Battle rap is a complicated art, requiring a strong understanding of rhythm, rhyme, wordplay, and delivery- all while also maintaining enough adaptability to respond to your opponent in the moment. For most of its history, the battle rap industry has featured mostly male rappers. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of female battle rappers out there- and with their sharp wits and something to prove, many of them are certainly women to be feared.
In recent years, female battle rap leagues have increased in popularity, and the industry overall has seen a considerable increase in female participation. These hard-working and intelligent women are continuously making huge strides toward gaining the recognition they deserve for their skill and passion, right alongside their male counterparts.
Here are some female battle rappers to look out for:
Among fans of female battle rap leagues, Viixen the Assassin is a prominent name. Known for her intense stage presence and aggressive delivery of verses in competitions, she originally comes from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and has been active in the battle rap industry for over ten years. Throughout her 38-battle career, she has competed against recognizable names like Jade, Ms. Hustle, and Jaz the Rapper.
Her popularity is undeniable; in 2020, she was one of the 10 best-liked battle rappers overall- putting her on an equal footing with her male counterparts- and the most popular female battle rapper of the year. Just as impressively, she manages to balance her schedule as an extremely well-reputed battle rapper with the difficulties and chaos that come with being a mother. Truly, a woman who can both navigate the trials of parenthood and keep a captive audience with her rap is a powerful force.
Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, 40 BARRS has been in the battle rap industry since 2011. Over the course of her 53-battle long career, she has built a reputation for herself as a fearful opponent with an excellent sense of lyricism and a great eye for wordplay.
That reputation has drawn attention from all corners- not just from female competitors. Until its disbandment in 2017, she was the only woman on the battle rap crew Writer’s Bloque, a ringing endorsement of her writing talent and of the respect she has earned over time.
“First Lady Flamez” may sound like quite a difficult name to live up to, but based on this battle rapper’s track record in the past few years, she can certainly back up the hype with action. Her skill with lyrics and wordplay is captivating and enables her to flip even her opponents’ own names into scathing personal jabs that capture her audiences’ attention and won’t let go. With her masterful lyrics in combination with her steady- yet aggressive- delivery of every verse, she brings a riveting energy to every performance.
In 2023, First Lady Flamez has indeed been on fire- from her intense wordplay in her battle against MyVerse to her scalding defeat of Kausion, she has cemented herself in the industry as a name to be both respected and feared.
Despite her youth, Aeon has made big waves in the female battle rap industry already. With her passionate delivery of incredibly deep-cutting verses, she is often considered one of the best young female battle rappers. The personal nature of her lyrics and her impressive wordplay abilities frequently leave audiences reeling, and her reputation as a great rising talent- an artist who will only get better with experience- is taken for granted by many.
Aeon has gained the respect of plenty of other battle rap success stories, and it shows in the opportunities that she’s won- Hitman Holla, duly impressed by her skill, brought her onto his reality show “Bags and Bodies,” where she proceeded to stun audiences with her performances. She has also attracted the attention of award-winning fellow female battle rapper C3, and is part of C3’s crew 4 My Ladies.
Bonnie Godiva has long dominated the world of female battle rap. Hailing from Yonkers, New York, she is known for her confidence and for her calm rap style.
One of the most active female battle rappers in recent times with over fifty nine recorded battles, Bonnie Godiva has maintained a high reputation and dominated her competition in rap battle leagues like Queen of the Ring. She has competed against several other names on this list, including C3, 40 BARRS, and Viixen the Assassin. She is also the first female battle rapper to compete in King of the Dot, a previously all-male rap battle league.
C3 is one talent on this list that should not be buried. Originating in Queens, New York, she is admired for her excellent freestyling skills and her technical understanding of battle rap as an art. She puts her platform and her pen to great use, too- with her success, she has created new opportunities for other gay women in the battle rap world, bringing rappers like Aeon onto her crew, 4 My Ladies. She also uses her rap and her deeply personal lyrics to offer help and hope to those who need it in her home borough of Queens.
In the past couple of years, she has had all eyes on her in the battle rap community- in 2021 she defeated previous Queen of the Ring star Viixen the Assassin, and in 2023 she became the first female battle rapper to win a major league battle rap tournament. With accomplishments like these filling out her biography, it stands to reason that C3 is a rapper that you really have to see to believe.
Hope Trilly, much like Aeon, is among the youngest women of the battle rap world. But she has already gotten plenty of attention for her vast range of talents- from wordplay to humor to well-crafted insults, she picks and chooses how to tear down her opponents with the ease of a much more veteran battle rapper. With such an array of skills, it might be argued that her quiet confidence and relaxed presence on the stage make her that much more intimidating of an opponent.
Hope Trilly attributes much of her musical inspiration to big names such as Tupac, Drake, and Lil’ Wayne, and she likes to blend the rap and hip hop styles of Queens, New York- where she was born- and Atlanta, Georgia- where she now lives. This blend, she claims, gives her her own unique sound. Besides her growing reputation in the battle rap community, Hope Trilly also showcases her skills in her own music, which she markets on her personal website. Check out some of her songs!
Ms. Hustle, hailing from Harlem, New York, debuted as a battle rapper in 2010, competing against Queen of the Ring star E Hart. From there, she quickly built a strong reputation for herself as an aggressive rapper with a strong stage presence whose punchlines always hit home. By 2015, she had established herself as “First Lady of the URL” by becoming the first woman to compete in the Ultimate Rap League, and she had contributed significantly to the popularity of the Queen of the Ring League- then still relatively new.
Although Ms. Hustle took a break of a little over three years to focus on her role as a parent, she returned to the battle rap scene in 2019 with as much energy as ever- not to mention improved skill. Her talent has attracted attention from big names in the rap world, as well. In addition to writing and releasing music of her own, she has collaborated with artists like DJ Kay Slay and Nino Man. As of 2022, Snoop Dogg had even indicated that he would be interested in working with her.
With her successes in battle rap and her creativity in putting out music of her own, it seems that Ms. Hustle is still hustling- and someone to keep your eye on.
Although female battle rap has long been an undervalued art, these women- and many, many others- have made great strides toward being respected for their talent. It’s refreshing to see so many female rappers earning recognition for their hard work right alongside their male counterparts, and it’s just as exciting to find young women starting to gain momentum as artists as they step into the shoes left by the women who came before them.
As these rappers continue to blaze trails and break through each new barrier they meet, take the time to support them!
