Peter Rosenberg's 25 Favorite Female Rap Songs

The Hot 97 radio host counts down the realest raps by women.

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Earlier this month, while hosting the festival stage at Summer Jam 2012 Hot 97 on-air personality/DJ and well known hip-hop aficionado Peter Rosenberg was pumping up the crowd who had come to see some underground hip-hop. In the process he threw a jab at Nicki Minaj’s pop song “Starships.”

His exact words: “I know there are some chicks here waiting to sing 'Starships' later—I'm not talking to y'all right now. Fuck that bullshit. I'm here to talk about real hip-hop shit." When Nicki Minaj heard the comment via the live stream of the show, she took the comment personally, saying she felt disrespected not only as one of the show’s headliners but also as a woman. With her boss Lil Wayne’s backing, she pulled out of her performance, citing Rosenberg’s comment as the reason why.

Due to all the controversy surrounding Rosenberg’s dig on “Starships,” we asked him to compile a list of his 25 Favorite Female Rap Songs. He was more than happy to help set the record straight on what he considers “real hip-hop shit.” So read on as Rosenberg shares his thoughts on which women in rap history deserve maximum respect. And yes, there is a Nicki Minaj song on his list.

As told to Daniel Isenberg (@StanIpcus)

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N-Tyce “Hush Hush Tip” (1993)

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25. N-Tyce “Hush Hush Tip” (1993)

Album: “Hush Hush Tip”/“Root Beer Float” 12 Inch

Label: Wild Pitch

Producer: 4th Disciple

Peter Rosenberg: “That was on Wild Pitch Records, and it was when Wu-Tang was super [popular]. It was produced 4th Disciple, and Meth was on it. It was just this random moment, where this chick comes out of nowhere, has a Wu-Tang affiliated record, and then you never really hear much from her again.

“The song is kind of sexy, but it’s super dark and Wu-Tang-like. It sounds like a totally authentic Wu-Tang kind of song. And Meth was so hot at the time, and chicks were so in love with Meth at the time. I remember I had it on a cassette single, and I put it on a mixtape, dubbed from the cassette single. Do you know how real that is?

“I don’t know what happened to N-Tyce, but I get a special feeling when I hear that song.”

The Lady of Rage “Some Shit” (1997)

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24. The Lady of Rage “Some Shit” (1997)

Album: Necessary Roughness

Label: Death Row/Interscope

Producer: DJ Premier

Peter Rosenberg: “This song is ill not only because Lady of Rage is dope and was in a great zone at the time. This was a slept on album cut. I remember hearing that Preemo had done a couple of songs on the album, so I bought it. She’s dope on it, Preemo’s dope on it, and of course, it’s legendary because it has her [doing the famous DJ Premier drop], ‘Premier, DJ P-P-P-Premier.’ It comes from that. So there is a legendary piece of hip-hop history in that song, and then you have the fact that it’s Preemo and Rage. It’s kind of a forgotten about album cut.”

Jean Grae “Love Thirst” (2008)

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23. Jean Grae “Love Thirst” (2008)

Album: Jeanius

Label: Blacksmith

Producer: 9th Wonder

Peter Rosenberg: “‘Love Thirst’ is a dope, funky, soulful, sexy record from Jean Grae, who easily could have ended up higher on the list if she had more notable songs that blew up. But that’s not who Jean is. She’s a happy performing/writing/recording artist who has never really been about the rap life, and just makes dope music. But if you really break it down in terms of skill and live performance and charisma, she really could be one of the best female MCs ever. She’s so special, and charming. Without even trying, Jean Grae will make a straight woman fall in love with her.”

Bahamadia f/ K-Swift & Mecca Star “3 The Hard Way” (1996)

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22. Bahamadia f/ K-Swift & Mecca Star “3 The Hard Way” (1996)

Album: Kollage

Label: Chrysalis/EMI

Producer: DJ Premier

Peter Rosenberg: “This easily could have been ‘Uknowhowwedu.’ Some would argue that it should be ‘Uknowhowwedu.’ I think ‘3 The Hard Way’ is just a really mean Preemo track, which is a common thread amongst several songs on this list, as it would be for all lists of favorite songs [of mine] over the last twenty years. I never knew much about Bahamadia other than that she was from Philly and she was really nice. She had a really different voice that was really low, and she would sometimes go into that whispery style, and sometimes go a little bit harder, which was the case on ‘3 The Hard Way.’”

Invincible & Waajeed “Detroit Summer” (2010)

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21. Invincible & Waajeed “Detroit Summer” (2010)

Album: “Detroit Summer”/“Emergence” 7 Inch

Label: EMERGENCE

Producer: Waajeed

Peter Rosenberg: “Invincible is amazing because she was the first white girl rapper that I was familiar with, and certainly the first one I ever thought was ill. And on top of that, she’s openly gay. She’s sick as an MC. She’s a 5’2’’ totally demure white girl, yet she has that Detroit shit about her that all really great Detroit MCs have. I’ve had this conversation with Royce da 5’9’’ about her, and other MCs from Detroit. She’s from the lineage of incredibly dope MCs, except her package is different. She’s very political, and really big on the justice for Palestine movement, but she’s Jewish and Israeli. And a lesbian. And white.

“But most importantly, other than pointing out what makes her up demographically, is she’s one of the sickest MCs you’ll ever hear. You could go see Invincible, and I’ve done this before, at a live show where no one knows her, and she will get a standing ovation by the end because she is that dominant of an MC. She’s incredible, and again, could be higher on this list if she had a more notable song that people really knew.”

Remy Ma “Whuteva” (2006)

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20. Remy Ma “Whuteva” (2006)

Album: There’s Something About Remy: Based on a True Story

Label: SRC/Universal/Terror Squad

Producer: Swizz Beatz

Peter Rosenberg:“Remy had a moment in hip-hop. She was the ‘it’ female rapper in that Terror Squad period when Fat Joe took over the game. Pun kind of put her on, and she had a dope song on Pun’s second album. I could almost make ‘Lean Back’ her song because I love her verse, and that’s everyone’s favorite part of the song. I think everyone’s favorite part of ‘Lean Back’ is, ‘We walk around the metal detectors.’

“Then ‘Whuteva’ came out, and it’s a vintage, hard, club banger. What else is there to say about Remy? Remy is Maino, but maybe more lyrical. She’s a quintessential New York street rapper, who just happens to be a girl. And you have her story with Papoose, which I think is incredibly awesome. I think when Remy gets out of jail, it’s going to be a bigger story than people expect right now.”

Da Brat “Give It 2 You” (1994)

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19. Da Brat “Give It 2 You” (1994)

Album: Funkdafied

Label: So So Def

Producer: Jermaine Dupri

Peter Rosenberg: “Da Brat was a pretty dope MC on the low. She was kind of poppy at times, but she was a pretty dope rapper. And [she was] the first female [solo] MC to ever go platinum. This video’s hot, not only because it’s a dope video, but because it starts out with her joint with Biggie ‘Da B Side.’ I thought about putting that on here, and ‘Funkdafied’ is a dope one, but ‘Give It 2 You’ is one that was hot at the time, but as time has gone on you’ll never really hear it in a throwback set. But she’s dope on it. It’s just a good tune, and she definitely deserves some recognition.”

Missy Elliott “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” (1997)

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18. Missy Elliott “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” (1997)

Album: Supa Dupa Fly

Label: The Goldmine/Elektra

Producer: Timbaland

Peter Rosenberg:“A lot of people would have probably put one of the Missy songs from the early 2000s when she dominated, like ‘Work It’ or ‘Get Your Freak On.’ To me, ‘The Rain’ was awesome, because I remember thinking, ‘What is this? What is this video? What is this song? Who is this person?’ And Missy went on to be everything she was in that video. She is a totally different and creative and brilliant artist.

“She’s had moments I didn’t love that I didn’t think was her style, where I was like, ‘Why is Missy talking about that?’ But she’s an awesome producer, and incredible writer, and she can sing, and rap. She’s this totally different person, and you knew it the moment you saw her sitting wearing trash bags in this bizarre video with this bizarre beat. And, on top of that, it was one of the first moments we saw how ill Timbaland was.”

Rah Digga “What They Call Me” (1999)

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17. Rah Digga “What They Call Me” (1999)

Album: Dirty Harriet

Label: Flipmode/Elektra

Producer: Pete Rock

Peter Rosenberg:“I wrestled back and forth between this and ‘Tight,’ which are both good songs. Rah Digga had many good moments with Flipmode Squad, but the craziest thing was, everyone slept on her album. I don’t know why. ‘Tight’ was a pretty dope single. The production on the album was crazy. This one is produced by Pete Rock, there’s a Preemo record, I think Nottz is on there. There’s a lot of dope shit on her album.

“Rah Digga had a totally unique voice. It’s sort of deep and rugged. But she could be pretty introspective. Rah Digga can do a lot of different stuff. We never got to see her blow up, but she was a dope MC for a consistent period over several years. I think Dirty Harriet is a great album, and this just happens to be my favorite song on it.”

Paula Perry “Extra, Extra” (1998)

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16. Paula Perry “Extra, Extra” (1998)

Album: “Extra, Extra”/“Down To Die For This” 12 Inch

Label: Mad Sounds/Motown

Producer: DJ Premier

Peter Rosenberg: “Paula Perry is dope to me because I remember her being with Masta Ace Incorporated, and I remember her being on the SlaughtaHouse album, and talking on it. But then, she had this random record on Mad Sounds, this random label. I hadn’t heard her in a long time. And she happens to get one of the sickest Preemo beats you could ever get. Preemo’s really random, and random people get random stuff, and this was an example. I hadn’t heard much about her, other than being down with Masta Ace and being on SlaughtaHouse, and she happens to get one of the sickest Preemo beats ever. End of conversation.”

Eve f/ Styles P & Jadakiss “Double R What” (2002)

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15. Eve f/ Styles P & Jadakiss “Double R What” (2002)

Album: Eve-Olution

Label: Ruff Ryders/Interscope

Producer:

Peter Rosenberg: “Eve came out on a mainstream level. Right away, ‘What Y’all Want’ was big, ‘Gotta Man’ was pretty commercial, ‘Love is Blind’ too. She had all these popular, mainstream songs, but you could always tell that she could really rap. And I love ‘Double R What’ because it’s this ill, super hard, Ruff Ryders anthem, with them all on it, and she just goes hard. It was getting to hear her do what you knew she was capable of. Nevermind how pretty she is, she just bodies this record. And she was a perfect piece to the Ruff Ryders puzzle.”

Foxy Brown f/ Spragga Benz “Oh Yeah” (2001)

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14. Foxy Brown f/ Spragga Benz “Oh Yeah” (2001)

Album: Broken Silence

Label: Def Jam

Producer: Eddie Scoresazy

Peter Rosenberg: “I’m not gonna lie, I love ‘Get Me Home,’ I just thought it was a little bit soft to put on this list. ‘Get Me Home’ you can still play at the party, you just might put it on a little bit early. ‘Oh Yeah’ you can throw on at the middle of the party, and it’s getting set off. That’s one of those records you can start from the beginning, let the intro build, even though it has that slow, awkward start, because right when it gets to the ‘Whayoooo,’ it’s getting set off.

“Foxy obviously had a big moment in hip-hop. That whole Firm time period. She was major. She was a huge star. I bumped into her at the mall in D.C. It was Howard Homecoming weekend. She asked me if I was coming to her show that night, and I said, ‘My Mom won’t let me.’ And I thought it would be cute at the time, until I realized that she was the same age as me. I didn’t realize she was probably fifteen years old at the time. She was probably like, ‘Alright, loser.’ But Foxy is dope, and that song is hot, always will be. Brooklyn anthem.”

Heather B “All Glocks Down” (1996)

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13. Heather B “All Glocks Down” (1996)

Album: Takin’ Mine

Label: Capital

Producer: DJ Kenny Parker

Peter Rosenberg: “I struggled with this one, too, because she had another joint with M.O.P., ‘My Kinda N-Bomb’ that I considered. Heather B was so fucking cool on The Real World. I didn’t know her before then, but I thought she was cool as shit, and her relationship with that super white girl was really cute, and just thought she was mad cool. And you always saw her with Kenny Parker on The Real World.

“Then, like a full two years after The Real World, here she comes, and it’s like a crazy hard song. She had an interesting voice. She didn’t have a lisp, but she had this weird kind of inflection to her voice. She was dope.”

Lil’ Kim “Came Back For You” (2003)

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12. Lil’ Kim “Came Back For You” (2003)

Album: La Bella Mafia

Label: Queen Bee/Atlantic

Producer: Kanye West

Peter Rosenberg:La Bella Mafia got [4 and 1/2] mics in The Source. Whether you agree with it, or disagree with it, there are not many albums that get that. And for whatever reason, it did. I don’t know how much there is on there that is worthy of [that rating], but ‘I Came Back For You’ is Kanye at his finest. Just an incredible tune. I get amped up every time I hear it. She’s super hard, talking shit to all the other women in the game. Classic Kim shit.”

Nicki Minaj “Did It On’em” (2010)

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11. Nicki Minaj “Did It On’em” (2010)

Album: Pink Friday

Label: Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Motown

Producer: Bangladesh

Peter Rosenberg: “I most love Nicki Minaj on her features, when she comes in and you’re not expecting it, whether it’s on ‘Monster’ or ‘Hello, Good Morning,’ or the Big Sean shit. Whatever it is, I love the way Nicki sounds when she jumps on a track with other people. That being said, ‘Did It On’em’ is hard. When people got bent out of shape about what I said about ‘Starships,’ that’s only because I am able to compare it to records like ‘Did It On’em.’ This is straight hip-hop.”

Roxanne Shante “Have A Nice Day” (1989)

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10. Roxanne Shante “Have A Nice Day” (1989)

Album: Bad Sister

Label: Cold Chillin’/Reprise/Warner Bros.

Producer: Marley Marl

Peter Rosenberg: “She was in The Juice Crew, and she was the baby of the bunch. She came out, and she was like sixteen years old, maybe younger. She has an incredibly identifiable voice. This is the song that maybe not all people would associate with her, but the one that I most associate with Roxanne Shante. It’s just a mean, classic, mid-80’s joint, from one of the first female MCs, honestly. Really one of the first ones.”

Nikki D “Daddy’s Little Girl” (1991)

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9. Nikki D “Daddy’s Little Girl” (1991)

Album: Daddy’s Little Girl

Label: Def Jam/Columbia

Producer: S.I.D. Reynolds

Peter Rosenberg: “I remember this video made me sad as a kid, like, ‘Oh no, what’s happening to this girl Nikki D?’ Daddy’s little girl, something’s gone wrong with her.’ And as time goes on, you meet a lot of Daddy’s little girls. Nikki D was a prophet, man. And she was the first female MC signed to Def Jam.”

Yo-Yo "IBWin' Wit My Crewin'" (1993)

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8. Yo-Yo "IBWin' Wit My Crewin'" (1993)

Album: You Better Ask Somebody

Label: East West America/Atlantic

Producer: QD III

Peter Rosenberg:“‘You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo’ is probably the track people identify most with her. That was really the first look at a serious, west coast female artist. No one was checking for Oaktown 357, no disrespect. And Yo-Yo’s kind of in an interesting category. She was west coast, she was kind of hard, but not over-the-top gangster, but still pretty gangster with it. She went on for a while to be pretty famous, and she popped up acting in stuff. She was a real cool character in hip-hop, and had a few good joints.

“This is just my favorite Yo-Yo song. It’s not the most well known Yo-Yo song, but if you are not familiar with it, this is my gift to you rap fans. It was just incredible. It was a B-side, and was just super-duper mean, with the horns. It had an interesting sound, and didn’t sound particularly west coast. I kind of sounded east coast. It was just super-duper hard.”

The Lady Of Rage “Afro Puffs” (1994)

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7. The Lady Of Rage “Afro Puffs” (1994)

Album: Above The Rim (Soundtrack)

Label: Death Row/Interscope

Producer: Dr. Dre

Peter Rosenberg: “I mean, come on, this song was a monster, at a time period when [Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg] were just making smashes. And then the girl of the crew comes out, and she’s absolutely ridiculous on the intro to Doggystyle. She’s ill on ‘Puffin’ On Blunts And Drankin’ Tanqueray’ by Dr. Dre, and then she comes out on ‘Afro Puffs.’ And that song, to this day, will set off a club no matter where you are. Even if you just let the chorus rock, everyone knows that. Everyone knows her look, and she had the song to match the look.”

Bo$$ “Deeper” (1993)

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6. Bo$$ “Deeper” (1993)

Album: Born Gangstaz

Label: DJ West/Chaos/Columbia

Producer: Def Jef

Peter Rosenberg:“I believe the story on Boss became that she was a total fraud, and that her character was totally made up. She was this gangster, but the later story was that she was really smart, and she went to law school. I remember there being this whole story about Boss that she was not who she was.

“But at the time when ‘Deeper’ came out, and I struggled between this and ‘Recipe Of A Hoe,’ and almost [included both together with a slash], you couldn’t tell me she wasn’t the hardest chick in the world. She had the glasses, the denim, all black everything, and then the beats were super hard. She was one of the first people I remember from Detroit, too.”

Queen Latifah “Latifah’s Had it up 2 Here” (1991)

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5. Queen Latifah “Latifah’s Had it up 2 Here” (1991)

Album: Nature of a Sista

Label: Tommy Boy

Producer: Naughty By Nature

Peter Rosenberg: “This is just a great Latifah song. You could’ve picked ‘Ladies First’ or ‘U.N.I.T.Y.’ Latifah was not only an awesome MC in that classic, late '80s [period], but she’s such a G in hip-hop. Not only did she start Flavor Unit Records, and put on Naughty By Nature, and Apache, and all this other amazing stuff, but she also became the person who has since then transcended hip-hop on a level that is huge! We almost take for granted how famous Queen Latifah is, because she’s that famous, and that important to culture overall.”

Lil’ Kim f/ The Notorious B.I.G. “Drugs” (1996)

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4. Lil’ Kim f/ The Notorious B.I.G. “Drugs” (1996)

Album: Hard Core

Label: Undeas/Big Beat

Producer: Fabian Hamilton

Peter Rosenberg: “I know people would say ‘Queen Bitch’ or ‘No Time,’ or ‘Crush On You,’ but ‘Drugs’ is one of the hardest songs ever. Kim just destroys that song. I know Biggie wrote it, or supposedly wrote it, but it’s just fire. It’s not that the things she talks about are that great, or that there’s any one thing [to point out]. It’s just that she sounds great, and the beat’s great. It’s just a great record.”

Salt-n-Pepa “Tramp” (1987)

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3. Salt-n-Pepa “Tramp” (1987)

Album: Hot, Cool & Vicious

Label: Next Plateau

Producer: Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor

Peter Rosenberg:“You could have picked a lot of Salt-n-Pepa songs, like ‘My Mic Sounds Nice’ or ‘Crazy,’ but ‘Tramp’ is dope, especially because I remember as a kid, I knew the word ‘tramp’ was a sexist word, but I didn’t understand why girls were making a song called ‘Tramp.’ I didn’t get it. When you listen to this song, it’s kind of in many ways the first feminist song. Salt-n-Pepa were the artists that were always about that. They were bosses.

“Not until later in their career did they talk about themselves in a way where they were the objects. They were the dominant ones in a lot of the early songs. Later on, with ‘Whatta Man,’ and songs like those, it was a little bit different. But with ‘Tramp,’ it was just them talking shit about dudes. And at the time, it was pretty innovative.”

MC Lyte “Paper Thin” (1988)

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2. MC Lyte “Paper Thin” (1988)

Album: Lyte as a Rock

Label: First Priority/Atlantic

Producer: King of Chill

Peter Rosenberg: “‘Lyte as a Rock’ is the first song I ever knew by MC Lyte, but ‘Paper Thin’ is the song that I think defines her most. Classic beat, classic Lyte. You could make an argument if you want, and it sounds crazy, but I really think you could make the case that MC Lyte is the number one female MC of all time. And it’s exemplified of ‘Paper Thin.’”

Lauryn Hill “Lost Ones” (1998)

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1. Lauryn Hill “Lost Ones” (1998)

Album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Label: Ruffhouse/Columbia

Producer: Lauryn Hill/Che’ Guevara/Vada Nobles

Peter Rosenberg:“Lauryn Hill is probably the more likely choice for people’s number one female MC of all time. This song, if you look back at that album, which won [however many Grammys it won] and had hits and hits and classics, I don’t know if you’ll find a moment where it’s more about her rapping her ass off than ‘Lost Ones.’

“And, at the time, I remember hearing it for the first time, and it being so clear that she was going at Wyclef, and me just thinking that was so hard. And from that moment on, that set the tone. And that wasn’t even really the first lead single. They put that out as kind of a white label, like, ‘Here’s something to throw on radio,’ to get people to start buzzing.

“Of course, if you look back, it’s kind of crazy to think, ‘Did they know that Lauryn Hill was going to go on to become the Lauryn Hill that she became?’ Because that song now seems strategic, and I guess it probably was. But at the time I just remember thinking that the song was so simple. It’s really just the drums, and her.

“But I think this song belongs at number one, because I think she put out, hands down, the greatest album that any female MC has ever put out. And this song is the rap song that exemplifies that album.”

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