By Maya Pope-Chappell


In a strange and disappointing performance at the Paramount Theater in Oakland this past June, I witnessed the fall (literally) of one of hip hops most-prized MCs and singers, Ms. Lauryn Hill. From critical acclaim to a wounded woman with a raspy voice and music so outside the box, it's almost bizarre, Lauryn Hill has officially lost my long-standing support, ultimately leading me to this question: Where have all the female MCs gone?

Who ever thought that in 2007, with all the progress that women have made, that there would be a scarce representation of females in hip hop? Yes, there are some underground female MCs who move you with their lyrics, but when was the last time we have had a commercially viable female MC that has commanded the game in the way that, say Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, or Lil Kim for that matter, did at the height of their careers?

Queen Latifah has since moved on to acting, modeling, and being a spokeswoman for Cover Girl. Lil Kim, who hit fame in the 90s and has sold platinum albums, has since suffered a disappointing blow in record sales due to her stint in jail after being found guilty in 2005 for felony conspiracy and perjury. Besides appearances on remixes, she has not had a platinum-selling album since 2003.

On top of this, the lack of female representation in hip hop has been especially apparent in the lack of a Best Female Hip Hop Artist category at all major award shows including the BET and MTV awards, The Billboard Music Awards, the Grammys, or the American Music Awards (AMAs). Many of these award shows haven't presented an award to a female MC since 2005, including the Grammy's, or the Billboard Board Music Awards, which in 2005, awarded Mariah Carey for Female R&B/Hip Hop Artist of the Year. I am sorry, but Mariah Carey does not count.

Besides the few favorites including Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, and Eve who have dominated the category, I bet you cannot name any commercially successful female MC that has been consistently bringing it for a number of years. Can you? Instead, we have been reduced to Lil Mamas My Lip Gloss Be Poppin.

Nowadays, women in hip hop are presented as money hungry whores who have to shake their ass for some fake hundreds thrown around in a video. Where have the female MCs gone? Who is representing the ladies in hip hop? Foxy Brown went deaf and resorts to fighting to resolve issues; Da Brat joined the rest of the has-beens on The Surreal Life, and the rest are either attempting a comeback or just not making it.

Women need to hear and see strong female hip hop artists commanding attention on the radio waves and television. This is important because it not only helps to balance hip hop, but females are able to bring a new perspective and insight into their rhymes or with their persona, whether their talking about the street, money, sex, or life.

Lauryn Hill meant a lot to me because she was a great example of a strong woman who held her own not only during her solo career, but also as a member of the Fugees. She could spit with the best of them and could sing in a way that captured the attention of the listener, all without the pressures of being naked to sell her music. But like the rise and fall of a star, here recent lackluster performance begs the never-ending question: Where have all the female MCs gone?

Maya Pope-Chappell is a columnist for whatchusay.com