Netflix is about to unleash a firestorm of female talent with their upcoming documentary, Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop. With a star-studded lineup featuring some of the most iconic and trailblazing women in the industry. This film promises to be a celebration of women’s contributions to hip-hop.
Set to premiere on August 9, the documentary dives deep into the history and evolution of women in hip-hop. Showcasing their struggles, triumphs, and unwavering determination. From the pioneers who shattered glass ceilings to the contemporary artists breaking barriers today. Altogether, Ladies First promises to be a powerful and insightful look into the world of female rappers.
What To Expect From Ladies First
The first trailer of the documentary packs a punch, leaving viewers eager for more. It’s a sneak peek that teases the raw honesty and unapologetic attitude that define these fierce women. With a backdrop of thumping beats and electrifying visuals, the trailer sets the tone for what appears to be an fascinating experience.
Another aspect that sets Ladies First apart is its stellar cast of interviewees. Netflix has created an A-list of hip-hop royalty. The likes of Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Da Brat, and Remy Ma bring their iconic presence to the screen. Providing firsthand accounts of their struggles and victories. Their stories are bound to inspire not only aspiring artists, but anyone with a dream in their heart.
However, the star power doesn’t stop there. The documentary also delves into the roots of hip-hop with legendary figures like Sha-Rock and Roxanne Shante. Reminding us of the often overlooked but significant role women played in the genre’s foundation.
As the trailer flashes through time, it becomes evident that the legacy of these pioneers continues with the new generation. Coi Leray, Tierra Whack, Kash Doll, Saweetie, and more, are all featured. Showing viewers that all in all the future of hip-hop is in capable hands.
The documentary’s release comes hot on the heels of several other successful music-related releases from Netflix. Reaffirming their commitment to delivering top-notch content for music enthusiasts. With the recent Wham! documentary, the announcement of the Scott Pilgrim anime series, as well as Erykah Badu’s appearance in The Piano Lesson, the streaming giant is clearly striking the right chords with its audience.
As we wait eagerly for Ladies First to hit our screens, there’s no doubt that it will speak to viewers worldwide. Also, it will serve as a powerful reminder that women have always been at the forefront of hip-hop. Spitting rhymes and breaking stereotypes with every beat.
So mark your calendars for August 9, because Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop is coming in hot. And it is sure to leave a mark on the music industry. Overall, prepare to be inspired, empowered, and entertained by these incredible women who continue to change the game, one verse at a time.
Lil Kim in 2005 with the law enforcement escort. Image source: AP.
There is much that defines Hip-Hop and much that shapes its influence within the world. However, nothing has more formative power and influence in Hip-Hop than the artists who step to the mic to tell their stories.
While some MCs spit about money and their shine, others flow about the street, the upsets, and the climb. Some come from a place of proximity, relaying experiences from a distance. Others from straight off the front lines.
Not everyone’s course is through a field of roses; some crawl through the trenches with scars to prove how far they’ve come. So here is a list of female MCs who’ve stumbled. At some point in their careers, they have had brushes with the law. Now they bear a record as proof.
Nevertheless, their past scars are a testament to their humanity and evidence of what is possible with refocusing.
Female MC #1 Remy Ma
Remy Ma. Image source: Getty Images.
Remy Ma hit the scene in 2000 as the newest artist on Columbia Records. 2006 saw the release of Remy’s debut album, “There’s Something About Remy: Based on a True Story.” There was no doubt that Remy went hard.
A year after her debut, things took a left. Ma had one of the most publicized run-ins with the law. As a result of her arrest, she would serve a seven-year prison bid. Remy’s charges stem from an argument with a friend, which turned lethal.
During their struggle, her friend, Barnes-Joseph, was inflicted with multiple gunshot wounds The penalty for such a crime carried a 25-year maximum.
However, the prosecution sought thirteen. Some believe the tenor of the MCs’ testimony was most influential in the judge’s final decision. According to XXL Magazine, Remy’s statement was to this effect,
“I’m not a thug. I’m not a hardcore anything; I have feelings. I’m a wife, mother, daughter, a big sister.”
And reportedly, her speech bore extreme remorse. Judge Rena Uviller’s response was an eight-year sentence. Ma won her second appeal walking free in 2014.
Female MC #2 Lil Kim
Lil Kim. Image source: Maury Phillips, Getty Image.
When it comes to Hip-Hop and female MCs, Lil Kim’s name is everpresent. Lil Kim, Kimberly Denise Jones caught the eye of the Notorious Big. Her talent was impressive leading Biggie to take her under his wings.
Lil Kim soon became one of the most popular mainstream female MCs. However, her artistry is not the only thing she is known for. Lil Kim takes second place regarding the most highly publicized brush with the law.
Lil Kim was convicted in 2005; her sentence was a one-year prison sentence. However, in addition to incarceration, she was also ordered to 30 days in home confinement and three years of probation.
Kim’s sentencing was the result of four counts of a criminal offense. Count one was for perjury before a grand jury. And the other three counts were for conspiracy.
When Lil Kim took the stand and was questioned about her knowledge of Damion Butler’s and Suif Jackson’s involvement in a shooting. According to a 2005 Billboard article, Kim testified she overlooked two of her close friends at the scene where the shooting occurred.
The New York Times reported, “Ms. Jones said she did not see Damion Butler at the radio station that day. She also said she did not know the person in the photograph.”
Later Lil Kim was found guilty of lying before the grand jury. Finally, Kim walked free in July of 2006.
Female MC #3 Foxy Brown
Foxy Brown. Image source: Johnny Nunez, WireImage.
Foxy Brown is not only a contemporary but a former MC rival of Lil Kim. Lil Kim hit the booth in 1996 with her debut album “Ill Na Na.” Her debut was hot right off the press, and it wasn’t long before everyone knew her name.
Unfortunately, like Kim, she also takes recognition for her jail time. Reportedly Brown got into a fight with two stylists at a nail salon resulting in assault charges. Initially, the Hip-Hop femcee pled guilty.
However, she later attempted to rescind her plea. According to Reuters, Brown’s told the judge, “I feel I am innocent. I was coerced, and I want to take back my guilty plea.”
Of course, she was denied and given three years of probation for her involvement in the altercation. Aside from the probation, the judge’s orders would include anger management classes, drug testing, and a restraining order.
In addition, Brown could not have any contact with the stylist for five years.
Sadly Brown, Inga Marchand’s three years of probation turned into a one-year sentence. The sentence resulted from the artist refusing to attend her court hearing. According to Reuters, the defendant’s rationale for not appearing in court was due to tooth extraction. As it is now a public record, Brown was sentenced in 2007.
However, four months before her sentence was complete, Brown was out.
Female MC #4 Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill. Image source: Theo Wargo, Getty Images.
Lauryn Hill is one of the most well-known female lyricists in Hip-Hop history. Her influence is generational. In 1996 Hill and her fellow collaboratives of the group The Fugees broke records with their second debut album, “The Score.”
However, success and stardom do not keep one free from entanglements with the law. Lauryn Hill also had her brush with the law in 2012. Unfortunately, Hill had three counts against her for failing to file taxes. But, also in 2012, Hill pled guilty to the crime of tax evasion. As a result, Hill was sentenced to 3 months of jail time and three months of in-home detainment.
A year of probation was to follow. Sadly, her sentencing was only part of Hill’s penalty. According to Justice.gov, Judge Arleo ordered Hill to pay the IRS a $60,000 fine and restitution.
Arleo also ordered Hill’s full cooperation with the IRS, including payment of outstanding interest and penalties on her tax obligations.
Female MC #5 Da Brat
Da Brat. Image source: Marcus Ingram, Getty Images.
In 1992 Da Brat signed with So So Def Records and made her presence known. Her album “Funkdafied” made history. According to famouspeople.com, the album made her the first-ever female solo rapper to earn a platinum certification.
However, Da Brat would gain notoriety for something else, also. Foxy Brown was not the only female emcee sentenced in 2007. Da Brat also saw jail time in 2007 for assault.
DaBrat, whose real name is Shawntee Harris, had a run-in with a waitress at a Halloween party. According to Rap-Up, she struck a waitress with a rum bottle. This incident led to the waitress’s hospitalization.
As a result, a judge sentenced Brat to 3 years in prison. The MC also got seven years of probation and community service. Da Brat served her time, and sources indicate she was released early as part of a work-release program.
Female MC #6 JT of City Girls
JT of City Girls. Image source: Paras Griffin.
The spotlight now spins to JT of the Hip-Hop duo City Girls. City Girls is a hot rap lyrical duo from Miami. JT and Yung Miami have been etching in the Hip-Hop scrolls since featuring with Drake on “In My Feelings.”
Unfortunately, JT learned success was not the only thing that got recognition. JT went to prison in 2018 for the crime of fraudulent credit card activity.
According to XXL, JT used the credit cards of three different people between 2016 and 2017 and spent more than $1,000. JT later turned herself in. As a result, she received 24 months in prison. However, in 2019 JT walked free.
One of the most significant components of Hip-Hop is the people who stand behind the mic. Unfortunately, every person has shadows, and some loom larger than others. While these female MCs have committed crimes, they have also done their time.
And thankfully, a fall doesn’t define the whole of a human being. Despite where these women have been, they remain inspirations. It is not for what they went through but for the heights they have risen because the real inspiration comes from how one rises from the ash heap to be reborn and reformed.
Tension has been rising between Jermaine Dupri and Diddy. There have been talks about the two versing each other in a potential Verzuz battle.
Dupri believes Diddy stands no chance against him in Verzuz.
On Wednesday, January 5th, Dupri made an appearance on the most recent episode of the New Rory & Mal podcast where he shut down the idea of taking on Puff. He points out that some of Puff’s greatest hits are collaborations with other artists which include artists who are either dead like The Notorious B.I.G. or who are no longer on good terms with him such as Ma$e.
Mal asked if the heavyweight bout will happen, JD stated, “I don’t think so… Because I feel like it’s a performance-based thing now and the majority of Puff’s records, who’s gonna perform? Yeah, [you can bring out] The LOX, but you can’t have nobody do Big’s verses! And I don’t know that Ma$e would come out with him no more, so I don’t think that it would happen based on that.”
As Dupri’s collaborators include Usher, Bow Wow, and Da Brat, he stands on his belief that he can outlast Puff in the Verzuz ring. Unlike JD, Puff may struggle to get support from his former Bad Boy artists.
“All my people, we rockin’! And we coming’ with a whole lot of energy!”
He continued, “Puff and anybody else that thinks about this battle, they try to downplay the Bow Wow era. When we get into the 2001, 2002, 2003 era of So So Def, I don’t know that Bad Boy was even in existence… I never seen a Bad Boy record No. 1 on 106 & Park.” He added, “The Emancipation of Mimi came out in 2007. People be forgetting about that whole little patch of records. I’m telling you, I don’t give a fuck what nobody say; Puff Daddy ain’t got nothing for 2007 — not on Bad Boy!”
Jermaine Dupri challenged Diddy to a Verzuz battle back in September.
It doesn’t seem like we’re going to see the pair battle any time soon. However, FM Hip Hop will keep you updated as the internet wonders who will be taking on each other in the Verzuz’s.
