It just arrived on Netflix Ladies First: A History of Women in Hip-Hopmini-series from first-time director Hannah Beachler that explores female MCs, DJs and producers and how they influenced a music genre that is 50 years old and still going strong today.
Backed by a truly explosive soundtrack, we’ve created a playlist where you can sample the rap of yesterday and today and discover behind-the-scenes, trends and perspectives beyond just women’s.
Big Energy Latto
Alyssa Stevens aka Miss Mulatto and then Latto, on a beat borrowed from genius of love Tom Tom Club (1981) sings its anthem to self-esteem: “At the core is this confidence, this strong aura… It’s about believing in yourself. The way we walk, talk and behave reflects who we think we are.” To create a remix of the song, Latto collaborated with Mariah Carey, who used Genius Of Love for her track. Fantasy. “We sipped his Black Irish and had fun,” she recalled.
Jump Chris Cross
Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly and Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith were 13 and 12 years old respectively when they Jump it soars to the top of the Hot 100 and sells 4 million copies. “When I met them, Kris Kross wasn’t playing demos, they weren’t rappers or even trying to be rappers,” said producer Jermaine Dupri. “I asked them, ‘What do you do?’ and they were like, “We’re just cool.” I thought, “I need to get these guys to make a record quickly.” Jump borrows bass line from I want you Back of the Jackson 5, it was only fitting that the duo were invited to open that same year. Dangerous World Tour European Michael Jackson and participation in the video Jam.