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
Look, we need it, And to be honest, outside of
living it, I don't think people actually talk about what
it is and what it really encompasses. And there's even
a debate about what it is in different articles that
I read. It gets territorial, I will say that. So
even for us to understand it in an academic measure,
because that's what we do, more research based, it is nerdy.
(07:14):
We are breaking down a very cool genre into shows.
I read this and imagine, but we're.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Gonna keep doing it because that's who we are.
Speaker 5 (07:27):
In another article titled what is hip hop music, they
describe it like this. Hip hop is a musical genre
from the inner cities of the United States. In the
nineteen seventies. In New York City, African Americans, Jamaicans, and
Latinos combined rhythmic drum beats, djaying, and rapping to create
a new and unique musical genre. Rappers usually provide the
(07:47):
vocals and hip hop songs. These musicians use rhythmic vocal
technique over the music of a song instead of instruments.
The backing music tracks come from DJ playing records and
performing turntablists techniques. Hip hop songs combine a variety of
genres such as R and B, funk, disco, and dub,
and can even sometimes include spoken word. So again like
(08:09):
it kind of just encompasses all of that. They further
break down the characteristics similarly to master classes, but add
the following. So they add MCing and this is the
lead of the song. They'll most have singing and background vocals.
This includes the rappers that can be also called mcs,
DJing and turntablism. And this is where the two turntables
(08:30):
and mixer not microphone comes in, which loops in US
samples records, and this is where we see the beginning
of scratching as a form of musical technique.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
So using the record to make that I'm not going to.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Do it, yes, you know it, you know it.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
There's also drum machines such as the roll in tr
eight eight and if you've heard people referencing in their
apps eight eight's this is what they're referencing, and good
old beatboxing that is used to.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Make the beats.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
And I'm also not going to try that because I
know I'm not cool.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Okay, yeah, at least we're aware.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
But again that is a bit more simplistic than what
it has become. As one article put it, hip hop
has expanded from just being a music genre but to
a lifestyle. In an article written in the Digitalmusicalnews dot com,
they write the hip hop movement, for its part, consists
of rap and several cultural elements, including one's lifestyle and experiences.
(09:29):
Looking at what hip hop has become, it has become
a way of life, a cultural style. The article compares
the difference between rap and hip hop, saying rap represents
a rhythmic style of vocal recitation that's popular in most
of hip hop's top songs, but it's just one component
of the broader hip hop cultural movement. And the article
quotes mrs As saying you could be a rapper, and
(09:50):
you could be a musician, and you could be a
pop star, said Murrs, but it doesn't make you hip hop.
Hip Hop is definitely it's a culture, there's elements to it,
there's all types of things that go along with it.
And as music industry how to dot com writes, hip
hop is more than music. It's a culture that was
cultivated within inner cities of the United States but has
(10:11):
become a worldwide powerhouse, influencing modern music and generations to
come right.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
And we've talked about that when we talked about kpop
in itself and how big it has spread. It spread
faster than I thought. But yeah, and how it's taken
on the entirety of the globe today. And as the
state of hip hop continues to influence and change, we
can see how it's grown so large, but has also
been about a cultural way of being and not just
(10:37):
a type of music genre.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
So let's talk.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
About the history of hip hop.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
You ready, yes? Yes?
Speaker 5 (10:43):
So in the busy areas of the Bronx in nineteen
seventy three, DJ cool Herk made music history. During a
party to celebrate his sister, DJ Hark developed a new method,
the break, which we mentioned earlier, which according to Education
through Music, it is where the instruments jam out together
with very little vocal additions. This was a section where
(11:04):
folks could really let loose and show off their dance foods.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
He soon would.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
Extend the breaks into longer sections known as loops, and
he kept going as that same article, right, he decided
to try something new. He would play a break from
one song and once he had finished, he would go
into the break of another song. And he would call
this method the merry go Round, which we know is
the modern day DJing. Again, this is a really nerdy
way of explaining what's happening in the.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
World of hip hop.
Speaker 5 (11:34):
We are definitely the non black people explaining hip hops
all right anyway. But it wasn't until nineteen seventy nine
that the term hip hop would actually be used. It
was the sugar Hill Gain who would coin the term
and their famous and first Billboard charting hip hop record,
rappers Delight.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
We all know this rap. I hope you know.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Yes, I actually have an embarrassing story about it, but
yes I do. Just right along with us talking about
this because I didn't know it was such a long song.
And I told someone I knew all the lyrics and
he was like, oh really, And I was like, yes,
I knew all the lyrics to the shortened one, but
I did not know it was such a long version,
and I embarrassed myself and I still think about it
to this day.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Oh you thought you knew I did? What did he go?
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Poor white girls?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
The type of moment?
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Well, it was also a white guy, but yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Yeah, but they're more condescenting probably.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Again, this started the genre of hip hop spreading throughout
New York and it spread throughout the nineteen eighties even
wider around the world.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
So, now that we have the basics at the beginning
of hip hop, let's talk about the legendary women of
the hip hop world. So did you know that one
of the people who helped release sugar Hill Gang's Rappers
Delight was legendary R and B writer, singer, and producer
Sylvia Robinson. Here's what bill Board had to say about her.
She's arguably one of the most consequential producers and label
(13:05):
owners of all time. Her business opened the doors for
all the independents that followed from def Jam to top Dog,
and her music pioneered distinct concepts that set the template
for hip hop's entire creative arc, from party rocking to
the DJ as musician to social consciousness. Sugar Hill made
everything possible for today's hip hop stars. Her works were legendary,
(13:29):
but that isn't to say a lot of people tried
to erase it. It was known through her time in
the music industry many did not properly credit her for
her hard work, including her work for Ike and Tina Turner,
which she claimed she had quote paid for the session
taught Tina the song That's Me Playing Guitar, which had
earned their first Grammy nomination for the song It's Gonna
(13:49):
work out fine.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
Right, And I think in the article it says that
the Amel producer who owned the label was actually credited
for that instead of her, which we've seen a lot yep. However,
her work was undeniable. She would later be named chairman
of Epic Records, which happened only one other time before her,
especially on a major record label for a black woman.
(14:11):
So she was definitely making some headway. And as for
the historic first hip hop record, according to that same
Billboard article quote the creation story of rappers, Delight is
oft told how Sylvia's teenage son Joey, assembled three of
his friends, none of them experienced rappers, Henry big Bank,
Hank Jackson, Guy Master, Ghee O'Brien and Michael Wonder Mike
(14:31):
Wright at her studio to write and perform the rap.
How Sylvia instructed her studio band to replay the instrument
to Good Times as the song's musical bed. How the
resulting fifteen minute long track caught fire at radio at
a pace beyond even Sylvia's divine vision. How fans across
the country grappled and then grooveed with this strange talking record.
(14:52):
Sylvia's epiphany birthed a million musical revelations. Perhaps no people
were stunned as much as the creators of this rap style,
who across the Hudson River in New York and had
never heard of any crew called the sugar Hill Gang.
And it continues. Sylvia named the act after the fancy
Harlem neighborhood that loomed over her own childhood home, one
hundred and thirty seventh Street. She re christened her label
(15:14):
with the same moniker, making a clean break from the
all platinum debacle, and there was a lot of issues there.
The new record was Sylvia's Brainchild, produced by her but
financed in an arrangement that Joe had broken up by
Levy and Joe's her husband, She slapped a writing credit
for herself on Rapper's Delight, even though many of the
lyrics were crewed from Curtis Fisher, known as Grandmaster Kaz,
(15:37):
who had tossed his notebook to Big Bank Hank with
the shrug and the studio band played music composed by
Sheikhs Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards, who had to retain
an attorney to secure their rightful credit. Now, with all
her amazing work came a lot of controversy in drama
and there's a lot of criticism about how she did
things and what she did in the name of money,
(16:00):
which again eventually led to the end of a sugar
Hill record, as well as the divorce from her husband's
slash partner at the time. Soon after, she did start
another record label called Bona Me Records in nineteen eighty
nine that was signed a new up and coming talent,
Naughty by Nature. You down with obpny No, okay, I.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
See, I didn't mind. Was reading it and I was like,
what is that? And then when you said it, I
was like, ah, yes, I have heard that.
Speaker 5 (16:29):
I'm hoping you're going to respond with yeah, you know me,
But you know what it's okay. Unfortunately, towards the end
of her life, not everything was a happy ending. But
no matter what, her works and her contributions are legendary
and help build the foundation of hip hop.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
And then, in nineteen seventy nine, the first female group,
The Sequence, was formed. Not only were they one of
the first groups, they were the first assigned to a
major label and have their album go gold. Their influence
was so big that many use their music, including Doctor Dre,
who sampled their voices for one of his hooks. The
Groot comprised of three childhood friends from Columbia, South Carolina,
(17:05):
Cheryl the Pearl Cook Gwendolyn Blondie Chisholm, and Angela angib Brown.
Though they are not largely recognized today, they were the
beginning for so much in the hip hop world. Here's
a quote from a Rolling Stone article. The group recorded
the hard grooving sugar Hill Record single Funk You Up
(17:26):
in nineteen seventy nine, one of the very first hip
hop songs ever etched to Vinyl. Though never officially certified,
it was a nationwide smash, serving as the first rap
hit performed by women and only the third rap song
to chart in the top fifty of Billboard's Hot Soul Singles.
Thrust from a South Carolina housing project into the national spotlight,
(17:46):
the Sequence were also America's first Southern rap group, and
in a seventies landscape where the few rap records that
existed were chorus free rhyme marathons, the Sequence seamlessly mixed
singing and rapping, unwittingly paving a lane for artists like
Lauren Hill, Drake and future. Gangster rap. Came out of
my mouth? Did you know that?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Says Cook?
Speaker 1 (18:07):
She takes a minute to speedily cycle through her verse
on the nineteen eighty single, and you know that to
get to the smoking Gun. I said, we're not confunction.
We're not the gap where the sugar Hill Girls with
the gangster rap, She recites with force. We're not Chic
or sugar Hill or the Sequence girls with the gangster thrill.
We were the only ones talking about gangsta in records.
(18:28):
It came out of my mouth. They never truly got
the credit that they deserved, but they definitely left a
mark and the industry, being one of the first Southern
hip hop groups, as well as signing with sugar Hill
Records and touring with fellow artists. They were icons in
the industry, but deserving of more praise and more money.
Speaker 5 (18:45):
Yes, and if you will go back to the Rolling
Stone article, if you ever want to read about them,
they do talk about the side that they got screwed
over a lot, a lot, including not getting credit for
their work. Then we have the mother of the mic
Sharon Green Are better known as Sharp, who was a
Bronx based rapper. She was a member of the first
hip hop group that appeared on National TV. The group
(19:06):
called Funky four plus one, starting out as a B girl.
As we talked about before, it says bee boys, but
here they say be girl starting out as a be
girl or breakdancer. Was signed as the plus one for
the group on the sugar Hill Records in the late seventies.
Her style influenced many of the later mcs such as
MC Light and DMC of Run DMC. Here's a quote
(19:27):
from kim Beru McLeod, a music scholar about Shawrock. A
unique aspect of the group was that Shawrock wasn't portrayed
as a sex object, but was more or less considered
equal among the male members of the group. Aside from
the minor success of the all female sugar Hill Records
rap crew. The sequence Funky four plus one signified the
last moderate success of a woman rapper in the industry
(19:50):
until Roxey and Chantey and Salton Peppa came along in
the mid eighties. So the legendary MCS paved the way
for so many and even performed on Saturday Night Live.
Here's a quote from her from an NPR article. The
very moment I got my taste for hip hop is
nineteen seventy six, as a be girl, you know, being
out there breakdancing and watching young kids move around throughout
(20:11):
the Bronx, traveling as a nomadic be girl and bee boy,
just to hit those break beats. The n seeing came
in nineteen seventy seven. The first person that I saw
breakdance was friends of mine that had went to junior
high school with me. They taught me what it was
to uprock, which what it was to just hit the
beat whenever you hear that certain breakbeat and she goes on.
(20:31):
The circle was always male dominated. It was a young
male sport at the time. I was sort of like
a tomboy growing up, but there was just a feeling
that you knew you had to be a.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Part of it.
Speaker 5 (20:41):
Some of us was living in poverty, politicians always doing
their own thing. So when we came within that circle,
that was our way to get away from all the
other negative stuff. I mean just being out there in
the street and just listening to some of this, the
sounds of the music and the percussion, it just gave
you a feeling like you could just take on the world.
Empowered you as a woman. And she went on to
(21:03):
talk about her time as being the first female MC.
She says, in late nineteen seventy seven, I became the
first female MC, but at the time there were only
two male mcs in the organization, Keith Keith and KK Rockwell.
And then at the beginning of seventy eight, we added
another MC to the group, Rayhem. This is how we
became the original Funky Four. Then you had the Furious Four,
(21:26):
which was a Grandmaster Flashes group. They had four male members.
So the Funky Four and the Furious Four before we
became the Funky Four plus one and before they became
the Furious Five, recreated the first rap battles in the
history of hip hop culture. That means groups going against
each other. I was the first and the only female
MC to ever battle anybody. I was always a secret
(21:48):
weapon in order to compete with my group. A lot
of other groups were scrambling trying to find female mcs
that can be able to deal with shah Rack. I
never felt no kind of way because my group had
always led people know out there in New York City
or wherever we traveled, whether it was Connecticut, Washington, d C.
Any place up and down the I ninety five corridor,
that MC Sharrock was the best female EMC and that
(22:10):
they had the best female EMC ever. And she truly
was receiving many awards in her lifetime, including the Honorary
Award from Council of New York and the Women's Distinctional
Award by the Hip Hop Cultural Center.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
And then we have the legendary Roxane Chante also known
as Lolitas Chante Gudin. Chante began rapping at the age
of nine and would go on to put out an
instant hit Roxanne's Revenge, which was the pushback to Roxanne
Roxanne by UTFO in nineteen eighty four, which was the
first answer record which could be placed under distractur record
(22:45):
and this was a way of calling out others by
name and fyi. She was one of the first to
do this. She also was someone who helped other mcs
get exposure and helped their careers take off, including the
MC biz Markie.
Speaker 5 (22:58):
Then, of course, we couldn't go so passed the amazing
talents of saltn Peppa and y'all. They fuelled me in
my middle school days. Their records and tapes not only
made you move, but as a young girl, fed you
lines that made you feel powerful, confident and I'm sorry,
as we said back then, all that apologies, but I
had to be said. As one of the first women
(23:20):
hip hop groups, they flipped the narrative on its head.
During a time when rappers were objectifying women, the ladies
of saltann Peppa came out blasting about their own sexual
knees and wanes and turning the gaze back on the men,
and it was a successful tactic. Their debut album in
nineteen eighty six, Hot Cool and Vicious made them the
first female hip hop group to sell over a million records,
(23:41):
and they quickly became the best selling rap group of
that time. Saltan Peppa includes Sheryl James aka Salt, Sandor
Daton AKA Peppa and djrel roper Akay, DJ Spinderella, and
in their debut record, there was the mega hit which
is one of my favorite and is still on my
old school playlist, push It. Here's a quote from the
(24:03):
Riches dot Com. The album included the single hit push It,
which became a massive success, reaching number nineteen on the
Billboard Hot one hundred chart. As mentioned in Billboard, the
song's infectious beat and catchy lyrics quickly made it a
favorite among fans, and the iconic ooh Baby Baby hook
You're Welcome became instantly recognizable. In nineteen eighty seven, DJ LaToya,
(24:26):
who was originally part of the group, parted ways with
a group and was replaced by DJ Spinderella, thus giving
birth to the iconic trio. The success of Push It
propelled Sultan Peppa to stardom and help them become one
of the most successful female graph groups of all time.
Their follow up albums, Assault with the Deadly Peppa and
Black's Magic, continued to build on their success and solidified
(24:49):
their status as trailblazers. Throughout the nineties, Sultan Pepper continued
to release hit singles and albums, including Very Necessary, which
included the hit song.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
What a Man Shoop.
Speaker 5 (25:01):
The album became a huge success, selling over seven million
copies worldwide, as reported by You Discovered Music. Yeah, they
also had None of Your Business, which was one of
my favorites.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
And I just love screaming that and that that.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
Album is still so good. Guarantee you're going to see
people trying to carryoki either what a Man or Shoop today.
It isn't just that their music was that good, but
they inspired so many and broke down barriers. Here's another
quote from the article. Saltann Peppa also broke down barriers
for women in hip hop. They were one of the
first female rap groups to achieve mainstream success, and their
(25:40):
success paved the way for other female artists to follow
in their footsteps. Saltan Pepa has also received several accolades,
which include a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by
Duo or Group, multiple nominations from American Music Awards, three
MTV Video Music Awards, and two VH one Hip Hop Honors,
and in twenty twenty two, Iconic Trio presented a star
(26:01):
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as reported by People,
for their unparalleled contribution to hip hop. These awards were
all very well earned by the group and they continue
to inspire other hip hop artists today, including Megan thee
Stallion and so many more.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
And we have to talk about MC light. Mc lights
are Lana Michelle Moore was the first woman rapper to
release a solo album, but that isn't the only thing
she was known for. She was known to take on
issues of misogyny and sexism within her lyrics, so much
so she would eventually be credited with helping transition hip
hop from just good times to being a quote socially
(26:49):
conscious form of expression. Her work has influenced so many
including Queen Latifah, Little Kim, Missy Elliott, and Lauren Hill.
And of course, her work has gotten her many accolades
including ike A Lifetime Award, I AM hip Hop Award
from the b T hip Hop Awards, and honored with
the Lifetime Achievement from the Hip Hop Inaugural Ball and
so many more.
Speaker 5 (27:09):
Right, this would lead us to the legendary nineties my
era with the likes of Missy Elliott, Lauren Hill, Little Kim,
Foxy Brown. That era is incredible. There's so many more
that I've missed out, but so good, so good. I
would put TLC probably in that era too. Queen Latifa,
who was the first solo female rapper to earn a
(27:29):
gold certification and even was the first female rapper to
get a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and yeah,
she has become a household name. Her work influenced a
whole new generation.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Then we have Little Kim, who is not afraid to
be her sexy self. As xxlmag dot com put it,
Little Kim's sexuality was front and center in nineteen ninety
six the release of her debut album Hardcore, with lyrics
such as I used to be scared of the dick,
Now I throw lips to the handle it like a
real Little Kim boldly embraced her sexual exploits, something no
(28:01):
other female rapper had really done before her. She's often
considered the first to take the never ending objectification of
women and throw it in men's faces. And Samantha, I
appreciate you laughing at me off screen. Oh my god,
I love that you.
Speaker 6 (28:16):
Had to read that, and her work spote for itself,
selling over fifteen million albums and creating her own iconic
fashion statements that have been talked about for years.
Speaker 5 (28:30):
Now, do you I don't know, do you know what
the boob jiggle?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
I mean, I know of boob jiggle? I don't think
I know the boob jiggle.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
Well, she was on the red carpet and I don't
know who she was talking to, but she literally had
a pasty that she was the first one to do
with this like she had. It was a beautiful alphat
and her breasts were like just kind of of paisty
one of them. And the person who was interviewing her,
I forgot it was decided to tap it on the
red carpet.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Oh my god, it is.
Speaker 5 (28:55):
But that moment lives in history of MTV moments.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Oh my yes, Okay, no, I have not heard of that.
M so many thoughts. Well, this brings us to Lauren Hill,
who is a woman of many talents. From the beginning,
many new Hill would be successful. Her time with the
Fujis blasted her into hip hop fandom, and her solo
projects would become a sensation. Here's a quote from you
(29:20):
discover music dot com releasing The Miseducation of Lauren Hill
in nineteen ninety eight to public and critical Acclaim. Mixing
neo soul sounds with powerful feminist lyrics, Hill delved deep
into the complications inherent in womanhood, motherhood, black femininity, and
the music business. Hits like Do Wop That Thing, Everything
Is Everything, Lost Ones an X Factor still sound as
(29:42):
fresh and compelling today as they did at the time
of their release. And this album debuted at number one
on the Billboard one hundred, the first chart topping for
a female MC, and would go on to win the
Album of the Year trophy at the Grammys, a first
for a female rapper.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
Then we have Missy Misdemeanor Elliot. She is a legend
in every way. With four Grammys, a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, over forty million records sold, and
being the first female rapper to enter the Songwriters Hall
of Fame, she has become another icon in the hip
hop industry. Here's a quote from a Refinery twenty nine
dot com article. Together with Timbaland, Missy helped create the
(30:19):
experiential sound that defined hip hop in the late nineties
and early two thousands and solidified the success of several
of our favorite black artists in groups. But Missy is
more than a musician. She is a visionary artist who
is willing to reimagine the world she inhabits using visual elements.
Remember when she pulled her own head from her body
in the minute Man video, or when she seemed to
(30:40):
be the queen of some creepy underground species and get
your freak one. How many times have you seen a
poorly recreated version of our iconic costume from rain super
Dupa fly with black trash bags? That was an interesting,
interesting video. And yeah, the legends that she worked with
included Aliyah as well as Left Eye from TLC. Like
(31:03):
she definitely creates a lot of amazing music and still
does till this day, even with her diagnosis of Graves disease,
she is still trucking in that music industry. So these
are only a few of the many legendary women who've
been impacting the world of hip hop. Of course, today
there are new icons coming into play, from the Queen
(31:25):
Nicki Minaj to Megan thee Stallion to Lotto to Doja
Cat and so many more. And with new mediums such
as social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube, more and
more talented artists are stepping up to be a part
of this hip hop culture and being discovered in new ways,
creating new music videos or music takes dance challenges, which
(31:46):
we didn't even talk about. Dance in the hip hop
world as well, which is something that I love seeing
and I love watching because it's so visually pleasing. And Yeah,
with all of these amazing works, we didn't really delve
into any of the controversies that happen within the hip
hop industry, especially when it comes to women and black
women in the industry, as well as queer women in
(32:07):
the industry, because we are celebrating today, but there's a
lot to be said that that needs to be fixed,
that still needs to be addressed today. We see issues
constantly when it comes to black women rappers and what
they do, and we should always be aware of that
because it is something that should never be forgotten.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Yes, yes, hard agree, but we hope that you enjoyed
and that you can take a moment to celebrate. Maybe
listen to your favorite hip hop songs after this. I
know I've got some songs I want to I want
to go go listen to and send your favorites along
or anything we missed. You can email us at Stephanidmom
steph atiheartmedia dot com. You can find us on Twitter
(32:47):
at mom Stuff podcast or on Instagram and TikTok at
Stephane Never Told You. We also have a tea public store.
We have a book that you can pre order at
stuff You should read books dot com and also pre
order it on Audible. Thanks as always to our producer Christina,
our executive producer Maya, and our contributor Joey. Thank y'all,
and thanks to you for listening. Stefan Never Told You
his production of My Heart Radio. For more podcasts on
(33:08):
my Heart Radio, you can check out the Ihart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows
Stuff Mom Never Told You News
Hosts And Creators
Anney Reese
Samantha McVey
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.