Female artists have been grossly underrepresented in the Grammys.
In fact, when you think of female rappers who have won Grammys, only a handful come to mind.
There used to be a Grammy Award for Best Female Rap Solo Performance.
However, this only lasted for two years.
There still aren’t enough female rappers out there compared to their male counterparts.
So, it makes the ones who have won these awards stand out.
Below are the few but greatest female rappers who have won Grammys.
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah is one of the most established rappers in the game, with many fondly calling her the “Queen of Rap.”
She has released 9 albums, influenced a whole generation of artists, and starred in many movies and T.V. shows.
However, “U.N.I.T.Y.” is the song that stands out the most in her impressive career.
Released from her album, “Black Reign”, this is a feminist song that addresses issues like domestic violence, slurs against women, and street harassment.
Because of its vital message, it is one of the very few songs where radio stations did not censor her curse words.
The song also landed her a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
She has come close a couple of times since; Queen Latifah has 7 Grammy nominations in all.
Salt-N-Peppa
Salt-N-Peppa is responsible for some of our favorite hits growing up: “Push It,” “Shoop,” “None of Your Business,” “Whatta Man,” and more.
In 1995, they won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “None of Your Business.”
As it happens, they won at the same Grammys as Queen Latifah.
Their last studio album came out in 1997, but they have been on multiple tours since.
Salt-N-Peppa reunited in 2005, performing their classics to audiences who love the 90s.
Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes
Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, rest her soul, knew how to make a hit.
She was one-third of T.L.C., which released mega-hits like “Unpretty,” “Waterfalls,” and “Creep.”
Left Eye wrote many of their hit songs, helping T.L.C. to win 4 Grammys:
- Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group for “No Scrubs”
- Best R&B Album for “Fanmail”
- Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group for “Creep”
- Best R&B Album for “Crazysexycool”
Left Eye clearly had a gift because when she went solo, she produced even more hit songs: “Never Be The Same Again” with Melanie C, “U Know What’s Up,” and “Not Tonight.”
She even produced Blaque, who released a platinum-selling album.
Left Eye had a Midas touch, even among female rappers who have won Grammys.
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill is one of the most successful, influential, and critical voices in music.
While she was part of Fugees, the group released classics like “Killing Me Softly,” “Ready or Not,” and “Fu-Gee-La.”
The group won two Grammy awards in the same year:
- Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for “Killing Me Softly”
- Best Rap Album for “The Score”
With over 22 million records sold worldwide and multiple awards won, Fugees was a success.
However, Lauryn Hill wasn’t done.
She released “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” which became one of the bestselling and best-reviewed albums of all time.
This album alone netted her five solo Grammy wins, which made her the first woman in the history of the awards to win five or more prizes in the same night.
Her Grammy wins include:
- Album of the Year for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”
- Best New Artist
- Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Doo Wop (That Thing)”
- Best Rhythm & Blues Song for “Doo Wop (That Thing)”
- Best R&B Album for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”
Lauryn Hill did not release another solo album, but she didn’t need to; nearly her entire body of work is full of timeless classics.
She is undoubtedly one of the most talented female rappers who have won Grammys.
Eve
Eve, the Ruff Ryders’ First Lady, rocked our worlds at the turn of the century.
She released bangers like “Who’s That Girl,” “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” with Gwen Stefani, “Gangsta Lovin” with Alicia Keys, and more.
Eve also showed off her acting chops in the Barbershop franchise and a few other films.
At the 44th Grammy Awards, held in 2002, she won the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration award for “Let Me Blow Ya Mind.”
The song also took home the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video.
Missy Elliott
Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot has never been afraid to be different, which shows in her songs and music videos.
Between 1997 and 2005, she released 6 albums.
These albums resulted in a whopping 22 Grammy nominations and 4 wins.
The wins include:
- Best Short Form Music Video for “Lose Control”
- Best Female Rap Solo Performance for “Work It”
- Best Female Rap Solo Performance for “Scream, a.k.a. Itchin’.”
- Best Rap Solo Performance for “Get Ur Freak On”
Sadly, she left the music industry for a significant period because Graves’ disease gave her severe spasms.
However, she is back to performing and will hopefully bring another hit album soon.
She is, after all, among the most creative female rappers who have won Grammys.
Lil’ Kim
Lil’ Kim is often spicy, edgy, and has sex-positive feminism.
She is also not afraid of some feuding.
Add all these ingredients together, and you get a unique style of rapping, which you can hear in songs like “Lady Marmalade,” “How Many Licks?”, “Get Money” and “The Jump Off.”
This has resulted in multiple platinum-selling records.
It also earned her a Grammy: she took home the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for her song, “Lady Marmalade.”
Cardi B
Cardi B is an often-controversial rapper with aggressive and saucy lyrics.
However, her songs are hard to dislike, and her first album, “Invasion of Privacy”, is a modern hip-hop masterpiece.
After just one studio album, she has already received plenty of acclaims.
For instance, she was the first female rapper in 15 years to be nominated for the Grammy’s Album of the Year.
This is among 9 Grammy nominations that she has already received.
The Grammy she took home was for Best Rap Album, which “Invasion of Privacy” deserved.
The album also stands out because it marks the first time a woman has won the Grammy for Best Rap Album as a solo artist.
Megan Thee Stallion
When it rains, it pours.
Not long after Cardi B wowed us with “Invasion of Privacy”, Megan Thee Stallion took over the headlines.
She has released one album, “Good News”, which received critical acclaim and sold well.
She has already won three Grammy Awards:
- Best New Artist
- Best Rap Song for “Savage”
- Best Rap Performance for “Thot Shit”
Megan Thee Stallion is among the newest female rappers who have won Grammys, and we hope to see more soon.
Female Rappers Who Have Won Grammys: Conclusion
The women on this list have overcome plenty of discrimination to reach the top.
They are the best at what they do, and we can only hope to see more like them.
