The Female Rapper Illusion

The world of hip-hop is a field overwhelming dominated by male artists. I believe there are a few reasons why women might be underrepresented in hip-hop:
1. they can’t rap as well as their male counterparts
2. they just aren’t as interested as men in rapping
3. they are not given the opportunity

Now, I have heard some pretty damn good female rappers so I think we can eliminate number one. Number two may or may not be true but that can’t completely account for the fact that there are so many more male rappers than female. Imani Perry argues that women in the hip-hop industry are pressured to act masculine, especially in their lyrics so they can appeal to a more mainstream audience. Rappers like Lil’ Kim, Eve, and Missy Elliot tend to use a more masculine voice and lyrics so they can appeal to both men and women. Female rappers often maintain their femininity through their clothing and personality outside of rapping. For example, Lil’ Kim’s lyrics may be considered “manly” but she dresses sexy in order to maintain her femininity and appeal to her male fans on a sexual level.

Nicki Minaj is a new female rapper who epitomizes this idea of masculine lyrics accompanied by a sexual attitude and appearance. Here is a link of her on youtube where she talks about how “hard” she is but then starts talking about sex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3LsyTghxZ8
And here’s a picture of her:
I believe these artists feel they will not make it in the industry unless they act like men. Whether this is true or not, I think they should be true to themselves and if they have the skills, they will make it in the industry.