Where Are the Korean Female Hip Hop Rappers At?

Female hip hop rappers have been making their mark in the USA for years. But what about abroad? Rap music is coming up in Korea and has been since the 90s. Seoul, Busan, and Daegu are hot spots for this in Korea. While many artists do their best to reproduce the music of the west, others embrace both their own roots and their love of hip hop, and combine the two. There are artists out there who use traditional Korean instruments in this art form. One is Seo Taiji.

There are also many hip hop dance units that compete. This is very popular in Japan as well.

But where are the REAL female artists? There are all-girl groups that comes up when searching for female Korean hip hop, such as the Wonder Girls, but they are clearly more of a pop group similar to the pretty boy groups of the USA, complete with snazzy outfits and all. The original messages of the original art form are completely lost here, where struggles and street life were vented and expressed. Although this can easily be debated across the board as how music heard on the radio today talks more and more about how great the artist has it with money, material goods, and women, rather than the struggles and messages of empowerment we heard of back in the 90s.

Well, I know of one Korean female rapper that clearly holds her own and maintains the true spirit of original hip hop. Not only can she rap and deliver a fierce free-style, she can sing beautifully as well. Skim is Korean rapper currently based in Los Angeles, and she is fierce. She is definitely not of the conventional mainstream (being openly queer is one of these unconventional traits), but that is what makes her all the better and extremely refreshing, in my opinion.

She incorporates Korean folk music and drumming into her performances and sings while doing this. She is all about empowering women of not only her own culture, but of others as well, and reaches out as a true activist fighting sexism, racism, homophobia, and other social ills. She collaborates with amazing musicians of various cultures and continues to redefine hip hop, especially from a woman.

Skim is an amazing poet and artist having opened for KRS One and with her ever-growing schedule of tours, shows, and amazing collaborations such as with Shin Kawasaki, Jeffrey Soulspeak, November Morris from Hawaii, and Saltation Ignite. One recent collaboration combined Hawaiian reggae, electronica, and hip hop to create a message of multicultural empowerment.

This collaboration was a song called "Dark Skin" with Saltation Ignite. Skim delivered her rapping on top of ukeleles, tablas, and various drums, including an 808, all to spread the empowering message for people to feel comfortable in the skin they were born in, rather than trying to assimilate into something else. She is truly one of the most unique female hip hop rappers out there.

"Dark Skin" can be heard at: http://saltationignite.bandcamp.com/

You can also read more about Skim at http://skimvillage.wordpress.com/about-skim/

View the original article here

The Top 5 Best Female Rappers Of All Time

For as long as Hip-Hop has existed, it has been dominated by the microphone wielding bravado of the male gender. Among these testosterone fueled rap gods however, have risen tiny but powerful pockets of resistance from the fairer sex; women yearning to grab the mic and tell their story.

Though numerous ladies have attempted to put their stamp on the game, only a select few have been able to earn the respect and the recognition of their male counterparts. From the underground lyricists, to the overtly sexual "glamazons", the question of who the best female rappers are will most assuredly give rise to heated discussions.
Here's what I came up with....

5. Jean Grae
The daughter of accomplished South African jazz musicians, the MC known as Jean Grae has been rocking the underground for over a decade. Armed with ferocious lyrics that rival most rappers-regardless of gender, only time will tell if Ms. Grae will finally get the commercial acclaim she so desperately seeks.

4. Rah Digga
Born Rashia Fisher, Rah Digga was the only female member of Busta Rhymes' Flipmode Squad. The New Jersey native shook up the hip-hop world in 2000 with her near classic debut album Dirty Harriett. Her witty punch lines and hardcore flow upstaged most, if not all, of her fellow Flipmode Squad members (including Busta Rhymes himself).

3. Lil' Kim
Whether or not you are a supporter of Kim's verbal war with Nicki Minaj, there can be no denying that she has solidified herself as one of the all-time greats. A protege of late rapper Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim got her start as a member of the hip-hop group Junior Mafia. Her solo debut album Hardcore showed the world that female rappers could be just a filthy and raunchy as their male counterparts. Shocking sexual content aside, Lil' Kim is a bona fide spitter; riding beats effortlessly with her gritty yet perfectly feminine voice.

2. MC Lyte
MC Lyte rose to prominence in the 1980's with her debut Lyte as a Rock. The Brooklyn native is well known as being a gifted lyricist and storyteller, inspiring a plethora of prominent female rappers.

1. Lauryn Hill
With just one solo album under her belt, the critically acclaimed The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Ms. Hill tops my list as the best female rapper. By proving that female artists can be both thoughtful and accessible she has set the barometer my which we measure femcees almost unreachably high.

Whether or not you agree with my picks for the best female rappers, there is no disputing that these ladies are some of the best we will ever have.

If you love female rappers you might also enjoy checking out Madd Mary. She is one of many talented new female rappers on the scene today.

Click here to download a copy of her latest EP for free.

View the original article here