All the Female Rappers Who Dominated 2020

 

There is an abundance of female rappers, each with their own unique style, sound, and subject matter, who have made 2020 a notable year for women in rap. Hit songs, debut albums and mixtapes, popular TikTok challenges, creative music videos, and outstanding live performances from a number of them, helped document the successful year it has been. As 2020 comes to an end, it would be a true disservice to these women, to not mention their achievements and successes, both individual and collaborative. These successes should be highlighted and acknowledged because for the first time in a long time multiple women are dominating in hip hop which has been a predominantly male genre since its inception. 

Hip hop is also a genre that is constantly expanding and creating subgenres, those include socially conscious rap or “woke rap,” gangsta rap, and more popular these days mumble rap, and drill. It is important to understand that female rappers are not a subgenre themselves, as not all female rappers rap about the same thing or the same way. In some cases, their gender is the only thing they have in common. 

More and more immensely talented female rappers are emerging in hip hop and are making quite the name for themselves. These young women are not waiting their turn after their male counterparts. With their rap skills, creativity, and sex appeal, they have both commanded the world’s attention and conquered 2020. 

The COVID-19 pandemic began at the beginning of this year, prompting the country to be shut down, leaving us all at home bored and idle. Restaurants, bars, clubs, movie theaters, anything that kept us entertained were all closed and we had to find a replacement that would entertain us while inside. Tik Tok, a social media app that allows users to make creative videos and watch videos made by other users, provided entertainment and allowed us to be social while in a pandemic from the comfort of our phones. Tik Tok had a huge role in assisting female rappers dominate this year because several users created dances to their songs that went viral and helped make those songs popular and even top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 

The first song that went viral this year on Tik Tok was “Say So” by Doja Cat. At the end of 2019, Tik Tok star Haley Sharpe (yodelinghaley) gained popularity with her dance moves to "Say So" and the song and dance blew up, garnering millions of views on the social media platform. Doja Cat’s record label sent the song to the radio on January 28, 2020, where it dominated the airplay charts.  

In similar fashion, Keara Wilson (keke.janajah) created the “Savage” challenge to Megan thee Stallion’s song, a week before the song was released as a single. Subsequently, the dance and the song went viral, Megan even posted her own video doing the dance, as did her fans and countless other celebrities. Tik Tok had given “Savage'' the “Say So” treatment. There was even a parody of the song about Carol Baskins, from the Netflix Original Series Tiger King. Just recently, Megan thee Stallion did a Christmas rendition of the song Savage on a segment for the The Late Late Show with James Corden, entitled “Santa.” 

Another song with a dance challenge this year, “WAP”, by Cardi B featuring Megan thee Stallion. Brian Esperon, dancer and choreographer from the island of Guam, created a dance to the chorus of “WAP”. As it had gone with "Say So" and Savage, it went with “WAP.” People on Tik Tok and Instagram were doing the WAP challenge, helping the song become extremely successful. 

Tik Tok gave Miami natives, rap duo City Girls, a couple of viral moments as well. A couple of their songs were popular sounds used on the app. “What We Doin,” a song from their debut album Girl Code has over 142,000 videos from users all with the similar skit of trying to get their friend to step out after a long time of being cooped up in the house. One user even did the Tik Tok with her grandmother. Money Bagg Yo’s “Said Sum Remix” where they’re featured has 1.5 Million videos, including a Tik Tok by Sasha Obama, that went viral on Twitter, to JT’s memorable verse on the song.

Other songs that were big hits on Tik Tok this year include Flo Milli’s “Beef Flomix” and Saweetie’s “Tap In”. Altogether, these songs have over 31 billion plays on Tik Tok. The dances created by Tik Tok users gave them viral hits that stuck and helped a few of them reach chart success as well. 

The Billboard Hot 100 record chart for the United States is published weekly and is based on physical sales and digital sales, streams, and radio airplay. 

"Say So" was a hit on Tik Tok, however it did not reach number one on Billboard Hot 100 until Doja Cat employed the help of rap veteran, Nicki Minaj for a remix in May. "Say So Remix” is significant because not only did it earn both rappers their first number one song, it marked the first time a collaboration between two female rappers topped the Hot 100 chart. 

On April 29th, Megan thee Stallion surprised fans with a remix to “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé, a Houston native like herself. The song reached the top of the chart on May 30, 2020, bringing Megan thee Stallion her very first No. 1 song on Billboard Hot 100. 

In August, “WAP” brought Cardi B her fourth number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 and Megan thee Stallion her 2nd just a few months after her first.

Two times this year, was a number one song between two female rappers, three times if you want to include Beyoncé as a rapper. This was something extremely special and worth mentioning because in the past, it seemed like female rappers were not allowed to coexist and top the charts with each other. Now, they can have friendly competition amongst each other but also collaborate with each other to succeed. 

“Say So Remix” and “WAP” aren’t the only songs where female rappers came together this year. Doja Cat was enlisted by the City Girls to be featured on their second single, “Pussy Talk”. The City Girls, quite popular features this year, were featured on Megan thee Stallion’s album on track, “Do It on the Tip” and on Mulatto’s song called “In n Out.” Rico Nasty recruited up-and-coming female rappers Sukihana, Rubi Rose, and ppcocaine to be featured on the remix to her hit song “Smack A Bitch”, for her album too. 

There were a number of female rappers to release full length projects this year, albums, mixtapes, and even EPs. Some who are mainstream and some who are lesser known, underrated artists. 2020 XXL Freshmen Mulatto and Chika, the only two women in their freshmen class released projects this year. Chika released an EP entitled, Industry Games, and Mulatto released her debut album Queen of da Souf. This year City Girls delivered their sophomore studio album, City on Lock, which was well received by fans and critics alike. Ho, Why is You Here? Flo Milli’s debut mixtape was released on July 24, 2020 to critical acclaim. Her mixtape is filled with braggadocious bars and it exudes confidence that every female rapper possesses. Though Flo Milli has a ways to go in the rap game, in 2020 she arrived. Megan thee Stallion’s debut album, Good News, was made available for purchase and streaming on November 20, on the 10th anniversary of Nicki Minaj’s debut album Pink Friday. 

Los Angeles Times and Uproxx named Rico Nasty’s Nightmare Vacation one of the most highly anticipated albums of the fall. The long awaited debut album by Rico Nasty was released on December 4th after a series of solid mixtapes over the years. In addition to these female rappers, Asian Doll released a mixtape called Doll SZN Reloaded, Bbymutha released an EP called Muthaleficent, and Yung Baby Tate who is a rapper and a singer released a project entitled After the Rain. Whether or not music critics label these mixtapes, albums, and EPs as good or great, creating an entire music project and releasing it to the public is an accomplishment in itself.

Albums, mixtapes, and EPs weren’t the only ways the female rappers of 2020 shared their creativity with the public this year. Their artistry was explored and displayed visually in music videos throughout the year. Since Doja Cat’s call to widespread fame was from a viral music video and song, “Moo,” so she was no stranger to creative music videos and she did not miss with the "Say So" music video. The video was filled with 70’s aethetics and fashion that complimented the vibe to the song. It featured Haley Sharpe, along with the dance she created that made the song so huge. 

“Don’t Stop” featuring Young Thug, a single from Megan thee Stallion’s album was paired with a music video with fun costumes and scenery inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Megan was dressed as the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, and finally Alice for the video's choreographed finale. Contestants from the HBO Max voguing competition web series, Legendary, where Megan thee Stallion was a judge, were featured voguing in the “Don’t Stop” video. Young Thug also appears as Edward ScissorHands and in a red ensemble next to Megan thee Stallion while she was dressed as the Queen of Hearts.

Cardi B’s music video for “WAP,”  starred fellow female rappers Mulatto, Rubi Rose, and Sukihana. The music video truly exemplified glamour and extravagance. Cardi and Megan thee Stallion are walking down the halls of a lavish mansion in designer gowns and fancy updos, looking through the rooms of the mansion. Every verse revealed another room, a snake room, a leopard room, a Willy Wonka themed room, a white tiger room, and a pool room. Celebrities with cameos, the female rappers previously listed and Rosalia, Normani, and Kylie Jenner each had their own themed room as well.

Rico Nasty released some of the craziest, most creative music videos this year. Music videos for her singles, “IPHONE,” “Own It,” “OH FR?” and “STFU.” Each one different from the other, featuring her far out, avant-garde style and alternative, punk rap aesthetic. It’s hard to put her music videos into words, so it’s best to just watch them. Her distinct style sets her apart from the rest of her peers, and while her light shines, it doesn’t diminish the light of her fellow female rappers. 

The City Girls also recorded a few music videos for their singles “Pussy Talk,” “Jobs,” and “Flewed Out.” “Jobs” featured a shorts skit of JT and Yung Miami doing a poor job of working at Sundays Eatery in their hometown before ultimately getting fired. Santana, Yung Miami’s best friend tells them, “Y’all dont work jobs, bitch y’all is a job!” The video for “Flewed Out” also has a skit of airplane travelers going through TSA before boarding their flight, similar to the TSA scene in the movie “Soul Plane.”

Flo Milli’s video for “Weak,” depicts the rapper as the boss in a clearly profitable business, where men are her workers, counting money that the viewers just know belongs to Flo Milli. There’s money everywhere in the video, Flo Milli wears a money print bodysuit in one scene, with money lining the rollers in her hair as she walks on a trail of money. In another scene, she wears a money print durag the length of the floor as she stands and lies on the top of a car while money is flying. The visuals of “Weak,” are very enjoyable and aesthetically pleasing. 

The stage is a place where we can watch entertainers perform and display their talents live and physically. Since the pandemic began and all festivals and concerts were cancelled, we weren’t able to physically see our faves on stage and in their elements, these female rappers got really crafty with their performances for award shows. 

Doja Cat’s string of performances was the reason why she dominated 2020. She performed Say So/Juicy for MTV PUSH, an at home performance of "Say So" for The Voice, and she performed at the VMAs for the first time in her career doing a medley of "Say So" and “Like That”. Other performances include her Juicy/Say So/ Like That medley for the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, a metal rendition of "Say So" for the MTV European Music Awards (which is my personal favorite), and she performed “Baby I’m Jealous,” a song she’s featured on with Bebe Rexha at the 2020 American Music Awards.

Megan thee Stallion performed her hit song, “Savage” on several stages, such as 2020 BET Awards on June 28th, where she gave a Mad Max-esque performance of her songs “Girls in the Hood” and “Savage Remix.” The day after “Don’t Stop” was released, she performed the song as well as “Savage Remix” on Saturday Night Live with Young Thug. Not only did she perform her songs, Megan shared an important message for the world, “We need to protect our Black women. And love our Black women 'cause at the end of the day, we need our Black women." 

City Girls performed the clean versions to “Pussy Talk” and “Jobs” at the BET Hip Hop Awards in October. Their performance was as energetic, sexy, and provocative as their lyrics, but Yung Miami’s smile made it look like so much fun. One can only imagine how much fun it would be to perform on stage with my best friend after not being able to do so in almost 2 years. 

Awards are physical achievements that usually signify success, however, oftentimes the most talented people are overlooked in these award shows. Therefore awards can be a faulty measure of someone’s success. Awards may help measure someone’s success but they have no bearing over someone’s actual talent. There are tons of extremely talented people who have never won a prestigious award. With that being said, let it be understood that the women who won awards this year are awarded for their talent and this doesn’t make their peers less deserving. 

Megan thee  Stallion won the award for Best Hip Hop Video for “Savage,” at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. Other awards that she collected this year include BET Hip Hop awards for Artist of the Year, Hustler of the Year, and Best Collaboration for “Savage Remix.” She also won the Apple Music Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Megan is ending the year with 4 Grammy nominations. She’s nominated for Best New Artist and “Savage” has 3 nominations for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Record of the Year. 

Doja Cat was nominated for 3 awards at the VMAs and took home the MTV Push Best New Artist. At the AMAs, Doja Cat was nominated in 4 categories and won New Artist of the Year and Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist. She’s also been nominated for 3 Grammy Awards, Best New Artist, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Say So.”

These female rappers were also on the cover of many magazines this year. City Girls kicked the year off for female rappers on the cover of magazines when they were featured on Billboard magazine in January. After Nightmare Vacation, Rico Nasty set out on a press run, and was covered on and featured in a number of magazines including, Uproxx, NME, Preme Magazine, Paper Magazine, W, and The New York Times, just to name a few. Megan thee Stallion was on the cover of GQ magazine and was named Rapper of the Year. Cardi B topped the year off, pictured on the cover of Billboard magazine as “Woman of the Year.”

Other things that made this year great for female rappers that may not seem like much is their brand partnerships. On August 6th, it was announced that Megan thee Stallion would be a new Global Ambassador for Revlon. The brand’s president Silvia Galfo spoke highly of Megan in a statement saying, “When we first approached her about a partnership nearly a year ago, we were drawn to her confidence and fierce ambition as much as her power to hold nothing back. She loves to express herself with makeup and is a constant inspiration to her fans on living boldly. It’s that authenticity and unapologetic spirit that we admire, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the Revlon family.”

Similarly, Rico Nasty announced on August 13, that she had a makeup collection coming out in partnership with makeup company, Il Makiage. The collection seemed long overdue, being that Rico Nasty is known for extreme, yet cool makeup looks. The collection featured, two palettes with “Bold, pigment-packed shades hand-picked by Rico, Luxe packaging legit designed to drop your jaws, @riconasty’s touch & signature on it alllll, High af quality, 100% cruelty-free,” as described by Il Makiage on their Instagram. The collection quickly sold out and was rereleased in November.

These female rappers have achieved so much in just 12 months. It’s exciting to witness the direction they’re going in. They have been generating their own hype and have no problem hyping each other up as well. It’s refreshing to see this many female rappers thriving and dominating after the long years we’ve been without a female rapper or when there was a “there can only be one,” mentality. It’s also refreshing that there isn’t one look to these women. They're in no way homogenous. These women come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and come from different backgrounds. There isn’t one way to be a female rapper and that is what these women showed the world this year. 

This year female rappers dominated and put on a clinic of bad bitchery, sex, appeal, and creativity. They are no longer being hidden in the shadows of their male counterparts. For once the spotlight is now on all of them.