Will all the female MCs in the house please stand up!
Get ready for a brand new docu-series from Oxygen network, which will highlight the careers of 5 real life up-and-coming female rappers and MCs. The show will air August 22nd in the States, and is produced by rapper and former jailbird T.I.
Why is this show significant? Let’s put it this way, how many popular female rappers/MCs can you name off the top of your head? Nicki Minaj, Queen Latifah, Lil Kim, Missy Elliot, Iggy Azalea, and Lil Mama, maybe? Ok great, that’s 6. Now how many popular male rappers can you name? Probably about 100 hundred! And that’s why ‘Sisterhood of Hip Hop’ is an important and awesome show to be on TV.
The series follows Bia, Brianna Perry, Diamond (of Crime Mob), Nyemiah Supreme and Siya as they try to crack the music industry’s male-dominated scene and create successful solo careers.
“The talented artists featured in ‘Sisterhood of Hip Hop’ are vibrant characters that will resonate with Oxygen’s young, female viewers,” Oxygen Media senior VP of original programming and development Rod Aissa said in a statement. “The optimistic and empowering nature of the show is truly unique and we look forward to rooting for each woman’s success and giving fans the opportunity to follow along on their journey.”
“There’s one thing I hate about the industry and it’s that you have to be naked to sell,” says Siya in a promo video for the show. “No you don’t! If your music is dope they’re gonna fall in love with you.”
“My goal is showing people that a girl from south-side Jamaica Queens can take it to the top,” said Nyemiah.
The statement that these women are just as good as the men is one that is still a struggle for top artists like Nicki Minaj, who said in a recent interview with MTV that she doesn’t want to be known as a good “female rapper” but just a good rapper. Period.
We still have a long way to go until a woman in the music industry doesn’t have to be naked to sell units. It’s all about representation and if a young up-and-coming MC can see a major female rapper at the top of the charts who is famous for her music, not her body, then perhaps we’ll see some changes. Until then, shows like this are a major step forward in empowering and inspiring other girls not to be afraid of venturing into any male-dominated arena.
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