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THEN AND NOW: The biggest female rappers of all time

Barnaby LaneAug 10, 2023, 00:03 IST

Lauryn Hill.Getty/Mariano Regidor

"Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop" is now streaming on Netflix.
The docuseries details the influence of women on hip-hop music and culture.

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Missy Elliott was hugely successful in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Missy Elliott during the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc

She's now a hip-hop legend and is still making music.

Missy Elliott in 2018.Paras Griffin/WireImage

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MC Sha-Rock is considered hip-hop's first major female rapper.

MC Sha-Rock.NY History

Today, she's a college professor.

Sha-Rock now works at Bowie State University.HipHopHistory

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Queen Latifah rose to fame as a socially conscious rap star.

Latifah in 1993.Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

She's now a hugely successful actor.

Queen Latifah at a "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" screening in 2022.Charles Sykes / Invision / AP

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Salt-N-Pepa burst onto the scene in the 1980s.

Salt-N-Pepa in 1988.Getty/Michael Ochs Archives

They got back together, but DJ Spinderella left in 2019.

Sandra Denton and Cheryl James of Salt-N-Pepa in 2016.AFP/Dimitrios Kambouris

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Nicki Minaj first gained recognition thanks to her mixtapes.

Nicki Minaj.Taylor Hill /Getty Images

Now, she's rap music's leading lady.

Rapper Nicki Minaj performs onstage in Atlanta, Georgia in 2017.Getty/Paras Griffin

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Lauryn Hill was part of the rap trio Fugees.

Lauryn Hill performs in 1997.Bernd Muller/Redferns

She's still touring today.

Lauryn Hill.Theo Wargo/Getty Images for CBGB

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Lil' Kim was discovered by The Notorious B.I.G.

Lil' Kim at the BET Awards on June 24, 2003.Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

These days, she's working on building her "empire."

Lil' Kim attends the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards.Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage

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Celine Dion has a reported net worth of $480 million — here's how the 55-year-old singer built her fortune

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