The ten Flyest Feminine Rappers of All Time

From Lil’ Kim to Cardi B, these are a few of the flyest feminine rappers in hip-hop that aren’t simply rap stars however type stars, too.

Hip-hop has all the time had an ongoing dialogue with vogue. Since its creation, the style has had a symbiotic relationship with type, starting with the B-boy and DJ period. With the arrival of rappers, hip-hop solely continued to develop as a supply for vogue inspiration, and ladies have — and proceed — to play an essential half in that. In celebration of the forty ninth anniversary of hip-hop, we’re taking an immersive have a look at the flyest feminine rappers who’ve navigated being each rap and magnificence stars, and paving the best way for his or her successors within the course of. Regardless of the period they’re part of, these ladies made statements on pink carpets, in music movies, and past, serving to solidify the continued dialogue rap continues to have with vogue. 

Salt-N-Pepa

Photograph Credit score: Michael Putland for Getty Photos

Salt-N-Pepa’s private type was juxtaposed amid the cultural raucous of the ‘80s when there was nonetheless a stigma connected to Black ladies being so open about intercourse and sensuality. The top of their trendy reign was captured within the “Push It” video, the place they donned eight-ball jackets created in collaboration with Dapper Dan and Child ‘N Play’s Christopher Martin. However they’d different vogue contributions, too: color-blocked bomber jackets, leather-based co-ords, outsized denim suits, and blunt asymmetrical bobs. Salt-N-Pepa’s catalog was one of many first fashionable examples of the depth of ladies’s artistic complexity: how we will be cheeky, attractive and mushy, but highly effective and extremely self-aware — all on the identical time. —Bianca Betancourt

Lil’ Kim

An innovator who integrated high fashion and ghetto fabulous parts, Lil’ Kim is the style blueprint for ladies in rap. Along with her iconic styling partnership with Misa Hylton, Kim turned the unimaginable into moments which have led to numerous recreations over time. From runways to Halloween, lots of her most memorable seems to be have added to her repertoire as a vogue pioneer. From loud pops of colourful wigs and mink coats, unique animal prints, and designer monogrammed items to risqué items impressed by Dancehall tradition, the anatomy of Kim’s icon standing in hip-hop is layered by her presence each on and off the monitor. A muse for designers akin to Marc Jacobs and Donatella Versace, she turned a fixture for couture magazines and photographers like David LaChapelle. Within the phrases of longtime stylist and vogue collaborator Misa Hylton, “She made vogue come to her.” —Kia Turner

Cunning Brown

She stepped into the scene with sheer confidence, a commanding move, and raunchy lyrics to match. On the tender age of 17, Cunning Brown started carving out an area for ladies inside the male-dominated panorama of ‘90s rap. However past her musical genius and talent to outshine her male counterparts, her love for vogue was felt in each look and every little thing she touched. The self-proclaimed “dark-skinned, Christian Dior poster lady” turned a muse to John Galliano and Calvin Klein, and often pulled as much as pink carpets sporting Gucci, Tom Ford, and — in fact — her signature minks. Like her music, the materials she wore complemented her general type, making her one of many illest — and most trendy — to ever grace the sales space. —Maria Mora

Queen Latifah

Photograph Credit score: Ron Galella Assortment for Getty Photos

It appears inconceivable to consider Queen Latifah’s type with out the very factor her moniker signifies — the almighty crown. The enduring rapper and actress was infamous for pairing regal headdresses with vibrant threads, incorporating the African diaspora liberally. Snapshots of her Nature of a Sista’ album cowl and HBCU paraphernalia on Dwelling Single come to thoughts, for starters. However her fedoras, baseball hats, and newsboy caps additionally confirmed how savvy she may very well be in her casualwear, too. She additionally solid her personal lane of empowering type in an period the place “curvaceous” celebrities like herself have been the exception. —Nia Groce

Missy Elliott

Photograph Credit score: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Assortment for Getty Photos

There’s no debate as to who is really “Supa Dupa Fly” in the case of Misdemeanor herself. Along with her outfits and costumes typically paying homage to theater, her creativity has thrived by way of her concept of reinvention, making her certainly one of hip-hop’s most beloved vogue icons. Her early 2000s bedazzled Adidas tracksuit and sneakers that have been a homage to ‘80s hip-hop, the enduring black blow-up rubbish bag from “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” the fur-trimmed orange swimsuit and gold robe with exaggerated collar for the “Beep me 911” video, her denim on denim ensembles throughout her Hole run, and even her Aaliyah-pink and white tribute jacket from the 2001 MTV VMAs. Missy’s androgynous type paired together with her aptitude for vogue has made her the tomboy type icon for ladies in rap. —Okay.T.

Eve

Eve, Ruff Ryders’ First Woman, is well-known for her capacity to seize hip-hop listeners’ consideration by way of her sharp wordplay. Nevertheless, the Philly-bred rapper was additionally a significant type star who continuously fused avenue type with excessive vogue. On pink carpets all through her rap profession, she has often worn Fendi, Tom Ford-era Gucci, and Chanel. In tandem with designer garbs, Eve additionally boldly sported assertion makers like floor-length fur coats, mini skirts, spouse beaters, and hanging hair colours. The peak of her experimental type moments will be seen in her “Let Me Blow Ya Thoughts” video, the place she leaned closely right into a biker stylish look topped off by a color-blocked leather-based jacket with female items. At one level, her briefly profitable Fetish line offered a lens into how deep she was prepared to push her concepts within the vogue house. Eve’s type legacy is marked by how she all the time gave off a “lady subsequent door” aura whereas showcasing her tomboy-inspired versatility. —Robyn Mowatt

Trina

Photograph Credit score: Frank Micelotta for Getty Photos

Trina is a Miami rap pioneer who’s all the time performed the sport by her personal guidelines. A timeless magnificence who’s affectionately often called the “Diamond Princess,” Trina’s seems to be over time have all the time featured a shiny aptitude of kinds. Her glimmer dates again to her debut within the early 2000s. In Trick Daddy’s notorious “Naan N*gga” music video, she donned a diamond bedazzled bralette with an identical choker and Chanel earrings. Other than her sultry lyrics within the hit single, Trina’s shimmery garb set the tone for years — and acts — to comply with. —Shelby Stewart

Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill doesn’t comply with tendencies — she units them. The “Doo Wop” rapper’s maximalist type didn’t begin together with her garments, although. It started together with her magnificence: from her lengthy locs to low fro and deep burgundy and brown lipstick colours, Lauryn wasn’t afraid to experiment. Even in the case of sporting runway manufacturers she fashions it together with her personal aptitude. Her floor-sweeping robes, saggy denim, knitted kufi hats, and hair wraps — she has made statements with any clothes she was draped in, and it made a cultural distinction. In an business the place ladies rappers are infamous for sporting body-hugging clothes and displaying pores and skin, Lauryn provides us the sudden and the unorthodox.  —Asia Milia Ware

Nicki Minaj

When Nicki Minaj unleashed Pink Friday over 10 years in the past, she solidified her spot as the most well liked feminine rapper of that period. Alongside the accolades she’s been stacking over time, she additionally has closely experimented together with her private type. Within the mid-2010s throughout her Younger Cash days, she donned outlandish, campy pink carpet suits paired with eccentric blonde wigs (the peak of this type period is documented by her “Tremendous Bass” video). Because the years went on, she embraced a sleeker look and wore the likes of Alexander McQueen and Tom Ford. In recent times, she has continued to maintain individuals on their toes by donning customized items by Alexandre Vauthier Couture, Off-White, Pamela Rolland, and Marc Jacobs. The Met Gala, the place she’s a daily invitee, has additionally allowed her house to push conference apart, the place she’s collaborated with Prabal Gurung, Burberry, and even H&M on customized items. What encapsulates Nicki’s standing as a mode star is the truth that she has managed to morph from a mode chameleon to a lady who’s positive of her vogue decisions. —R.M.

Cardi B

Photograph Credit score: Taylor Hill for Getty Photos

Cardi B, like lots of her predecessors, proudly sits inside the intersection of vogue and hip-hop. The rapper is, merely put, a vogue chameleon. She will be able to effortlessly go from elevated streetwear to a full customized Schiaparelli look, staying true to her native Bronx aesthetic whereas concurrently pushing the bounds of vogue. It’s couture but relatable. Since her debut, vogue and Cardi have turn into so intertwined. From performing on the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards sporting then-emerging designer Christopher John Rogers to accepting her first Grammy in 2019 sporting a white, fringed archival Mugler robe, Cardi has turn into certainly one of up to date hip-hop’s most trendy figures. —Shelton Boyd Griffith

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