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Since hip-hop took off in the 1970s, the industry has seen mostly men come into the spotlight. In fact, in June of 2018, a study on gender diversity was conducted. It revealed that from 2012 to 2017 less than 23% of the songs that made it on Billboard’s Hot 100 were written by women, as well as the fact that about 90% of Grammy awards given out in 2013 to 2018 were to male rappers.
Despite this, though, there are many influential and very important women in the rap community; and they’re making a killing. These are the richest female rappers of 2019.
Young M.A – Net Worth: $2 million
Young M.A, or Katorah Marrero, is the writer and performer of her single “Ooouuu” from her album Herstory, which managed to become a triple platinum single in 2017. She has also been nominated for four awards, including 2 BET Awards—best new artist and best female hip-hop artist.
Not only is she a talented musician, but she is also an activist. Marrero has been awarded proclamation by the city of New York for her charity work. She is the founder of KWEENS, a charity intended to help families involved in gun violence.
Lizzo – Net Worth: $2 million
Famous for being an advocate of positive body image and feminism, Lizzo, also known as Mellissa Viviane Jefferson, is very successful because of her music career as well as her few appearances on television. She has been on shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Her album Cuz I Love You was released in 2019 and earned her the number 6 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. She has also been on several tours as a featured and headlining artist and has had the honor of performing at Coachella.
Lil’ Kim – Net Worth: $2 million
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Kimberley Denise Jones or Lil’ Kim, is now a rapper, singer, songwriter, model, and actress. Her three most popular albums, Hardcore, The Notorious K.I.M, and La Bella Mafia have all hit platinum status. Along with this, Lil’ Kim has also contributed to the community, as she is an avid philanthropist.
In the past, she has attended meet and greets in an effort to raise money for cancer research and other foundations such as the MAC AIDS Fund. On top of all of this, her videography is extremely extensive.
Iggy Azalea – Net Worth: $6 million
Young Amethyst Kelly, or Iggy Azalea, has been successful in many different niches. At the impressively young age of 28, she is a rapper, singer, songwriter, model and music video director. In fact, she actually co-directed the video for her hit song (which could also be considered her real breakthrough song) “Fancy”, which also featured Charli XCX.
There is no doubt that this multi-talented jack of all trades deserves every penny she’s earned; even if you aren’t a fan of her music. We must give credit where credit is due!
Lauryn Hill – Net Worth: $8 million
Lauryn Hill is mostly known for her music, but she has also appeared as an actress in eight different productions. At 44 years old, she is looking good and still doing great in the rap community. She has been on at least 11 different tours in her career, doing shows as both a featured artist and a headliner.
Lauryn was, however, involved in a scandal regarding her taxes and her failure to pay them. She was charged with tax evasion and ended up having to pay a fine of over half a million dollars.
Cardi B – Net Worth: $8 million
Cardi B; the queen of saying what you want to say when you want to say it. We aren’t saying that’s a bad thing, though! Cardi B is a highly successful and talented musician, born and raised in the Bronx. Of course, she is known for her over-the-top reactions and scandals, but her music has also gotten her very far.
Since her entering the music business in 2015, Cardi B has won an impressive 27 awards which include two Guinness World Records and seven Grammy Awards. Despite her scandals, Cardi B has worked hard in her short time being a celebrity and her credentials show it.
Eve – Net Worth: $10 million
Eve Jihan Jeffers-Cooper is easily one of the most accomplished female rappers on this list. Since her days of recording mix-tapes in the 90s, Eve has come a long way; she has recorded four albums—three of them are platinum status.
Along with that, the nearly middle-aged rapper has 32 singles (plus 19 singles as a featured artist), as well as 29 music videos. In 2013, she was considered one of the world’s richest female rappers. Even though she may not fall on that list anymore, she is still a very well-off and famous person in 2019.
M.I.A – Net Worth: $14 million
M.I.A is famous for her hit singles “Paper Planes”, which has 150 million views on YouTube, and “Bad Girls”, which has just over 30 million, but has been used in movies and TV shows quite often. Her real name is Mathangi (Maya) Arulpragasam and is in her forties now.
Maya is said to have a very strong personality, telling people exactly how it is; brutal honesty is a good thing… right? Either way, M.I.A has a total of five studio albums, the most popular one being Kala, earning a silver, gold, and platinum statuses.
Missy Elliott – Net Worth: $50 million
Melissa (Missy) Arnette Elliot is a dancer, performer, songwriter, and a record producer. She has written a number of songs for many different artists, some including Fifth Harmony’s “Not That Kinda Girl”, Eminem’s “Tylenol Island”, and Destiny’s Child’s “Get On Da Bus”.
Of course, these are not her only successes in the music industry. She also has six platinum records, which were recorded from 1997 to 2005. Just recently, Missy Elliott became the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the songwriter’s hall of fame; that’s pretty amazing.
Nicki Minaj – Net Worth: $85 million
Nicki Minaj is one of the most iconic female rappers of this era. She started her journey in 2005, but when she released three of her groundbreaking mixtapes, Playtime is Over (2007), Sucka Free (2008) and Beam Me Up Scotty (2009), she was pulled into the spotlight.
When she first started out, her “thing” was crazy wigs and fun personalities in her songs. Even though she has some-what tamed her alter egos and elaborate, colorful hairstyles, she’s just as good as she ever was. She’s even managed to earn at least 60 awards, 10 of them being Grammys.