Best 10 Female Hip-Hop Artists

From Pioneers to Modern-Day Legends: A Look at the Top 10 Female Hip Hop Artists

John Ogba September 14, 2023Last Updated: September 14, 2023

Best 10 Female Hip-Hop Artists, Yours Truly, Articles, September 26, 2023 — Best 10 Female Hip-Hop Artists

Read our list of the ten best female Hip Hop artists.

Hip Hop recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, and several icons who helped shape the genre were remembered. Some iconic female artists have also contributed to the reign of Hip Hop across the world. Here is a list of the ten of them.

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10. MC Lyte

Arguably the most iconic female Hip Hop artist. With a career spanning 30 decades, MC Lyte set the pace for rap females worldwide. She was the first female rap artist to get a Grammy Award nomination. She also became the first rap to perform at Carnegie Hall and the first female Hip Hop artist to earn a Gold-certified single. She pointed out and stood against sexism and misogyny in the Hip Hop industry. She addressed these through her music and paved the way for more icons to arise in the Hip Hop scene.

09. Queen Latifah

Before dominating the film industry, Queen Latifa made an indelible mark on the Hip Hop scene. She became the first female rapper to be nominated for the Academy Award. Her third album, “Black Reign,” became the first album by a solo female rapper to receive a gold certification. Her debut album, “All Hail to the Queen,” was later certified platinum. The single “U.N.I.T.Y” earned her a Grammy Award.

Queen Latifa has also earned a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two NAACP Image Awards. In 2006, she made history by becoming the first hip hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

08. Da Brat

Da Brat was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and began her career in 1992 when she signed with So So Def Records. She released her debut album, “Funkdafied” in 1994. The album sold one million copies, making her the first-ever female solo rap act to receive a platinum certification. She also became the second-ever female rap act (solo or group) after Salt-N-Pepa. She has been nominated twice for the Grammy Awards and has won three Billboard Awards. She is regarded by critics as one of the most iconic female rappers of all time.

07. Missy Elliott

Missy began her music career in the early-mid 1990s with R&B girl group Sista. She later became a member of the Swing Mob collective with childhood friend and longtime collaborator Timbaland.

Missy launched her solo career in 1997 with her debut album “Supa Dupa Fly.” The album spawned the top 20 single “Sock It 2 Me,” debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. It became the highest-charting debut for a female rapper at the time. She has sold 40 million records worldwide, earned four Grammy Awards, and many accolades. The media regards her as “The Queen Of Rap.”

06. Nicki Minaj

Also referred to as the “Queen of Rap” by fans and the media, Nicki Minaj is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, and alter egos. Nicki has been a huge influence in popular music since gaining recognition for her three mixtapes and albums.

Her debut album, “Pink Friday,” topped the US Billboard 200 chart and produced the number three-charting “Super Bass.” It was later certified diamond by the RIAA. Having sold over 100 million records, Billboard ranked her as the top-selling female rapper of the 2010s and the greatest female rapper of all time.

05. Cardi B

Cardi B first gained significant recognition on the Hip Hop scene with the release of her two mixtapes: Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 in 2016 and Vol. 2 in 2017. She released her debut album “Invasion Of Privacy” in 2018, and it debuted atop the Billboard 200. Billboard ranked it as the top female rap album of the 2010s.

Cardi became the first female artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Artist as a solo artist. It was also the first female rap album in 15 years to be nominated for Album of the Year. She has multiple number-one singles and diamond-certified singles.

04. Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion has received several accolades, including five American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and three Grammy Awards. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Thee Stallion became the second female rapper to win “Best New Artist,” after Lauryn Hill in 1999.

Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list in 2020. She has earned two number-one singles with, “Savage (Remix) with Beyoncé and “WAP” with Cardi B. “WAP” became her first number single in several other countries. It also hit the top of the Billboard Global 200.

03. Remy Ma

Remy Ma first gained recognition for her work as a member of Fat Joe’s group, Terror Squad. She released her debut studio album “There’s Something About Remy: Based on a True Story” in 2006. The album became a modest success, reaching number 33 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Her most commercially successful songs include “Whuteva,” “Ante Up (Remix),” “Lean Back,” “Conceited,” and “All the Way Up.” Remy is one of only four multiple winners of the BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist. She won the awards in 2005 and 2017. She is also the recipient of two Vibe Awards and two Source Awards. Ma is a four-time Grammy Awards nominee.

02. Eve

Eve is one of the world’s most respected female rappers. She released her debut album, “Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady” in 1999. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200. She became the third female rapper to achieve this.

The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA. It produced the hit singles “What Ya Want,” “Love Is Blind,” and “Gotta Man.” With The Roots, she won a Grammy Award for the single “You Got Me.” She also collaborated with Missy Elliott on “Hot Boyz.” The song peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. She has released more successful singles and albums.

01. Lauryn Hill

Hill began her career as a teen artist. She is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time and one of the most influential musicians of her generation. She broke barriers for women rappers, popularized melodic rap, and helped neo-soul gain mainstream popularity.

Lauryn Hill was named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR. She has also been listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Hill was ranked as the greatest woman rapper by Billboard in 2015. She has won eight Grammy Awards, making her the female rapper with the most wins.