Female Rappers: Now and Then

Female Rappers: The Way They Were
These days, there aren't many female rappers actively recording. However, throughout the late 1980s and the 1990s female rappers were all the rage on the music scene. Beyond their feminine flow and their radio radio rhyme styles, acts such as Salt-N-Pepa, Lil' Kim, Eve, YoYo and Queen Latifah have weathered many storms in the male dominated world of hip hop. From TV shows to major endorsement deals, some have even bested their male counterparts in their many career pursuits. And on the other hand, some have met career-derailing fates. BlackVoices.com invite you to take a candid look at how some of the major players are doing now, and what they were like back in the day. Check it out.

Female Rappers: Now and Then

Queen Latifah: Now and Then
These days, Queen Latifah can be credited as one of the few early hip-hop figures to take Hollywood by storm. Like Will Smith, the Newark native made her mark in the acting world through a television sitcom, 'Living Single,' and effortlessly shifted into feature films. She's been nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Matron Mama Morton in the blockbuster hit movie, 'Chicago,' and has racked up a lucrative Cover Girl cosmetics contract, as well as deals with Jenny Craig and Pizza Hut. In recent years, the Grammy Award-winner dropped a jazz standards album called 'The Dana Owens Album,' her first project using her real name. It's nearly twenty years since she released a rap record but Latifah is gearing up to drop a new hip-hop album soon.

Female Rappers: Now and Then

Queen Latifah:Now and Then
Back in 1989, Queen Latifah dropped her first album 'All Hail the Queen,' which was released through Tommy Boy Records after 'Yo! MTV Raps's' Fab Five Freddy passed on a demo of Latifah's single 'Princess of the Posse.' Her debut featured her infectious hit single 'Ladies First,' featuring Monie Love, which turned into an anthem for women everywhere. Never afraid to address the hip-hop community with conscious building rap songs, Latifah stood strong as a dashiki-wearing woman who was unafraid to speak her mind.

Female Rappers: Now and Then

Salt-N-Pepa: Now and Then
Most recently, the pioneering rap duo Salt-N-Pepa showcased their contrasting lifestyles on a VH1 reality show appropriately titled 'The Salt-N-Pepa Show.' They also had their first performance in six years at 'VH1's Hip Hop Honors' performing their hit single 'Whatta Man,' with EnVogue. Their DJ Spinderella has been the host of a weekly hip-hop radio show on Los Angeles' KKBT 100.3 for the past two years. Pepa, who appeared on the VH1 series 'The Surreal Life in 2005, released her autobiography entitled 'Let's Talk About Pep.' She was also briefly married to Naughty By Nature rapper Treach. In the past few years, Salt has taken a break from music and devotes much of her time to her family and practicing religion.

Female Rappers: Now and Then

Salt-N-Pepa: Now and Then
With 13 million albums sold, Salt 'N' Pepa's rise to becoming the top-selling female rap act began when Cheryl 'Salt' James and Sandra 'Pepa' Denton recorded a response record to Doug E. Fresh's 'The Show,' called 'The Show Stopper.' What began as helping a friend for a school project turned into a moderate hit and a record deal for the Queens, New York-bred duo. Their million-selling debut, 'Hot, Cool & Vicious,' followed in 1986, which included their breakout crossover single 'Push It.' It would be their multi-platinum fourth offering, 'Very Necessary,' which catapulted the group into super-star status and featured 'Shoop' and 'Whatta Man.' The group, who were also Cover Girl cosmetics spokeswomen, embarked on their final tour in 1999 and officially disbanded in 2002.

Female Rappers: Now and Then

MC Lyte: Now and Then
Born Lana Michele Moorer, MC Lyte has spent the past few years popping up on television series, like 'My Wife and Kids' and 'Half & Half' and releasing songs independently on iTunes. She joined the cast of the short-lived MTV series. 'Celebrity Rap Superstar' and coached actress Shar Jackson on how to rap some of her hit songs. Lyte, who owns an accessory boutique, Shaitel, in L.A., also hit the road last year with The Roots for a nationwide House of Blues tour. The Brooklyn- based MC has been given her due props; the Smithsonian Institute houses her early hip-hop memorabilia, and 'VH1 Hip Hop Honors' honored the rap veteran at its annual award show in 2006.

Female Rappers: Now and Then

MC Lyte: Now and Then
MC Lyte burst on the hip-hop scene with 'Lyte As a Rock,' which included her popular single '10% Dis,' aimed at former rival Antoinette. But, it wouldn't be until 1989 when her 'Eyes on This' album dropped that people really began to take notice. 'Cappuccino' and 'Cha Cha Cha,' were two of the catchy singles on that record. In the following years, number-one rap singles like 'Ruffneck,' 'Cold Rock a Party' with Missy Elliott and 'Poor Georgie' would follow stamping MC Lyte as one of the greatest female rappers of all-time.

Female Rappers: Now and Then

YoYo: Now and Then
Having hosted 'VH1's 'Miss Rap Supreme' reality competition show earlier this year, Yolanda "YoYo" Whitaker has transitioned into a mainstream sensation from her gangsta rap early days. She recorded the theme song for the Style Network's makeover show 'How Do I Look,' and has also turned up in films like 'Boyz N The Hood,' and 'Menace II Society.' Notable television appearances include 'Martin' and 'New York Undercover.' A doting mother of two daughters, she currently appears on Los Angeles radio station, 93.5 KDAY weekdays and is reportedly recording a new album.

Female Rappers: Now and Then

YoYo: Now and Then
YoYo has certainly earned the right to be called a hip-hop heavyweight and a woman who is not to be messed with. Since her debut performance as a guest on Ice Cube's 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' in 1990, the Compton native has dropped five rap albums using gangsta rap references juxtaposed with messages of female empowerment. Her debut 'Make Way for the Motherlode' made its mark with her hit single 'You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo' featuring Ice Cube. YoYo also collaborated with one-time dancehall diva Patra on the infectious hit single, 'Romantic Call.'

Female Rappers: Now and Then

Angie Stone: Now and Then
Many fans of Angie Stone have no idea she was once a rapper because her biggest claim-to-fame has been as an R&B singer/songwriter. In 2008, the plus-sized beauty garnered a Grammy Award nomination for her duet with soul diva Betty Wright called 'Baby.' Years ago the 47-year old South Carolina native helped give birth to the Neo Soul movement (along with neo-soul crooner D'Angelo, with whom she collaborated with on his seminal debut, 'Voodoo.') Stone's debut, 'Black Diamond,' included one of her biggest singles to date 'No More Rain (In This Cloud).' A favorite on the music festival circuit, she appeared in the movie 'The Fighting Temptations,' on VH1's 'Celebrity Fit Club' in 2006 shedding eighteen pounds -- and also sang the theme song to the hit television sitcom, 'Girlfriends.'

Female Rappers: Now and Then