The best female rapper, according to Lil Baby
Hip-hop is undoubtedly a male-dominated culture, full of testosterone and aggression. Until very recently, female rappers arrived few and far between, and when they did arrive, it’s been difficult for them to survive. In hip-hop, sexism has been a very real issue for a long time. Since the art form’s conception, males have always had an unwavering assertion that female rap is innately inferior to male rap. However, Lil Baby isn’t under this assumption.
Lil Baby (real name Dominique Jones) has worked with various female artists and has had hits alongside them. Figures such as Sexyy Red, Ice Spice and Megan Thee Stallion are currently ruling the charts right beside men and seem to have no intention of stopping now.
Although Cardi B, one of the most prominent female artists, revealed earlier this month that she wouldn’t be releasing an album this year, other figures such as GloRilla have already begun planning big projects that they hope will sit atop the Billboard 200.
Last year, Nicki Minaj released the epic long-awaited sequel to her debut album Pink Friday 2, and only a few months ago, GloRilla released her highly anticipated mixtape Ehhthang Ehhthang.
That said, in an interview with Complex last year for their YouTube series ‘GOAT Talk’ alongside Rylo Rodriguez, Jones expressed his thoughts on the wave of female MCs that have shaken up rap since 2017. Opening up about the women in hip-hop, Jones stated, “It’s like crazy, crazy female artists right now, for sure. Females like running the game right now!”
He then began to list some of the musicians making waves currently, including the likes of Coi Leray, Kalii, City Girls, Doechii, and Lola Brooke. However, when asked who the best female rapper of all time is, the It’s Only Me creator swiftly responded, “I’d say Nicki Minaj for sure.”
Last year, Minaj had a string of highly successful singles, including the likes of ‘Red Ruby The Sleaze’ and ‘Super Freaky Girl’. Despite her various feuds with the likes of Latto, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, it is still pretty hard to ignore the impact the Queens lyricist has when she releases music.
It was hardly surprising that Jones labelled Minaj as his favourite. The pair have teamed up on more than one occasion, and have hit the charts together with songs such as ‘Bussin’ and ‘Do We Have A Problem?’. The latter just missed out on the top spot in the chart, debuting at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
However, Jones hasn’t just worked with the Queen musician but has also previously joined forces with Megan Thee Stallion for the remix of his 2021 track ‘On Me’, which has been certified as triple platinum by the RIAA. Jones has even worked with City Girls on their 2021 track ‘Flewed Out’.
Overall, it appears Lil Baby has a high opinion of female rappers, but, for now, Nicki Minaj is his favourite.