Who's representing the ladies?

Over the past few years, mainstream hip-hop has been turned over the knee of the media, progressive thinkers and even hip-hop legends for its poor representation of women in lyrics and videos. However, as a woman and a hip-hop enthusiast, misogyny in lyrics was the least of my concerns. In fact, I had grown used to the images of women I saw in the genre and chose to ignore them and focus on those artists making positive music. We know by now that hip-hop isn't completely void of good vibes.

What has had me concerned is the lack of the feminine voices in rap music. It's no doubt that male emcees have hogged the microphone from the beginning, but there have been some female emcees that have managed to steal it anyway. Rappers like Queen Latifah, Roxanne Shante and Salt n' Pepa have definitely left their mark on the genre. But those are the voices of a previous generation. It has been over 10 years since Lauryn Hill released the chart topping "Miseducation" and in the years following, female emcees have struggled to get quality hip-hop off the bottom rungs of the Billboard.

It seems that they have slowly fizzled out of the musical limelight, some into areas like acting, reality television and tabloid travesties.

However, like clashing colors and doorknocker earrings, the "femcee" is starting to reemerge. Though, unlike questionable fashion, it may take awhile. In fact, most of those considered the best are brewing in the underground realm of hip-hop. Recognizable names such as Jean Grae, Invincible and Stacy Epps are powerful enough to carry an adequate base of supporters, yet tend to go unnoticed or ignored by the mainstream media who have more access to the general population.

Never mind what the music industry thinks, these women have skills and people are starting to notice. Jean Grae's collaborative album "Jeanius" with North Carolina super-producer 9th Wonder was almost never released due to the high number of illegal downloads by people who were rattled by the announcement of her retirement in early 2008 and couldn't wait to get their hands on what was thought to be her final project.

Hardcore rap group Yo! Majesty has gotten rave reviews for their raw style and boasts the label of one of the 25 most exciting bands in America. On of the most recent femcees, one I've adopted as my personal favorite - Eternia -- a Canadian whose well-founded lyrics and quality production allow her to live up to her namesake as an entity of her own.

Like everything in life, art and culture go in cycles. Hopefully in the world of hip-hop, the aforementioned and a whole slew of other femcees can regain their positions in the spotlight, not only for the sake of filling a void, but to be, like MC Lyte so adequately put it, leaders of hip-hop followers.

This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.