When her debut album, What's the 411?, hit the street in 1992, critics and fans alike were floored by its powerful combination of modern R&B with an edgy rap sound that glanced off of the pain and grit of Mary J. Blige's Yonkers, NY, childhood. Called alternately the new Chaka Khan or new Aretha Franklin, Blige had little in common stylistically... [+] Read More

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The female vocal quartet En Vogue was conceived and put together by the production team of Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, both former members of Club Nouveau. Foster and McElroy wanted a vocal group who could exude sultriness and intelligence in addition to vocal proficiency, and as producers, they wanted material that would fuse R&B and girl... [+] Read More

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Among the first groups to tame rap's hardcore mentality into a positive, message-oriented music suitable for teens and mass audiences, Kid 'n Play debuted in 1988 with the platinum album 2 Hype, which the duo later spun into a deal involving films and a Saturday-morning cartoon show, the first involving a rap act. Though their recording activity... [+] Read More

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Miami-based female rappers Tigra and Bunny D were 18 years old when they scored a mild hit, "Cars With the Boom," in 1988. For a brief period their CD, Grab It!, stayed on the charts after Atlantic leased it from Time-X, but they were unable to get another single to maintain the momentum, and kiddie pop gradually lost its audience. ~ Ron Wynn,... [+] Read More

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MC Lyte was one of the first female rappers to point out the sexism and misogyny that often runs rampant in hip-hop, often taking the subject head on lyrically in her songs and helping open the door for such future artists as Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Lyte began rhyming at the age of 12, which eventually... [+] Read More

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MC Lyte was one of the first female rappers to point out the sexism and misogyny that often runs rampant in hip-hop, often taking the subject head on lyrically in her songs and helping open the door for such future artists as Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Lyte began rhyming at the age of 12, which eventually... [+] Read More

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While riding high on his domination of commercial rap in the late '80s and early '90s, MC Hammer branched his empire further by bringing two of his seemingly endless entourage of dancers/stage-hanger-ons into the studio. The result was Oaktown's 357, a female duo some perceived as Hammer's answer to another highly successful female rap team,... [+] Read More

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Queen Latifah: musician; television and film actress; a label president; an author and entrepreneur. Blessed with style and substance, Queen Latifah has blossomed into a one-woman entertainment conglomerate. Heralded by the press and the industry as a force to be reckoned with, Latifah has quite simply done it all and shows no sign of slowing... [+] Read More

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Slick Rick foreshadowed and epitomized the pimpster attitude of many rappers during the late '80s and early '90s, with gold chains, his trademark eye-patch, and recordings that were no less misogynistic -- "Treat Her Like a Prostitute," for example, became an underground hit in 1988, though it was justly criticized for its view of women. His... [+] Read More

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Queens rapper Sweet Tee (born Toi Jackson) debuted with It's Tee Time in 1989. Hurby "Love Bug" Astor produced what was a strictly pop-oriented session that generated only brief response. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

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TLC were one of the biggest-selling female R&B groups of all time, riding a blend of pop, hip-hop, and urban soul to superstardom during the '90s. Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas managed to appeal equally to pop and R&B audiences, blending catchy hooks and bouncy funk with a sassy, sexy attitude.... [+] Read More

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A female British rap duo that existed during the late '80s and early '90s, Wee Papa Girls issued a pair of albums before going their separate ways: 1989's The Beat, the Rhyme, the Noise and 1990's Be Aware. Although the duo were completely forgotten, Wee Papa Girls helped pave the way for such subsequent, similarly styled, chart-topping acts as... [+] Read More

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Yo-Yo (born Yolanda Whitaker) has been among the most sophisticated and unpredictable female rappers around. She doesn't take an overtly feminist tack but urges young women to show sexual restraint and use their minds as well as their bodies. Yo-Yo came out less embracing and more confrontational on You Better Ask Somebody, her 1993 album. There... [+] Read More

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