rachel raimist - women in hip hop resources

Women in Hip Hop Web Links / Online Resources:
Compiled by Rachel Raimist , Miranda Jane , Monalisa Murray & Desdamona

This list was first compiled for B-Girl Be: A Celebration of Women in Hip Hop, 2005. One of our goals for B-Girl Be is to unite women of all ages from all walks of life, bringing together academics, activists, aficionados, and beginners to experience the elements of Hip Hop. We’ve compiled this comprehensive list of links broken down by subject to extend the mission of the event, and make info accessible to all online.

ARTISTS (rap, poetry, djs)

BLOGS (hip hop & hip hop feminist)

BOOKS (including & about women)

B-GIRL/BREAKDANCE SITE

CLOTHING (by women)

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

ELDERS U SHOULD KNOW

GLBTQ HIP-HOP RESOURCES

GRAFFITTI WRITERS

HIP HOP/MUSIC FILM FESTIVALS

MAGAZINES/ARTICLES

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS & CONFERENCES

SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE

WOMEN’S RESOURCES/LINKS & GENERAL HIP HOP LINKS

B-GIRL/BREAKDANCE SITES:
The links below are just a few examples of B-Girls on the net. You’ll find links for B-Girl crews, event information, informative articles and general breakdance information. Check out…

B-Girl Asia One

B-Girl Champs Worldwide – International B-Girl site

BREAKGIRL - News, Video Clips, B-girl Related Stuff, & Events

Full Circle Soul - B-Girl Rokafella & crew

Sisterz of the Underground - a collective of female expressionists in San Francisco and world wide.

Article: Girls Will B-Girls - More than just beauties with beat, these girls battle the status quo.

Montäzh Performing Arts Company – Ladies of Hip Hop Sessions

SYNERGY: Stimulated Young Women Networking Energy to Regenerate a Greater Youth

Shebang! B-Girl Crew – L.A., Toronto, and Worldwide

Infinite777 is a management /marketing team of talented Break Dancers and Hip Hop Dancers

Project B-Girls – B-Girls Unite

Female Artistics – B-Girlz Rock da World

Tru-Essencia Company – B-Girls Represent

We B*Girlz - Book & Events by Martha Cooper

MAGAZINES/ARTICLES:
Here are some links to online magazines, websites and in-depth articles featuring women in Hip-Hop.
B-Gyrl Dot Com – Female Hip Hop, Femcees & B-Girls

Sister SF – Women DJs and MCs in San Francisco and Beyond

Verbalisms Magazine – the online home of Verbalisms. Featuring content revolving around women in hip-hop.

Phem Phat – Canadian website dedicated to women in Hip-Hop

Article: Girls Playing a Boy's Game - Female graffiti artists

Article: Dirty Dancing - In part two of our Take Back the Music series, we go behind the scenes with video girls.
As pimp culture goes mainstream, are we getting paid or played?

Article: Art on city walls, no matter the subject, makes for far more interesting scenery

Article: Love Hurts – Vibe Magazine exposes domestic violence in Hip-Hop
or http://feministing.com/archives/000954.html

Article/Video Clips: Women Find Role in Hip Hop

Article: Hip-Hop Women Stride Into Spotlight

Article: Feminist looks at role of women in hip-hop songs, music videos

Article: Tricia Rose is an author, a hip-hop scholar, a feminist and a prof at UCSC, but more importantly,
she cuts to the chase on MTV charades, sexism and the 'unfettered whiteness' of being

Article: Ladies First: Female MCs

Article: Female DJs Got a Foot Through the Door, Ain't Goin' Nowhere

Article: By The Evolution of Women in Hip Hop

Article: The Ladies, The Ladies – Interview with DJ Kuttin Kandi

Article: Deconstructing Lil' Kim

Article: Attack the Rap - Sick of being called hoes and bitches,
a group of young women in Boston has set up a new radio station to fight rap's misogyny.

Article: The War on Girls, Sex, Lies and Videos - The images we see in today’s hip-hop videos
are making our girls less than the sum of their parts. A noted cultural critic explains why we can no longer afford to be silent

Article: Ladies Last - Once Atop The Scene, Female MCs Are Singing the Blues

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/03/hip.hop/

http://www.funkdigital.com/mt/archives/000126images_of_black_women_in_hiphop.html

http://www.mysistahs.org/features/hiphop.htm

http://www.rapnewsdirect.com/News/2005/03/04/Women/

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/17788/

http://www.alternet.org/story/19527/

http://www.curvemag.com/Detailed/168.html

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_10_56/ai_76770621

http://rapandhiphopmusic.giphoria.com/interviews/mama_said_knock_you_out.htm

http://www.illmuzik.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-4849.html

Article: How Hip Hop Emerged

http://www.rapmullet.com/_sgt/m9m1_1.htm

http://www.mp3.com/Hip-Hop's+Femme+Fatales/stories/1189.html

http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=ladiesfirst&mode=full

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38001-2004Dec30.html

GRAFFITI GIRLS:
Noted as the first element of Hip Hop Culture, Graffiti has historically been a “boy’s club”
where women are excluded. Still, through perseverance and sheer talent, numerous women have gone down
in history as some of the illest and most talented in Graffiti art. Here are some links and articles where you can learn
more about the female presence in Graffiti.

149th Street Women – One of the most comprehensive Graffiti websites offers information about female Graf artists

One Eight Three Dot Com – Australian website with a section on female Graf

L.A. Graf Artist Tribe’s Website

Lady K Interview from Six Centz Dot Com

Lady Pink Article

Lady Pink and Smith Images

Women in Graffiti Article from Tucson Weekly

Lady Misk Page on Robots Will Kill Dot Com

CLOTHING:
One of the extended elements of Hip Hop culture is style, particularly related to clothing. It’s no wonder
that some talented B-Girls have ventured into the business of clothing design. Here are a few examples of
clothing lines for and by B-Girls.

B-Girl Style by East Melrah Design

Top 10 Hip Hop Clothing Lines for Women from About Dot Com

Evolve Universal

Mama Clothing

BLOGS:
You didn’t know the “b” in Blog stands for B-Girl? Now U know! Here are a few weblogs
by and about women in Hip Hop…

Writer/Editor/Vocalist Miranda Jane

Writer/Editor Lynne D. Johnson

Writer Marilynn Griffith

Poetess/MC Desdamona

Filmmaker/Feminist Rachel Raimist

Writer/Educator Imani Perry

Discussion about Essence’s Take Back the Music/Hip Hop Feminism on Black Feminism Dot Org

GLBTQ HIP-HOP RESOURCES:
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer communities representing Hip Hop?
You might think that these communities are not part of Hip Hop culture, but the links below prove otherwise.

Gay Hip Hop Dot Com

Article: Homos, Hot Beats & Hip Hop

MC Sha-Key (Hanifah Walidah) - about & article

Rapper JenRo & about

Rapper God-des & about

Rapper Paradigm- interview & article

MC Shelly Quest & about

DJ Hi-Tone & about

Rapper and DJ Miss Money & about

Artist/Producer/Actress Tre Azure - about & yahoo group

B-GIRL BOOKS:
Hip Hop Books on Graffiti, History, Women, DJ'ing, etc.

Vibe’s Hip Hop Divas

The Fire This Time – Young Activists and the New Feminism

New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone by Raquel Rivera

Check It While I Wreck It: Black Womanhood, Hip-Hop Culture, and the Public Sphere
by Gwendolyn D. Pough

When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: My Life as a Hip Hop Feminist by Joan Morgan

Hip Hop Files: Photographs, 1979 – 1984 by Martha Cooper

We B*Girlz by Martha Cooper

Prophets of the Hood: Politics and Poetics in Hip Hop by Imani Perry

And it Don’t Stop: The Best American Hip Hop Journalism of the Last 24 Years
edited by Raquel Cepeda

Droppin' Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture (Critical Perspectives on the Past)

Stand and Deliver: Political Activism, Leadership, and Hip Hop Culture by Yvonne Bynoe

Rap Music And Street Consciousness (Music in American Life) by Cheryl Keyes

Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman by Queen Latifah

No More Prisons by William “Upski” Wimsatt

Bomb the Suburbs by William “Upski” Wimsatt

The Political Action Handbook: A How-To Guide for the Hip Hop Generation by Maya Rockeymoore

Word: Rap, Politics and Feminism by Adrienne Anderson

Painting Without Permission: Hip-Hop Graffiti Subculture by Janice Rahn

Droppin' Science: Straight-Up Talk from Hip Hop's Greatest Voices by Denise McIver

Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America (Music/Culture) by Tricia Rose

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES:
As Hip Hop has become more of a force over the last three decades, students and academics have
focused on all aspects of the culture. Below are some links including articles from college newspapers, course
websites, thesis papers, and more.

Women and the Media Course Description

University of Michigan Underground – South African Women in Hip Hop

U of Chicago Article: First conference on hip-hop culture will assess how that culture portrays women

Barnard Center for Research on Women Article: Hard Women, Soft Politics
and Radical Chic in Hip-Hop

NYU School of Journalism Bullpen Article: Hip-Hop Journalism Roundtable: Raquel Cepeda’s "And It Don’t Stop"

Essay: Latina Women in Hip-Hop

Howard University, The Hilltop Article: Students, Industry Professionals Discuss Women and Hip-Hop Culture

Singing Women – History of Women in American Music (see Queen Latifah)

Syllabus – Multicultural Perspectives on Women in the United States

Radcliffe Workshop: “Hip-Hop, Culture, and Gender: A Workshop for Faculty Development and Feminist Debate”

Lesson Plan: Object or Subject? Women in Hip Hop

UC Santa Barbara – Black American Feminism: A Multidisciplinary Bibliography

Georgia State University Abstract: Emulated through Images: The Globalization of Misconstructed
African American Beauty and Hip-Hop Culture

UWC South Africa – “Her-Story of Rap”

Thesis: B-Boy or B-Girl? A Gender Analysis of Breakdancing

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS & CONFERENCES:

Sista II Sista – Brooklyn-based community organization/collective of women of color

April 2005 University of Chicago Feminism and Hip Hop Conference

We Got Issues – Raising the Voice of a New Female Generation

Women of Color Resource Issue

List of Hip Hop Conferences from Hip Hop Archive Dot Org

Third Wave Foundation

B-Girl Be: A Celebration of Women in Hip Hop - 2005 & 2006

WOMEN’S RESOURCES/LINKS & GENERAL HIP HOP LINKS:

Female Hip Hop

Hip Hop Feminism Yahoo Group

http://rap.about.com/cs/womeninrap/

http://www.femceesfinland.com/

Diva Station Links

Strong Women in Rap (includes Links)

The Street Harrassment Project

Wendy Day’s Rap Coalition (Music Business Info)

The Hip-Hop Association

Women of Color Against Violence

www.urbanthinktank.org

www.hiphoparchive.org

http://www.mighty4.com/

http://www.hiphop-directory.com/

best event newsletter Tools of War

best newsletter www.daveyd.com

hip-hop news site www.allhiphop.com

hip-hop news site www.sohh.com

youth produced hip hop magazine - Gumbo

Twin Cities hip hop - DuNation

www.wildstyle.com

www.rocksteadycrew.com

www.cantstopwontstop.com

http://www.soundwalk.com/

www.149st.com

www.12ozprophet.com

http://www.artcrimes.org/

Original Hip Hop Lyrics Archive

Experience Music Project’s Hip Hop Timeline

HIP HOP/MUSIC FILM FESTIVALS:

Check out these links to learn more about documentaries, shorts, movies, films, and works-in-progress for and by Women in Hip Hop, and the Hip Hop community at large.

http://www.hiphop-directory.com/Movies_and_Documentaries/Producers/index.php
http://www.clubzone.com/events/event14531.html
http://www.incite-national.org/conf/cov3film.html
http://www.hiphopfilmfestival.com
http://www.atlhiphopfilmfest.com/index2.html
http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2004-3/issue2/ar-vihhff.html
http://www.h2ed.net/
http://www.pantherfilmfest.com/
http://vihf.com/2004/index.htm
http://www.tumf.net/film.html
http://www.rooftopfilms.com/
http://www.soundunseen.com

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVALS
http://www.womenofcolorpro.citymax.com/page/page/346977.htm
http://www.madcatfilmfestival.org/
http://www.widc.org/
http://www.winfemme.com/
http://www.wmw.com.tw/
http://www.rmwfilmfest.org/
http://www.womenfest.net/
http://www2.ucsc.edu/woc/fvf.html
http://www.aawic.org/
http://www.womenfilmnet.org/festies.htm
http://www.beaconcinema.com/womfest/
http://www.cinefemme.org/
http://calendar.walkerart.org/event.wac?id=1725
http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/pfa_programs/women_of_color/index.html
http://www.filmcommissionhq.com/event.jsp?id=1275
http://www.iyalodeproductions.com/fimfest.html

ARTISTS:
Take a deep breath, ya’ll, ‘cause your about to witness the strength of sisterhood. The list below has NEVER been compiled before or published in any form. Whenever possible, we’ve listed an OFFICIAL URL for these artists, or the most comprehensive link we could find. To create a historical document, we’ve attempted to list each and every female MC, DJ, producer who has EVER recorded or performed Hip-Hop, Rap, or related poetry/music (that we could locate). Not everyone has a URL or link.

If we’ve missed someone, or omitted their website(s), or you know of a new artist who should be added,
please hit us up.

Aya de Leon (poet)
La Bruja (MC/poet)
Medusa
Amil
Angie Martinez
Bahamadia
Boss
Jazzy Joyce
Sha Rock (Funky Four + 1 More)
Pebblee Poo
Mercedes Ladies
Salt-N-Pepa or this
Queen Latifah
Eve
Queen Godis
DJ Beverly Bond
DJ Mecca
Lil’ Kim this or this
MC Lyte or this
Jean Grae (Whut What) or this
Erykah Badu
Patra
Meshell N’Degeocello
Ursula Rucker
Roxanne Shante
Conscious Daughters
Sista Souljah or this
Yejide the Night Queen
Toni Blackmon
Rah Digga
Choklate
M.I.A.
Ms. Dynamite
Stacey Ann Chin
Sarah Jones
Bridget Gray (poet)

LADIES ~~LACKING LINKS~~ Links are building!(in alphabetical order):
* denotes local Twin Cities artist
Afrikaren
Afrobluu
Amil
Angel
Angie Martinez
Anomolies
Anquette
Antoinette
Apani B. Fly MC
B Brown Posse (BBD)
B. Angie B (Oaktown’s 3-5-7)
Bahamadia
Big Chan (Doggy’s Angels)
Blondie
Bo$$
Body & Soul
Bonnie & Clyde (Terminator X)
B-Siide
Bytches with Problems
Cha Cha
Charli Baltimore
Chili (T-L-C)
Coco Chanel
Cognac (Doggy’s Angels)
conscious daughters
Da Brat (First solo female MC to sell Platinum)
Da’arina (Hobo Junction)
Dangerous Dames (Passion and ?)
Dani Girl
Daughters of Mary Jane
Davina
Dawn Penn
Def Dames
Desdamona *
Dessa Darling *
Diana King
Dimples Dee
DJ Backside
DJ Beverly Bond
DJ Big Sis Tam
DJ Cocoa Chanelle (producer/DJ)
DJ Dimepiece
DJ EQ
DJ Jiji Sweet
DJ K Swift
DJ Kaye Dunaway
DJ Kuttin Kandi
DJ Lazy K
DJ Mecca
DJ Mz Blendz
DJ Shortee
DJ Spinderella
DJ Symphony
DJ TiTi Torrez
Doggy’s Angels
Dymne
Est'elle
Eternia
Eve
Feline Science
Finesse & Synquis
Five Deadly Venomz
Five Footaz
Foxy Brown
Gangsta Boo
Get Fresh Girls
Gilette
Glamour Girls
Glaze New York
Gloria Velez
Goapele (vocalist/producer)
Harmony
HEAT *
Heather B
Heather Hunter
Helixx
Hoes with Attitude
Honey Jones
Hurricane G
Ice Cream Tee
Icey Jaye
Indigo *
Infamous Syndicate
Invincible
Isis
Jacki O
Jaguar Wright
Jamie Somerz (Wu-Fam)
Jane Blaze
Jane doe
jaz-ming
Jazzy Joyce
jazzy Joyce
JazzyFat Nastees
Jean Grae a/k/a Whut? What! (Natural Resource)
jersee monét
Jessica Lyman Lopez *
Jessy Moss
JJ Fad
Ju-L (Jewell of Death Row)
Karma *
Kima
Koko
Koko Asha (S.I.N./Medusa)
Kuttin Kandi
L’Trimm
La Mala (Spain)
LA Starr
LaChat (3-6 Mafia)
Lady Luck
Lady of Rage
Lady Saw
Latocha Scott
Latrice
Lauryn Hill (MC/vocalist/producer)
Left-Eye
Leschea
Leshaun
LeShaun
Lil Kim
Liz Leite
Lois Lane
Lo-Wife
Madame Moreau (Monsta Island Czars)
Mahasin
Makeba Mooncycle
Mama mystique
marie
marie antoinette
mary j. blige
MC Luscious
MC Smooth
MC Trouble (Rest in Peace)
Mercedes (No Limit)
Mercury
Me'shell Ndegéocello
Mia X
Michie Mee & L.A. Luv
Ming-Xia
Miss E.
Miss Jones
Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot
Mocha
Mona Lisa
Monie Love
Motha Superia
Mothra (Monsta Island Czars)
Motion
Ms. Dynamite
Ms. Jade
Ms. Jade
Ms. Melody
Murder Mamis
Mystic
Natural Resource (Jean Grae a/k/a Whut What)
Neb Luv
Nefertiti
Neneh Cherry
Nicki Nikkole (producer)
Nicole
Nicole Wray
Nikke Nicole
Nikki D
Nonchalant
Northern State
N-Tyce
Oaktown’s 3-5-7
Pam the Funkstress a/k/a DJ Pam (The Coup)
Paula Perry
Paulette Tee & Tanya Sweet & Tee Winley
PaviElle French aka Lady Luca *
Phen 4
Phoebe One
Poetess
Pri the Honey Dark (MC/producer)
Protegee *
Psalm One
Punany Poets
Pure Essence *
Queen Latifah
Queen Lisa Lee
Queen Mother Rage
Rah Digga
Rah Goddess
Rayna Shyne
Remy Martin a/k/a Remy Ma (Terror Squad)
Roxanne Shanté
Sarah White (Traditional Methods) *
Sarai
Sha Rock (Funky Four + 1 More)
Shä-Key
shannon kee
Shaunta (Missy)
Shawnna (DTP, Infamous Syndicate)
Shazzy
She Rockers
Shorty No Mas
Silk Tymes Leather
Silk-E
Silk-e Fine
Simple E
Sistah Mimi *
Sister Nancy
Solé
Sonja Blade
Sparky D
Stacy Epps (Scienz of Life/SOL Uprising)
Stahrr the Femcee
Steph Lova
Suga T
Suggah B ( w/ T Love in Urban Prop)
Suheir Hammad
Super Nature
Sweet Tee
Symbolic Three
Tairrie B
Tamrock
Tanya Winley
T-Bag
T-Boz
Tee Kee
Teena Marie
Tekitha (Wu-Fam)
Tempa
The Angel (producer)
The Boss
The Cookie Crew (UK)
The Kaperz
The Next Chapter
The Next Chapter (producer, Laswunzout)
The Real Roxanne
The Sequence
The Wee Papa Girl Rappers
T-L-C
T-Love
Trina
Two Sisters
Us Girls
Vanylla (Bay Be)
Vinia Mojica
Vita
Wanda Dee
Wendy Williams
Wildflower
Yo-Yo
Yummy (De La Soul fam)
Y-vette Money

SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE:
There are more elements than four to this Hip-Hop culture. We have women representing in journalism, writing, editing, activism, feminism, the dance and performing arts, music business, and in myriad ways – all expressing power through sisterhood. In no way does the list below represent EVERY woman doin’ her thing – just some names for you to remember and refer back to when studying/adding on to your Hip-Hop knowledge.

Journalists/Writers/Editors:
Asha Bandele
Black Artemis
Cristina “Dulce” Veran
Danyel Smith
Dream Hampton
Elizabeth Mendez-Barry
Farai Chideya
Joan Morgan
Karen R. Goode
Kim Osorio
Lynne D. Johnson
Mimi Valdez
Miranda Jane
N. Jamiyla Chisholm
Nancy Guevara
Raquel Cepeda
Sista Souljah

Activists in Many Arenas:
Dr. Roxanne Shante
Bridgette Moore
J-Love
Marinievas Alba
Rosa Clemente
Yvonne Bynoe (Businesswomen)
Carmelita Sanchez (World Famous Wake Up Show)
Christie Z Pabon (Tools of War PR)
Eleanor Tatum (publisher of the Amsterdam News)
Kimora Lee-Simmons (Baby Phat)
Mona Scott (Violator Management)
Monica Lynch (former Tommy Boy A&R)
Sylvia Rhone (WEA Exec)
Sylvia Robinson (Founder, Sugar Hill Records)
Tina Davis (Island/Def Jam Exec)
Wendy Day (Rap Coalition)

ELDERS U SHOULD KNOW:
MAMA GAVE BIRTH TO THE B-GIRL. HIP HOP COULDN’T LIVE AND BREATHE WITHOUT IT’S MOTHERS. THESE WOMEN PUT IT DOWN AND LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR US TO EXIST TODAY. MUCH RESPECT…

Lynn Collins “The Female Preacher” (Most Sampled Woman in Hip-Hop, (Rest In Peace, Queen))

Sonia Sanchez

nikki Giovanni

Millie Jackson

Maya Angelou

Ma Rainey

Maxine Waters

Nina Simone

Bessie Smith

angela davis

Lady B (First female MC to record as a solo rapper, radio host in Philly)

Sylvia Rhone or this

Debbie Harry (Blondie)

Teena Marie (“blue-eyed soul” singer from Motown who rapped on her 1980 song “Square Biz”)
or this

Betty Wright (Soul singer who rapped on her 1978 song Tonight is the Night)

Sylvia Robinson (Founder, Sugar Hill Records)

Audrey Fuss (Founder of Women’s Studies, Journalist Miranda Jane’s Grandmother)

Josephine Baker

Nomakosazana (First woman to rap in English and German, 1982)

Zora Neale Hurston

Soujourner Truth

Check these links for lists, songs, albums, online radio stations, playlists, and links of Women Hip Hop artists we love and albums we live by and recommend – from local, to national, to international and interplanetary:
http://www.wxyc.org/tnf/050303.html
Fat Beats & Bra Straps

Got Links? Did we miss something? Dead link? LET US KNOW!