Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim, Queen Latifah, Eve, Da Brat, Angel Haze, Lisa Lopes… America’s not been short on female rappers. But Cardi B just broke a record, being the first female rapper to reach number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since Lauryn Hill did so a whopping 17 years ago.
Bodak Yellow is a slow-tempo trap track including lyrical gems like: 'My pussy feel like a lake/He want to swim with his face’ and ‘I don't dance now/I make money moves’, which Cardi raps in her languid, husky tones.
As for the last song which saw a female solo rapper reach number one? Lauryn Hill’s Doo-Wop (That Thing), a doo-wop/soul track which couldn’t be much further, sonically, from Cardi B’s track:
Luckily for Lauryn, she still holds on to some records: hers was the first debut single to top the Hot 100. As for Nicki Minaj, who is arguably the most famous female rapper from the US, the reason she’s never beat Lauryn’s record is because, well, though she's scored two US number one records, her highest-charting fully solo songs are Anaconda, which got to number 2, and Super Bass, which peaked at number 3. Even her guest spots haven't reached the dizzying heights of number one! But then again, neither have Missy's, or Eve's, or Lil Kim's, etc etc.
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Nicki’s not bitter though, tweeting Cardi B:
There had been rumours that the pair didn’t get on, pretty much stoked when Nicki put a line in a song saying ‘Lil’ bitch I heard these labels tryna make another me/ Everything you getting little hoe is cause of me’ but it looks as if not only has Cardi B retired Lauryn Hill’s record, but any sign of any beef between her and Nicki. Cardi B responded to Nicki’s well-wishing:
How’s about a duet? Oh, and for the record, it's not just female rappers finding it tricky to break through stateside. Dua Lipa's number one with New Rules was the first female solo single to get to number one since Adele's Hello in 2015.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.