Females in Hip-Hop

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Yo Yo
Birthname: Yolanda Whitaker
Origin: Los Angeles, CA
Affiliation: Ice Cube
Hot Track: 'You Can't Play With My Yo Yo'
Factoid: Yo-Yo is an on-air personality for the Los Angeles hip-hop radio station KDAY.


Cool Vision

Lil' Kim
Birthname: Kimberly Denise Jones
Origin: Brooklyn, New York
Affiliation: The Notorious B.I.G., Junior M.A.F.I.A.
Hot Track: 'Not Tonight'
Factoid: The reality show 'Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown,' which was filmed before Kim headed to jail, became the highest rated premiere in BET history at the time, with 1.7 million viewers.


Atlantic

Lauryn Hill
Birthname: Lauryn Noel Hill
Origin: South Orange, New Jersey
Affiliation: The Fugees
Hot Track: 'Doo Wop (That Thing)'
Factoid: Before she made history as the front-woman of The Fugees, Lauryn starred in the hit movie, 'Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit.'


Columbia

Nikki D
Birth name: Nichelle Strong
Origin: New Jersey
Affiliation: Queen Latifah
Hot Track: 'Daddy's Little Girl'
Factoid: Nikki D was the first female rapper signed to Def Jam Records.


Def Jam

Salt-N-Pepa
Birth name (s): Cheryl James, Sandra Denton
Origin: Queens, New York
Affiliation: Kid-N-Play
Hot Track: 'Push It'
Factoid: In 1995, Salt-N-Pepa won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance for the single 'None Of Your Business,' making them the first female rap group to win a prestigious honor.


VH1

Bytches With Problems (BWP)
Birth name(s): Lyndah McCaskill, Tanisha Michele Morgan
Origin: Queens, NY
Affiliation: Marc Sexx
Hot Track: 'Two Minute Brother'
Factoid: Reinventing herself as an actress, Morgan has starred in films such as 'New Jersey Drive' and 'Bulworth.'


Rasheeda
Birth name: Rasheeda Buckner
Origin: Decatur, Illinois
Affiliation: Lil' Jon and The Eastside Boyz
Hot Track: '(Got That Good) My Bubble Gum'
Factoid: She started out as a member of the teenage hip-hop trio, Da Kaperz; which led to her signing a solo deal with Motown Records, who released her debut, 'Dirty South,' in 2001


Leo Marshall

Roxanne Shante
Birth name: Lolita Gooden
Origin: Long Island, New York
Affiliation: The Juice Crew, Marley Marl
Hot Track: 'Roxanne's Revenge'
Factoid: Shanté retired from rap when she was 25 she went on to receive a Ph.D. in psychology, eventually running her own practice in New York.


Da Brat
Birth name: Shawntae Harris
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Affiliation: Kriss Kross
Hot Track: 'Funkdafied'
Factoid: A protégé of Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat is credited as the first solo female rapper to go platinum.


Tonto RegginRazzi

Bahamadia
Birth name: Antonia Reed
Origin: Philadelphia, Pennyslvania
Affiliation: Gang Starr, The Roots
Hot Track: 'Uknowhowwedu'
Factoid: Her stage name is reportedly a combination of the Arabic words "badia" meaning "original creation" and "hamd'allah" meaning "thanks be to God."


Def Jam