Jazzy Joyce, Peaches, MC Lyte, Michie Mee, Queen Latifah, and Monie Love at the New Music Seminar in 1989.

Welcome to another Girl Germs-crafted mix! This time we’re highlighting female rappers—a species of performer that is fascinating, yet rarely studied.

Men get most of the credit for laying the groundwork of hip hop, but women like Queen Latifah, Monie Love and Roxanne Shante were right there alongside them (and in some cases, steps ahead of them). In this mix you’ll hear classic American female MC pioneers, as well as some who helped bring hip hop into the mainstream (like Debbie Harry’s rapping in Blondie’s “Rapture”—which gives a shout-out to Fab 5 Freddy) and into genres like dance (Uffie), pop (Neneh Cherry) and indie/experimental rock (Cibo Matto, The Go! Team).

Click below to play the mix!

Lady Rappers

Track List

Blondie – “Rapture”
The Go! Team – “Grip Like a Vice”
Mala Rodriguez – “La Nina”
Missy Elliott and Da Brat – “Sock it 2 Me”
Justice featuring Uffie – “The Party”
Cibo Matto – “Know Your Chicken”
Lil’ Kim – “The Jump Off”
Queen Latifah and Monie Love – “Ladies First”
Lauryn Hill – “Lost Ones”
Neneh Cherry – “Buffalo Stance”
Roxanne Shante – “Wack It”

If you like lady-centric hip hop you’ll love our next TV Party event at the Red Stag Supperclub in Minneapolis. Join us Monday, May 9 at 9 p.m. for a DJ set featuring the best female jazz, soul, funk, R&B and hip-hop artists from two of our favorite gentleman friends, DJs Phizzy and Marinos Vidiakitis. At 10 p.m. we’ll screen episodes of Living Single, starring Queen Latifah herself. See you there!

{Listen to Girl Germs’ other playlists here, here and here.}