This International Women’s Day we celebrate the women of the world, but we, Castle Lite and Slikour On Life, are celebrating the women in hip-hop especially. Hip Hop may have been allowed to be a boys’ club in its inception, but there are countless women who have worked hard to solidify our place in the genre. Some of the first names that come to mind are rap greats like Lil’ Kim, Salt N Peppa, Da Brat, and Queen Latifah.
However, even though the first few women in hip-hop managed to make their mark on the industry, that battle was hard won. Between being made less than on account of their womanhood, to men trying to sexualise them before producing them, women have a tough time in the music industry. Nevertheless, the narrative that women in music, don’t collaborate, unite, or support each other is questionable.
Firstly, collaboration begins long before two musicians enter a studio together. Sometimes, it’s the co-sign of one woman to another, someone making an introduction between artists, or the use of a particular sample from a woman in hip-hop. Secondly, women in music aren’t “divas” that don’t know how to work together either. As a community, we hardly bat an eyelash at the antics of some of the men in hip-hop, yet women are the problem? No. Finally, it takes more than just women to demystify the concept of women in hip-hop. For instance, producers, label executives, and the like are equally responsible for opening up the genre and industry to new talent, regardless of their gender.
One of the best ways to celebrate women is to pay homage to them. Rouge, Gigi Lamayne, Moozlie, Rosa Ree, and Mz Kiss have done just that with their remix of Queen Latifah’s iconic track “U.N.I.T.Y.” Castle Lite brought these five women together and show that women hip-hop do collaborate, unite, and support each other. Enjoy their version of the historic number as a download below. But we’re not just stopping there, to further give thanks and celebrate the women in hip-hop, we have compiled a list of some of the collaborations we’ve enjoyed over the years.
U.N.I.T.Y (Extra Cold Remix) Feat. Gigi Lamayne X Moozlie x Mz Kiss X Rosa Ree X Rouge
MissPru Dj - Isaga Lam Ft LaSauce, Gigi Lamayne, Nadia Nakai & Londie London
AKA - Baddest (Remix - Pseudo Video) ft. Fifi Cooper, Rouge, Moozlie, Gigi Lamayne
Rouge - Mbongo Zaka Ft. Moozlie
Cardi B - Ring feat. Kehlani
Beyoncé - Flawless (Remix) feat. Nicki Minaj
Eve - Gangsta Lovin’ feat. Alicia Keys
Tweet - Oops (Ooh My) feat. Missy Elliot
Remy Ma - Wake Me Up feat. Lil’ Kim
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