Sexuality in rap

In class this week, groups presented on female artists that have made an impact on their own genre's in music.  Artists that were presented on ranged from TLC to Foxy Brown.  From my own observation and personal analysis, female artists like Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, and Missy Elliott all shared similar traits when it came to personal expression in their music.  All of these women broke common stereotypes of how women were supposed to publicly portray themselves. Each made songs that held meanings related to their sexual desires and explicit body images.  Lil Kim was one of the first female sex figures in the rap scene, coming up quick with the help of her fellow BadBoy artist, The Notorious B.I.G.  Missy Elliott is also very well-known because of her ability to not only rap, but to produce.  Foxy Brown was a very popular artist in the early 2000s, releasing many hits.  However, she failed to stay relevant in today’s rap scene, partially because her downward spiral into trouble.  She was arrested on many occasions for simple offenses, such as spitting on people, and more serious ones like driving without a license.  Regardless, she was much like Lil Kim and Missy Elliott in her personal expression.  All of these women were revolutionary, showing that not only could men could record songs about their sexual desires.  New artist like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj can attribute their willingness to speak on their sexuality to these women, who showed that not only was this type of music for men to make.