7 Rising Women Rappers Talk the Past, Present, and Future of Hip-Hop's Rich Legacy

Bay Area native Saweetie is hip-hop through and through. She burst onto the rap scene in late 2017 when she declared herself an "Icy Grl" on her debut single. Since then, the 30-year-old has dropped four EPs (2018's "High Maintenance," 2019's "Icy," 2021's "Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1," and 2022's "The Single Life") and a handful of hit tracks and graced festival and award show stages — all before the arrival of her debut album. She previously told POPSUGAR she wants the long-awaited LP to be "a masterpiece." While her fans await the next chapter of her rap career, Saweetie reflects on 50 years of hip-hop and her love for the culture.

What does hip-hop mean to you?
I feel like hip-hop is our culture put into a song, a great way to express yourself. I fell in love with hip-hop because I was writing poetry at first, and once I realized that hip-hop was just basically poetry over a beat, that's when I was like, "OK, I'm going to be a rapper." And my mom was like, "Girl, you better go to college."

What's the most profound thing about hip-hop celebrating 50 years of influence?
I think it's just crazy that it's 50 years in, and I'm so happy to be alive for this moment. I remember when I first fell in love with hip-hop and I went down a rabbit hole. I did an interview with Roxanne Shanté, and I was just telling her, thanking her for paving the way because women like her who have came before us are the reason why we're here in the first place. So it's just an exciting time: the big 5-0.

Who are some women in hip-hop you look up to? Why?
Well, when I was growing up, my mom loved Lauryn Hill. She loved Lil' Kim, Foxy [Brown]. When I was a teenager, I loved Trina. Her song just puts you in the best mood. And then I remember LimeWire, girl. I ruined the family computer downloading Nicki Minaj songs from her mixtape. But I love Nicki. I loved her mixtapes, and it's just so great to see her continue to keep going and still be the queen that she is.

As TDE's first lady of rap, Doechii represents today's leading class of women in hip-hop taking the landscape in a completely new direction. Her bold creativity, animated bars, knack for melodies, and appreciation of different genres have positioned her as her label's next big rap star — and she's just getting started. Her breakout song, "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake," off her 2020 EP, "Oh the Places You'll Go," caught the world's attention. But, according to her, follow-ups like "Crazy," "Persuasive," and a standout 2021 feature on Isaiah Rashad's "Wat U Sed" made her presence well-known. As her debut album awaits a 2023 release date, Doechii's focused on solidifying herself as a household name — in hip-hop and beyond.

What are you most grateful for in today's era of hip-hop?
I'm grateful for all the unique approaches we have to hip-hop. There's a lot of subgenres like melodic rap, trap, alternative hip-hop. So many different types, where I think in the '80s, it was [only] one, but now it's different. Everybody expresses hip-hop in their own type of way, and it's interpreted differently.

Where do you fit into that spectrum of hip-hop?
I think that you can be multiple things at once. So I am a rapper, I am an artist, I am a singer. I can be multiple things at once. I fit into a lot of different subgenres. Sometimes I fit into boom-pap rap. Sometimes I fit into just alternative hip-hop. Some of my music is rap, some of it's melodic rap. So it's like you can exist in multiple spaces at the same time. You don't have to be dedicated to one, and that's the type of artist that I am.

What do you hope to see for the future of hip-hop?
I want to continue to see what I'm seeing. I want to see how much further it can expand and how we keep continuing to redefine hip-hop. I want to uphold the foundational skills of hip-hop, though; I don't want to ever lose that. That's what I'd like to see in the next few years. We just continue to uphold the skill of rap and the art of it.

Lola Brooke proudly reps her Brooklyn rap roots everywhere she goes — whether she's hopping on stage with some of the biggest names in music (Lil' Kim, Future, Ciara) or trending online with a viral hit. Her love for hip-hop began with hometown icons like JAY-Z and others, but it snowballed into a buzzy career after her introductory smash single "Don't Play With It" hit big in 2021. Since then, she's dropped a handful of other tracks, toured with A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, and landed herself at festivals like Rolling Loud and Hot 97's Summer Jam. With all the success Brooke's seen so far, hip-hop has a lot to do with that.

What does it mean to be a part of today's generation of hip-hop?
It means everything to me, because without the greats, I wouldn't be here. I would love to shout out all the artists that's continuing for us to even continue to get to the 51st [anniversary].

Which hip-hop artists did you listen to growing up?
50 Cent. I remember when I first seen the "Wanksta" video, I was small, really young. I just kept saying to myself, "This is cool," because the things that he had in his videos was things that I'd seen outside; things that I could relate to. So I was very much influenced by it. [Also,] DMX for sure. I'm going to be biased [and say], of course, JAY-Z. I feel like people should already know because I'm from Brooklyn.

What do you hope to see for the future of hip-hop?
Honestly, hip-hop changes so rapidly, I really don't know what there is to look for. I just know that it'll still be there.

When it comes to women in Midwest hip-hop, Lakeyah helps carry the torch in today's music industry — and she's proud of it. The Milwaukee native previously told POPSUGAR she discovered her love for music as a youth through singing and poetry slam, the latter being her gateway to rap pursuits. However, the "Big FlexHer" star credits her mom for introducing her to hip-hop greats like Wale, Rick Ross, Trina, and Lauryn Hill. Because of icons like them, and her career, Lakeyah's been able to thrive in several lanes as a hip-hop artist — including on TV with BET+'s "The Impact: Atlanta." She hopes more women in rap are able to achieve that level of success, too. Looking ahead, she sees more girl power in hip-hop's future.

What does it mean to be a part of today's generation of hip-hop?
Shout out to hip-hop in general, because it's really something that everybody wants to be a part of from all these different cultures. I'm just glad I was part of it being so young and being in the conversation with all these females rushing the industry right now. But it means a lot, though, like we've had so many great artists that have paved the way for us younger artists.

What has hip-hop done for you as an artist?
Hip-hop changed my life. It's paying my bills, it got me out the hood. It helped me in a major way, because I first started doing hip-hop when my stepdad had died; I was getting bullied in middle school, so it was a way for me to get it out on paper. You know, when I'm feeling like sh*tting on a hoe, it's a way for me to get it out.

What are you most grateful for in today's era of hip-hop?
Man, I'm just grateful for all the representation, because there's a girl for every type of girl. When I was coming up, I had to dig for that. I found Tink in the underground 'cause I'm from Milwaukee, she's from Chicago, so I was able to find her in my SoundCloud era when I was recording myself on my cellphone. I found girls like Dreezy and Sonta, all those girls in the underground, but these are girls that's in our face every day. It's a girl for every girl right now, and I just love it.

Years ago, Monaleo realized her rap pursuits thanks to her younger brother, fellow rapper Yung Rampage. Since then, the budding Houston star has contributed to her hometown's burgeoning hip-hop scene, hitting fans over the head with thumping tracks like "Beating Down Yo Block," "We Not Humping," and "Ass Kickin'." After capturing the internet's attention with her viral tracks, Monaleo finally delivered her debut project, "Where the Flowers Don't Die," on May 26 — just a few days after giving birth to her first child. As she balances motherhood and her blossoming rap career, she looks to the future to see what else is in store for her and her fellow femcees in hip-hop.

What has hip-hop done for you as an artist?
Hip-hop has healed me. Hip-hop has created a means of income for me. Hip-hop has brought my family closer together.

Who are some women in hip-hop you think deserve more of their flowers?
I think every woman in hip-hop right now and in the future deserves more flowers. Women are so harshly criticized and chastised in this industry, it seems as though we can never do enough. So to any woman putting themselves on the forefront and subjecting themselves to scrutiny for the sake of publicizing their art and trying to create a way to feed their family, you deserve your flowers.

What are you most grateful for in today's era of hip-hop?
I'm grateful for how easy it is to infiltrate hip-hop culture. Though some might disagree, I can appreciate social media apps like TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram for allowing more unconventional artists and sounds to have an opportunity to thrive in the hip-hop space.

What do you hope to see for the future of hip-hop?
I hope to see a lot more female artists being recognized and deeply appreciated for their artistry instead of just being tokens and trophies.

Last fall, up-and-comer Maiya The Don hopped in her "Telfy" to introduce the world to her braggadocious rap skills. The emerging Brooklyn rapper's buzz has only grown since then, as she's rubbed elbows with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including Lil' Kim and Busta Rhymes. A personal shout-out from fellow rising star Coi Leray at the 2023 BET Awards only boasted Maiya's name, too, as well as her January collaboration with Flo Milli and Lola Brooke ("Conceited"). With an eager fan base and a mixtape on the way, Maiya's set on becoming one of the hottest rap artists of her generation, and she thanks hip-hop for giving her the platform.

What does hip-hop mean to you?
Oh, hip-hop is culture. Hip-hop is probably the biggest part of my life, especially right now, more than ever. I remember the first moment I heard a rap song and what that felt like, and how it's influenced me and how I talk and dress. It's the biggest part of culture.

Do you remember the first rap song you heard?
Probably, 100 percent a Lil Wayne song. Like "A Milli" or something like that. I definitely know it was Lil Wayne because my uncle, who basically introduced me to rap, was obsessed with Lil Wayne and still is to this day.

What are you most grateful for in today's era of hip-hop?
I'm just grateful for everybody's ability and willingness to explore and have fun with their music. Being expressive and appreciative of all forms of hip-hop, because hip-hop doesn't sound like one thing. It's not one sound, it's like a blanket term for a whole collective of music. So I think people now are just really having fun and doing what they want, and I love it.

Self-proclaimed "country girl" Pap Chanel is ready to "break the door down" in hip-hop alongside her fellow femcees. The Milledgeville, GA, native burst onto the rap scene back in 2018, eventually ushering in her "Pretty & Paid" female unity movement and album series of the same name. Today, the "Paptivities" rapper's empowering message remains the same as her hopes for the future: seeing women in rap continue their current takeover. For hip-hop's 50th anniversary, Chanel stresses the importance of their contributions to the culture.

What are you most grateful for in today's era of hip-hop?
I love the fact that the door is wide open for us female artists right now. It's crazy because, over the years, we just always been put in this category like, oh, we rap about the same thing. I feel like the men sometimes be hating on us because we come with the full package: we got sex appeal, we got attitude, we got everything that people want. We bring life into the world. So when they see a female that can rap come up in this motherf*cker, they like, "Oh, oh, oh sh*t." Like people take a step back from it. So the fact that the doors are wide open now, everybody is accepting of what we can bring to the table. It's a beautiful time to be alive, and I'm proud to say that I'm gonna be part of this historical moment, because the ladies are winning.

Who are some women in hip-hop who deserve more of their flowers?
I definitely feel Nicki Minaj deserves more accolades, because she held a career up for a long time. I would also say Trina . . . I feel like she really spoke for us down South female rappers. She paved the way for us, because down South music has a different background than a lot of other regions. [She] was one of the people that popped off and went big on big with it, so I feel like she needs [praise] for that.

What do you hope to see for the future of hip-hop?
It's a lot of us women winning right now, but I would love to see multiple women winning at the same time. Even though the doors are wide open for us ladies, I feel like another thing [we] need to work on is that when you see another lady winning and they open the door for you to do you, you take a win as well. 'Cause if I could do it, you could do it. So I feel like we need to love on each other more . . . support each other and make sure that we keep this historical moment going, because it all is up to us now. 'Cause if we work together, like I said, there's no telling what beautiful things could come out of it.