10 Best Female Rappers

Listing the 10 best female rappers can be a challenge for most hip-hop fans. Most diehard hip-hop fans can make their own opinionated best-of lists for male rappers, groups, songs and lyrics, but rarely does the question regarding the best female rappers ever surface. However, new emerging talent from the underground suggests that there could be competition. In fact, old stereotypes surrounding the lyrical ability to address certain issues within the hip-hop community has nearly been shattered.

1. Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill has retired from the hip-hop scene with only three major releases; two with the rap group "The Fugees" and one solo album. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" is her defining moment of clarity where she shines the most. Hill brings social, political conscious content, magnificent flow and appeal to the mainstream, despite the industry's demand to repress true expression.
2. Jean Grae Jean Grae began her career in the early 1990s with the rap group Natural Resource. Grae's exposure combined with her top-notch lyrical content, cadence and flow earns her the spot at number two; however, Grae could easily lose this spot in time from emerging talent as listed later on. Jean Grae has seen the respect of Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pumpkinhead, Meat Pie, Da Beatminerz and The Roots. Grae's latest album is entitled "Phoenix."
3. Invincible Invincible, a Detroit-based female rapper, delivers inexplicable hard-hitting rhymes, prowess and delivery. Invincible's lack of exposure is one of the main reasons why she isn't topped at number two. Invincible's lack of appeal may never garner her the number one spot. In order to speak freely and create social reform through your music on a massive scale, you must promote music in a way that will appeal to the masses. "Shapeshifters" released in 2008.
4. MC Lyte MC Lyte pioneered the hip-hop scene during the 1980s. Lyte was renowned for her uncensored lyrics and battling ability.
5. Queen Latifah Queen Latifah has done more with her career than rapping. In fact, this female rapper has appeared in 31 films. Latifah's charisma, strong intellect and straight-to-the-point attitude all provided her with the recognition she deserves.
6. Eterni: Eternia represents the one of the underground's best female rappers. Eternia could actually elevate to compete with Invincible, except her rhymes fit the stereotypical braggadocio content that we are all used to hearing. Incidentally, Eternia actually brings intensity, clever punch lines and effortless flow. Eternia is featured on Masta Ace's compilation album "Show" that released in 2008.
7. Medusa Medusa cements her spot as one of the best female rappers because of her ability to produce mind-elevating rhymes similar to Project Blowed artists. Medusa certainly brings the Los Angeles vibe to all of her performances. Medusa's latest album entitled "Medusa" released in 2009.
8. Stahhr the femcee Stahhr the femcee, DJ Kno, Deacon the Villian, Jugga the Bully, Luciano and some guy named defc0n used to submit battle verses via text format over the internet in a bracketed tournament before audio streaming became prominent. It's amazing to see how far these emcees have gone in their careers. Stahhr the femcee has found herself featuring on a variety of tracks within the ilk of MF Doom. Stahhr's latest album entitled "Rhymefluid" released in 2002.
9. Eve Eve's first three albums grossed over 8 million worldwide. Respectably, Eve has a good flow and decent rhyme structure. As the First Lady to the Ruff Riders, Eve could bring an element to the mainstream that rivaled prior female rappers. Eve released "Eve-Olution" in 2002.
10. Foxy Brown Unfortunately, there are not many other female rappers that can come close to the first nine, excluding any emerging underground talent. However, Foxy Brown has featured with great rap artists all-around, which is probably because of the lack of female rappers in the mainstream that the industry feels they should sign. Foxy Brown last released "Brooklyn's Don Diva" in 2008.