- Female rap artists have dominated the music charts so far this year.
- Young stars like City Girls, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lizzo have gone viral with their catchy hits.
- From Tierra Whack to Saweetie, here are 12 women in hip-hop you should add to your playlists.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
It’s a special time for women in hip-hop with one female rapper after another entering the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Although stars like Cardi B and Lizzo continue to dominate with catchy hits, young artists like Saweetie and Megan Thee Stallion are on the rise.
Here are some – but certainly not all – of the women in hip-hop that you should be listening to right now.
Tierra Whack released a 15-minute visual album titled “Whack World.”
How many rappers in their early 20s can say they toured with Lauryn Hill, collaborated with Flying Lotus, earned a Grammy nomination, and landed a feature on Beyoncé’s “The Lion King” album? Just one: Tierra Whack.
The Philly-born artist started sharing music on SoundCloud before signing with Interscope Records in 2017.
Whack's debut album "Whack World" was well-received, even given its unusual runtime of 15 minutes for 15 tracks.
Noname appeared on Chance the Rapper's 2013 mixtape "Acid Rap."
The Chicago-based rapper and poet may have grown her fanbase with an appearance on Chance the Rapper's "Acid Rap" mixtape back in 2013, but since then, she has been showing the world that she is much more than a featured artist.
With a debut mixtape titled "Telefone" in 2016, an NPR Tiny Desk concert in 2017, and the release of her debut album in 2018 ("Room 25"), Noname's rise to fame has been steady and well-deserved.
Megan Thee Stallion is on the rise after coining the term "Hot Girl Summer."
Beyond inspiring one of the biggest memes of summer 2019, Houston-native Megan Thee Stallion has been busy leaving her mark on the rap genre over the past few years.
She became the first female rapper to sign with 300 Entertainment, was nominated at the BET Awards for best female hip-hop artist, and dropped two EPs and a mixtape, all while studying health administration at Texas Southern University.
Lizzo promotes self-care and self-love on her albums.
If you're asking if Lizzo is a hip-hop artist, the answer is an emphatic yes with a flute solo. She is also pop, funk, soul, and whatever else she wants to be on any given day. In the words of Lizzo herself: "Genre is dead."
After years of performing and releasing catchy songs, Lizzo broke through to the mainstream after signing with Atlantic Records in 2016 and releasing her "Coconut Oil" EP. Messages of self-care and love on songs like "Good as Hell" connected with a wide audience. By the time her third album "Cuz I Love You" released in 2019, Lizzo was a certified icon.
City Girls appeared on Drake's "In My Feelings" and quickly rose to the top of the charts with their song "Twerk," featuring Cardi B.
A feature on Drake's "In My Feelings" was a career launcher for Yung Miami (Caresha Brownlee) and J.T. (Jatavia Johnson), aka City Girls. The Florida rappers were signed to Quality Control Music after recording only two songs. They eventually released their mixtape "Period" in May of 2018.
City Girls landed on the Billboard charts with their follow-up project "Girl Code," which was boosted by the success of their single "Twerk," featuring Cardi B.
Kash Doll was nominated for best female hip-hop artist at the 2019 BET Awards alongside Cardi B and Nicki Minaj.
Detroit rapper Kash Doll went from making over $26,000 a night rapping and dancing at a strip club to opening for artists like Drake, Meek Mill, and Beyoncé.
Her "For Everybody" music video from 2017 went viral on YouTube and now has over 30 million views. In 2018, Kash Doll signed to Republic Records and dropped her third mixtape "Brat Mail" on her 26th birthday.
This year, she was nominated for best female hip-hop artist at the BET Awards and is gearing up for the release of her debut album.
Brooklyn rapper Leikeli47 has kept her identity a secret for her entire career.
Leikeli47 is a Brooklyn rapper and producer with Virginia roots who has kept her full identity hidden from the world. No one knows how old she is or what she looks like because of her many face masks.
With several mixtapes, a few EPs, and two well-received studio albums under her belt, more and more people are listening to her genre-bending music.
BbyMutha describes herself as a "stay-at-home mom and rapper with two sets of twins."
There has never been a multitasker in the rap genre like Tennessee-native BbyMutha. In an interview with Dazed, she referred to herself as a "stay-at-home mom/rapper with two sets of twins."
The combination of her Tennessee accent with her unique background and perspective is unlike anything you've ever heard. For the hip-hop fans who complain about the new generation of rappers looking and sounding exactly alike, BbyMutha might just be a breath of fresh air.
Kamaiyah was the only female rapper to appear on the 2017 XXL Freshman cover.
The only woman to grace the 2017 XXL Freshman cover, Oakland rapper Kamaiyah was already on the rise after her "A Good Night in the Ghetto" project struck a positive chord with critics. Pitchfork praised the young artist's "approachable and assured presence" and poise.
The 27-year-old artist has been recognized for putting together catchy songs and working with other creatives to produce eye-catching visuals.
Saweetie has collaborated with big names like Lil Wayne, Quavo, Kid Ink, and Kehlani.
California-based rapper Saweetie went from performing covers and freestyles on social media in 2017 to having a track from her EP "Icy" land on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Outside of her own music, Saweetie has also featured on tracks with Big K.R.I.T. and Lil Wayne, Quavo, Sabrina Carpenter, Kid Ink, Kehlani, David Guetta, and others.
It's still early on in her career as a signed artist, but the industry is expecting to hear a lot more from Saweetie in the near future.
WondaGurl has worked with artists like Sza, Drake, Rihanna, and more.
At the age of 15, Canadian producer WondaGurl was already winning beat-making competitions. The following year her name could be found in the credits of Jay-Z's album "Magna Carta Holy Grail" as a co-producer on the track "Crown" along with Travis Scott and Mike Dean. Since then, the list of people that WondaGurl has worked with has grown exponentially to include SZA, Drake, Rihanna, Young Thug, Usher, Lil Uzi Vert, and Big Sean.
Forbes added the then 21-year-old to its "30 Under 30: Music" list in 2018. Given her success over the years with tracks like Travis Scott's "Antidote" and Drake's "Used To," it will be interesting to see where WondaGurl's career goes from here.
Quay Dash uses powerful lyrics to make a statement.
Dubbed "Queen of NY," rapper Quay Dash, who made waves with her 2017 EP "Transphobic," is breaking boundaries in a genre that hasn't always been open to change.
Although Dash has been open about her experience as a black trans woman in her lyrics, the rapper says her music is for more than trans people. "It's about being a woman in general - that's why a lot of women relate to my music too," the artist told Refinery29.
A year after sharing "Transphobic," Dash released a single titled "U.A.F.W.M." ("U Ain't F---kin' With Me").