Women’s History Month: The Female Lyrical Assassins Of Battle Rap

Written By Nadya Nataly

She Got BARS!

While battle rap has been primarily dominated by men, these women are lyrical assassins in the rap cypher. They step to anybody that wants heat and have broken battle rap barriers that have provided a voice for women in rap BEYOND the Billboard charts.

Female Battle Rappers
1.2k Views Comments Off on Women’s History Month: The Female Lyrical Assassins Of Battle Rap

Details of this story have been corrected.  Updated 3/30/23 1:32pm ET

From Battle Rapping In The Park …

Any hip-hop head of the circa 1980s era knows that battle rapping was and has become about who could rap the best. Battle rapping in the park, the block party, the street — was for respect. 

The battles were simple, too —  the “illest” bars, won.   But like the genre, battle rap was also dominated by the fellas. 

However, these ladies have stepped into the rap cypher and proven they also got the heat and anyone can get it. SOHH presents, in no particular order —  

Women Who Dominate Battle Rap

Roxanne Shante

Gloves up, Roxanne Shante was one of the first female rappers to start a record rap beef. In a time when female rappers were rare, in 1984, 14-year-old Shante released “Roxanne’s Revenge” produced by Marley Marl, a then-unknown producer. The song was a response to UTFO’s “Roxanne, Roxanne.”

It was in her raps that Roxanne fired back at UTFO with her own bars and spawned the Roxanne Wars.  Shante’s responses was a segue from the emergence of battle rap brought on by Kool Moe Dee and Busy Bee‘s beef of 1981.

The Roxanne Wars era created iconic hip-hop rivalries, a series of diss tracks and responses among the artists of the mid-1980s —  and Shante was at the center of it all.  Songs from the Roxanne Wars, including “Bite This” and “Queen of Rox.”

Big Daddy Kane has also publicly admitted that Shante was the one who put The Juice Crew on during a Verzuz battle against KRS-One in October 2021. The Juice Crew introduced rappers and DJs like MC Shan, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Masta Ace, Tragedy, Craig G, DJ Chilly Q and Kool G. Rap.

Shante also has received love and recognition from fellow Queensbridge rapper, Nas, who acknowledged Shante as the G.O.A.T.

The Queens Of The Battle Rap Ring

Bonnie Godiva – Yonkers, NY

Bonnie Godiva was part of the show’s “Black Squad” and competed against the “Red Squad” in various comedic challenges and rap battles.

C3 – Queens, NY

E Hart – Bronx, NY

Phara Funeral – Bronx, N.Y.

Gattas – Chicago, IL

Jaz the Rapper – Brooklyn, NY

Ms Hustle – Harlem, NY

MyVerse – Orlando, FL

QB Black Diamond – Bridgeport, CT

RX – Compton, CA

Star Smiles – Bronx, NY

40 B.A.R.R.S – Boston, MA

Chayna Ashley – Bronx, NY

Casey Jay – San Antonio, TX

Coffee BrownSan Bernardino, CA

First Lady Flames – Richmond, VA

Lady Caution, Philadelphia, PA

Jai Smoove – Brooklyn, NY

O’fficial – New Orleans, LA

Vixen the Assassin – Milwaukee, WI

Yoshi G – San Francisco, CA

Lady Luck – Newark, NJ

Honorable Mention: Remy Ma – Bronx, NY

Remy is a well-known rapper in hip-hop but is not typically considered a battle rapper. In 2004, she battled against Lady Luck. Their battle is considered one of the most iconic battles in female battle rap history. In 2022, Remy Ma debuted her own women’s rap battle league.

Comments Off on Women’s History Month: The Female Lyrical Assassins Of Battle Rap

Written by Nadya Nataly

Glo x Tommy Jeans

GloRilla Becomes The New Face For Tommy Jeans + Rumored Racist History

Latto Denies

Latto Seemingly Admits To 21 Savage Name Tat In New Song Snippet