For the seventh year in a row Nicki Minaj has managed to stay on top of the industry as she wins Best Female Hip-Hop artist once again. Nicki Minaj has set the tone for female artists in the industry by delivering energetic, over-the-top bars that has set her apart from every other female artist in the game today. Her longevity thus far can definitely be attributed to her charismatic personality and creative body of work that has garnered her the mainstream attention that she has today.
Even though Nicki Minaj seems to have the rap game in a headlock as the No. 1 female artist, it really makes you wonder if there is anyone who can challenge the Young Money signee. Without a doubt Nicki Minaj has been the most popular female rapper for quite some time and has out-shined any female rapper that has tried to take her spot. Although Nicki Minaj won Best Female Hip-Hop artist again; Remy Ma was in contention and was thought to have a good chance at winning with her new single “All The Way Up” featuring Fat Joe.
Dej Loaf, Lil Kim and Missy Elliott were also nominated for Best Female Hip-Hop artist of 2016 but were unable to take Nicki Minaj off of her throne. In a competitive industry where new artists rise to fame every day there hasn’t been another female hip-hop artist more popular than Nicki Minaj since 2009. It makes you question the criteria that qualifies a female artist for Best Female Hip-Hop artist of the year. Is it about age? Is it about label deals? Does it come down to which female artist has the biggest budget for resources?
Artists like Lil Kim, Remy Ma and Missy Elliot were once the faces of the female rap games and served the industry in a time when rap music was more about substance and less about trends. When popularity was based more on who was the best artist in a given year rather than being based solely off of popularity alone. What does it all boil down to? Is it less about the artist and more about expectations? Is it about sex appeal? Are music fans becoming less accepting of new female rappers or is the role of female artists in the rap game becoming obsolete?
The truth is, the role of female artists in the rap game is becoming completely obsolete. What used to be a role of substance is now a role of vanity; where age and sex appeal is more important to major labels and the expectations of fans is more important than talent.