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Hip-hop may have celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, but for a huge chunk of that time, the scene was completely dominated by male rappers, with artists like Missy Elliot, Lil’ Kim and Lauryn Hill few and far between.
In 2021, Cardi B said “female rappers are the most disrespected despite making great music” but thankfully, that seems to have shifted in recent years. Now it feels like female rap acts are the ones driving the scene forward and dominating festival lineups. In fact, recent OnePoll data commissioned by viagogo – revealed that rap and hip-hop was voted the ninth most popular genre to see abroad by UK fans, beating K-pop and even Reggaeton.
To celebrate our partnership with the ticketing marketplace, we’ve pulled the top female acts to have on your radar in 2024. From Nicki Minaj, the best-selling female rapper ever, to vibrant new acts like Ice Spice and Ceecyhya, here’s a list of the artists you need to add to your playlists.
Doja Cat (Photo by Dana Jacobs/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Who: Doja Cat
Why they’re so exciting: Is there an artist as gloriously unpredictable as Doja Cat, in any genre? From dabbling in nu-metal before it was back in fashion to those red carpet looks, Doja Cat is a constantly source of surprise. It never detracts from how hard her music hits though, with 2023’s ‘Scarlet’ unapologetic, hilarious and uncompromising. There’s talk of a sequel but with Doja Cat, who really knows what’s coming next.
Must hear tune: ‘Paint The Town Red’
Catch them live: The ‘Scarlet’ tour will be Doja Cat’s first ever headline arena tour in Europe following a headline slot at Coachella.
Nicki Minaj. Photo credit: Jason Koerner/Getty Images for E11EVEN
Who: Nicki Minaj
Why they’re so exciting: Nicki Minaj is not only the best-selling female rapper to ever grace the scene, she’s also one of the most talented. Sure, she’s made more headlines for her supposed beef with Megan Thee Stallion in recent weeks, but that doesn’t take away from that back catalogue of free-flowing, swaggering bangers. ‘Pink Friday 2’ was a whole load of snarling fun and we can’t wait for that world tour.
Must hear tune: ‘FTCU’
Catch them live: The ‘Pink Friday 2’ tour kicks off in March and runs until July
Megan Thee Stallion at the 2023 MTV VMAs. Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV
Who: Megan Thee Stallion
Why they’re so exciting: As well as delivering collabs with everyone from industrial metal titans Spiritbox to Gen-Z darling [and occasional Mean Girl] Reneé Rapp, Megan Thee Stallion has comfortably become a reliable festival smash, in a world that tends to prefer blokes with electric guitars. After delivering empowering, upbeat performances at Reading & Leeds Festivals and performing onstage with Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion is now teasing a new album. The only way is up.
Must hear tune: ‘Cobra’
Catch them live: Catch her at her ‘Hot Girl Summer’ Tour
Who: Doechii
Why they’re so exciting: Doechii is the fearless, dexterous Tampa rapper who delivers every track with a flow that’s made for the club. Breakout EP ‘Oh The Places You’ll Go’ was a fantastical trip, inspired by Dr Seuss and quickly saw her signed to Top Dawg Entertainment; the label that discovered Kendrick Lamar, and is currently home to Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock and SZA. Since then, she’s more than earned her spot amongst such esteemed talent, with a string of expectation-smashing singles. “With my music I feel like I am capable of doing anything,” she told NME recently.
Must hear tune: ‘What It Is’
Catch them live: Governors Ball
Tierra Whack. CREDIT: Paul Morigi/Getty Images
Who: Tierra Whack
Why they’re so exciting: From the moment she emerged onto the scene, Tierra Whack has been a colourful, joyful burst of freshness. Her prowess as a lyricist is well documented, while her music inspires sheer euphoria. There’s been a constant sense of play to Tierra’s back catalogue while upcoming “debut” album ‘World Wide Whack’ promises to toy with a character who’s “both superhuman and painfully human”.
Must hear tune: ‘Chanel Pit’
Little Simz performs live. CREDIT: Kyle Gustafson/Getty
Who: Little Simz
Why they’re so exciting: After 2021’s breakout album ‘Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert’ made waves and introduced Little Simz to the wider world, she’s been keeping everyone on their toes. There’s been rumours of work with mysterious hip-hop group Sault, and a number of surprise records – 2022’s ‘No Thank You’ and 2024’s ‘Drop 7’. She’s always done things her own way but she’s really embraced that in recent years. As she said last year, “For the sake of art, it’s important to push the boundaries and not be afraid.”
Must hear tune: ‘Mood Swings’
Ice Spice performs live. CREDIT: Paras Griffin/Getty
Who: Ice Spice
Why they’re so exciting: Last January, NME declared Ice Spice “the internet’s hottest new rapper” and since then, they’ve taken that fire into the physical world. There’s been collabs with Taylor Swift and SZA as well as plenty of internet-breaking live appearances to go alongside a hypnotic flow that’s all her own.
Must hear tune: ‘Think U The Shit (Fart)’
Catch them live: Big slots at Coachella and Wireless Festival await Ice Spice this summer.
Credit: Ejiro Dafé
Who: Cristale
Why they’re so exciting: This Brixton-based rapper is very much a triple-threat, delivering a number of formidable freestyles, a past life as a footballer and more recently, taking on a starring role in Netflix’s sci-fi/thriller The Kitchen. Despite this range, Cristale’s take on drill is decidedly focused, as her music has evolved from pure fury to something more confident, considered and empathetic. As she told NME, “I don’t have to be angry [to be heard]. I can say what I wanna say and bounce.“
Must hear tune: ‘Antisocial’
Who: Ceechynaa
Why they’re so exciting: This Essex-based drill artist may only have two proper singles to their name, but they’re bold and brilliant enough to have earned Ceechynaa the title of “UK’s most exciting female rapper”. There’s a fearlessness to the way Ceechynaa tackles her critics head on, and that confidence is backed up by some killer tunes.
Must hear tune: ‘Last Laugh’
Latto at Coachella 2023. Credit: Emma McIntyre / Getty Images
Who: Latto
Why they’re so exciting: Latto has constantly smashed expectations. From winning the first season of The Rap Game to becoming the first solo female rapper from Atlanta to go gold and then platinum, her career has been defined by big swings. She won the best female rap artist at the 2023 BET awards, topping a category that contained crossover stars Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, and recently teamed up with J-Lo for a remix of her ‘Can’t Get Enough’. Everything Latto touches seems to turn to gold.
Must hear tune: ‘Sunday Service’
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