Hip Hop Divas

by Vibe Magazine

It’s time to stand up, take notice, and give props to the women who have made their mark on hip hop culture. Although superstars like Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige, and TLC are some of the most popular entertainers in the world today—each having sold some 20 million albums apiece—the dramatic rise of women to the top of the hip hop industry has never been chronicled before. The revolution was decades in the making, with the female pioneers fighting for a place in the hip hop boy’s club, confronting sexist attitudes, and grabbing their piece of the commercial pie while taking hip hop to new creative heights. Now VIBE , the preeminent hip hop magazine, celebrates this pop culture explosion with a book of thoughtful essays, stunning photographs, and informative timelines and sidebars.

Some of the best writers on hip hop profile the grassroots efforts of hip hop’s first ladies to the hottest stars of the moment. Emil Wilbekin, editor in chief of VIBE , Mimi Valdés, Danyel Smith, dream hampton, Greg Tate, Sacha Jenkins, Harry Allen, Selwyn Hinds, Cristina Verán, and many others come together to reveal how these women continue to play a powerful and integral role in the hip hop world.

Genres: Music

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2001

Reviews

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Profiles of notable women in hip hop. read this or each respective artists' Wikipedia page, up to you

[Shant · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book featuring interviews with several rappers and R&B singers at their points in life in the year 2001. The first half of the book (The 80s and early 90s) was redundant for me from other books or documentaries I've watched (Not that this should ruin it for other people). The newer rappers, such as Lil Kim or Foxy Brown and Eve, I knew less about so I was interested. The book framed the issue of using sexuality well (The earlier people against it entirely and being more 'I used to walk 15 miles in the snow' while the later people subverted it).

One thing that made me feel better reading the book was that a lot of the women who stopped releasing music were talking about retiring/quitting the industry from then, so there are less what could have been.

The book ended with a timeline featuring more obscure female rappers/milestones for women in hip hop.

[Cody sheetz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hip. Hop. Divas