by Brooklyn R. White
On June 16, Verzuz, the battle that began as a head-to-head for the most groundbreaking producers in Black popular music, welcomed two titans--Ruff Ryders’ first lady, Eve, and Miami-based Billboard chart-topper Trina. Both icons, who catapulted in the late 1990s, took to the stage and reminded fans why they fell in love with their signature styles. Indirectly, it was an indicator of all that women have contributed to rap music.
Who’s that girl? E-v-e, the self-proclaimed pitbull in a skirt. The only woman Hip-Hop artist who ran with Swizz Beatzs and DMX and one of the most multifaceted stars of the millenium. (I mean, who else, other than Queen Latifah, has the capacity to meander from rap, to sitcoms, to films, to a daytime talk show? I’ll wait.) In her earliest work, she was tied to the happenings of the inner city, showcasing the sometimes bleak realities in her music, but acknowledging the sunnier moments as well. Her first two projects, collectively containing songs like the Grammy-winning crossover joint, “Blow Ya Mind” and the poetically weighty “Love Is Blind,” ascended the Billboard Top 200 Albums list, with her first making her only the third woman in rap history to do so. Her later singles and guest appearances were just as red hot, too. If you haven’t heard her opening and closing bars on Amerie’s “One Thing,” you’re sleeping.
Her Verzuz opponent wasn’t really a rival---Eve and Trina refer to each other as “sister” and have worked together in years past. So the jolting tension of say, Gucci Mane and Jeezy’s battle, was not present. The two women released their debut albums, Da Baddest Bitch and Let There Be Eve… roughly six months apart but they vastly differed in content. Trina emerged guns blazing, following in the tradition of Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown and generating spoken raunchfests. With memorable quotables (“I'm representing for the bitches/All eyes on your riches/No time for the little d----”), she helped make space for a new generation of fully empowered, cheeky women who knew the impact of their words.
Trina brought a distinctness to the table though, her accent, tone, and delivery made her roots unmistakable. Like, “Nann Nigga,” as a phrase is deeply meridional. It was indicative of the way she would mandatorily present herself moving forward. With six albums to her credit, and a handful of mixtapes and EPs, she is certainly one of the most consistent figures in rap, possibly a suitable rival for Juicy J in that regard. Like him, she has also embraced the artists who follow her, as she was an early supporter of the City Girls. Trina is the connective tissue to the women who preceded her, too.
This most recent Verzuz marked the first time two women rappers were up against one other. The previous women included were soul singers and the other rap battles had been reserved for men. More of these kinds of matches are certainly needed, just to simply honor the rich legacy and continued artistic relevance we have. We were and have been present since Hip-Hop’s beginning, please make no mistake about it. We wrapped fingers covered in gold rings around microphones and battled with the best of them (no, seriously---Roxanne Shante was slated to be crowned the best freestyle rapper in the world but was sabotaged because of her gender). Women highlight rap’s tendency to be casually misogynistic in speech and other glaring issues existent within the genre. Our balance, insight, and outlooks prevent Hip-Hop from losing dimension.
There is no Hip-Hop without women. But you knew that though. Watching Eve and Trina run through their hits was a treat, but furthermore evidence that women have held their own. Even when being backed by a man was a prevalent entry point into the music industry, it was up to us to maintain momentum and it’s clear that we did. So when you’re writing your books, engaging in hot takes on Twitter and creating those ridiculous lists of the 50 greatest rappers of all time, remember the women who gave Hip-Hop its flavor.
And while I have you, let’s start the campaign for Missy Elliott to have her own Verzuz.