By Amechi ‘Double Six’ Okoli:
Monday evening, my studio session is done and am chilling at a bar, having a drink and listening to Lil Kim’s classic ‘Ladies Night’ featuring Angie Martinez, Missy Elliot, Da Brat and Left Eye (R.I.P)
I paused the track and asked myself, what the h*ll happened to the female rappers in Nigeria and global?
As a producer & lover of music, a question like that would definitely drag me back to the hip-hop scene in Naija.
Sasha did it, Blaise was fierce on the mic, Kemistry had the attitude and Kel came through with a fresh flow, a few others followed but fell off almost as soon as they came and their impact was not so authoritative.
No doubt these afore-mentioned ladies did their thing on the mic and gave the chicks a voice in Naija Hip Hop,many would agree that the biggest step up for the female M.Cs in this part of the world came when the legendary DJ Jimmy Jatt released the critically acclaimed single ‘Too Much’ which featured Blaise, Kemistry, Sasha & Bouqui.
A wicked collaboration which a couple of male rappers would envy (I aint calling no names) since then the females have been a bit quiet leaving dudes like M.I, Iceprince, SauceKid, Olamide, Vector, Illbliss etc to completely dominate the game.
In America(the Mecca of rap music) the females have also been on the low but the difference between their situation and ours is that every now and then they always have at least one female rapper who tops the charts and competes viciously with their male counterparts eg Queen Lateefah,Salt N Peppa,Da Brat,Lil Kim,Foxy Brown,Missy Elliot,Eve and most recently Nicki Minaj(who is currently hot!!!) At their respective peaks they sold millions of records and received massive radio & video airplay, gaining huge respect and endorsements from the male folk.
You may have asked yourself this question before, how come Nicki Minaj is currently the only female rapper doing well in America? Could it be her well-shaped backside? Lol.
Back to Naija..There’s a fresh pack of femcees coming through.,new flow,new ginger, new mentality and a craving for commercial success, Femcees like Zee, Tesh Carter, Pryse & MsChief who are all creating a serious buzz around the radio & the internet.
Hopefully, they will do very well commercially and give the dudes a run for their money cos if they don’t then I’ll ask the same question again..Where are the femcees?
