HISTORY OF HIP-HOP PART 3: OUR FEMALE PIONEERS

First of all, I’d like to start off by saying thank you to all my loyal followers who read my monthly column in OZONE magazine. Big ups to you all for showing me so much love through your supportive emails.

With no further delay, come take this little journey back in time with me as I educate you some more on hip-hop as we talk about the first ladies to come into the game. From the late 70s til the early 80s, the first three ladies to become official MCs in the streets were Debbie Dee, Lisa Lee, and the one and only Sha-Rock.

Sha-Rock could battle with the best of them, male or female, and could be found at nearly every major event, looking for the opportunity to grab the mic and kill it. She also made a guest appearance in one of hip-hop’s first movies, "Wild Style." She also was featured rockin’ the mic along with Debbie Dee and Lisa Lee in an abandoned building on the streets of the South Bronx in the classic movie "Beat Street." Sha-Rock also made hip-hop history by becoming the first female to land a deal with Sugar Hill Records. She was part of the group The Funky Four, who put out a hot single called "That’s the Joint." After all her success as hip-hop’s first official MC, she retired from the game as a single mother and made her career in the military.

After Sha-Rock helped open the doors for female MCs, an artist named Roxanne dropped a single in response to the song "Roxanne," by U.T.F.O., which started one of the first hip-hop battles on radio. Each artist dissed the other on wax, in a tasteful way. To make things even more interesting, another female MC calling herself The Real Roxanne challenged both Roxanne and U.T.F.O. The feud became bigger than life for a hot minute, but ended on a positive note two years later. Roxanne later joined forces with Marley Marl, Big Daddy Kane, MC Shan, and Craig G to form The Juice Crew in 1986. Last year, Roxanne was re-enlisted by Nas to put out a Juice Crew reunion. The members of U.T.F.O. all moved on to other things, and The Real Roxanne has been spotted in West Virginia, happily married with 4 kids.

Now, it’s time to get really deep. Let’s talk about the first female MCs to sell records worldwide and put out sexy videos and the whole nine yards. Salt & Pepa are probably the most popular females in the game. They brought so much charisma and charm to their style that urban America fell in love with them and their exotic outfits and fancy hairstyles. With a shitload of hits under their belts, who would guess that the first song they recorded was a joke? When Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh put out the hit song "The Show," Salt’s boyfriend at the time, Herbie Lovebug, came up with the idea for a response. He wrote the lyrics and produced the track, then delivered it to the radio station, not anticipating the huge response. The song got played over and over again to the point where everyone wanted to see the girls perform. Salt & Pepa were so nervous they didn’t want to perform in public, but when they saw flyers promoting another pair of females claiming to be them, they showed up at the event to shit on the imposters. Later, they added Spinderella to the group, which completed the perfect team. Herbie gave them tight production, and there was no stopping these ladies as they took it to another level for females in this hip-hop game. Today, Salt owns her own Gospel rap label. She is divorced from Herbie Lovebug, who was her teenage sweetheart and father of her children, but they still remain good friends. Pepa is divorced from Naughty by Nature’s Treach, and has been in several movies. She recently landed a role as a tough correctional officer on HBO’s hit show "Oz."

Remember the militant females like Sista Soulja, Ms. Melody, MC Lyte, and my favorite, Queen Latifah? Queen Latifah also made history in hip-hop, being the first to demand respect from men as a female MC and show the world that she could cross all boundaries as a lady with lyrics, knowledge, and wisdom. She put out several hit songs and started her own label called Flava Unit Records. She’s also landed roles in Hollywood, like a major role in the hit movie "Set It Off," and her first sitcom, "Living Single," which she also produced. Rumor has it she only did it to show Will Smith what a female can do without sleeping with Hollywood directors.

As far as Eve, Foxy Brown, and Lil’ Kim, they all have skills and bring a sexy look to the game. They’ve changed the game for females from a marketing perspective, but they haven’t been in the game officially for more than ten years so I’m not going to talk about them in detail. I do acknowledge their roles, however, and I’m sure they will make hip-hop history.

As I bring this story to an end, I’d like to big up Missy Elliott for her success as a songwriter and producer, and also my homie Lauryn Hill for making history in a very short time by taking home a number of Grammys, including Album of the Year. That’s history in the making.

Peace and blessings.

- Big Earl, 2002 Hip-Hop Pioneer

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