Hip-hop has always been dominated by men. Back in the day, there was only room for a select few star women in the industry. Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, and Eve, then eventually Nicki Minaj. Only within the last decade has there been more openings for women to thrive in rap. But even then, the industry often sees artists going at each other’s throats.
R&B is historically better in this department. But even then, when you think of the greatest female R&B artists of all time, most people typically come up with a few select names. Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, Brandy, Monica. Men still take a lot of real estate within the genre.
Consequently, Noisey is looking back at 12 women in hip-hop and R&B who deserve a lot more love, from old stars to modern greats thriving outside of the mainstream.
Ten Underrated Women in Hip-Hop and R&B Who Deserve a Lot More Love
Gangsta Boo
The same way Three 6 Mafia and Project Pat get all the credit for revolutionizing rap flows, Gangsta Boo deserves to be in those same conversations. The late Memphis legend was ahead of her time, effortlessly weaving between her sexual boasting and hard-nosed rapping.
Dawn Richard
For a long time, Dawn Richard was Diddy’s musical secret weapon. Her stunning, dynamic vocals were essential to the success of Danity Kane. The same can be said for gluing Diddy’s daring, moody Last Train to Paris together. Once she branched out on her own, Richard continued making records that would’ve been smash hits in any decade. Whether it was her trying to make club classics or her most recent effort with Durand Bernarr making old-fashioned R&B jams, Dawn Richard has been one of the most underrated artists of the 21st century.
Flo Milli
While Flo Milli has had her fair share of breakout moments, it’s shocking that she isn’t in the same spaces as Latto or Cardi B. Her signature sass and demeaning of men is delightful, all with a delivery that makes her sound like a modern-day Barbie.
Liv.e
Liv.e’s intimate singing and signature sense of humor distinguish her from the many artists shamelessly trying to resurrect neo-soul energy. Take her work with Karriem Riggins as GENA, where she’ll coo about sweet romance and sobering therapy realizations alike.
Kelis
Do The Neptunes truly break out the same way if Kelis wasn’t the muse for their addictive production? She was effortlessly cool, funky, and stylish, gliding over gorgeous chords or more robust drums like on “Caught Out There”.
Xscape
Sometimes, Xscape can fall to the wayside when it comes to female R&B groups. SWV and TLC take up a lot of the real estate, but silky records like “Softest Place on Earth” should always put them in the same conversations.
Tierra Whack
No one was prepared for Tierra Whack to take hip-hop by storm in 2018. However, with her breakout album Whack World, she packed some artists’ whole career worth of ideas into 15 minutes. Each song is delightfully quirky, switching between standard swag raps and songs about self-improvement by eating fruit salad and drinking water. Had she not waited six years to give a proper follow-up, Tierra Whack might have defined much of modern creativity in hip-hop.
Teedra Moses
While she largely thrives as a songwriter, “Be Your Girl” is the kind of sleek, sexy jam that has lived with R&B fans for decades.
Syd
Whether solo or with the internet, Syd’s music is some of the most groovy, luscious, and steamy R&B you can get today.
Roberta Flack
Some people may typically associate Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway due to beautiful duets like “The Closer I Get To You“. But tender, intimate albums like Feel Like Makin’ Love make for some of the best R&B the 70s have to offer.
Kelela
Kelela has been radical in her approach to R&B, arguing that it doesn’t need to fit traditional molds in order to have value. A song like “idea 1” can dip its toe into shoegaze without losing its core R&B values. Moreover, like Dawn Richard, Kelela has been key in influencing artists to tinker around with electronic textures and dance anthems. Through her ambitious experimentation, R&B is in a beautiful space today.
Photo by JMEnternational/Redferns