20 Female Rappers On the Rise in Houston
If you’re in Houston, you quickly notice that the city is never sans a soundtrack. Music is everywhere, from the plant store even to your local Tex-Mex taco truck.
And as far as genres go in Houston, Hip Hop is where it’s at. Even more interestingly, we seem to have a lot of female artists in the recording studios laying down Hip Hop records!
Of course, women have always been a part of the Hip Hop scene, but they haven’t always been in the spotlight.
Artists like Roxanne Shante opened doors for Queen Latifah and MC Lyte. They allowed Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Lauryn Hill, Eve, Missy, and others to enter the music industry.
A few of the first lyricists in Houston were Choice, Liz Monet, and 380 Dat Lady. In Houston, even Kidz Jam, one of the first opportunities for rappers to be featured on T.V., was managed by a woman, Pam Collins.
Her show laid the foundation for the music we hear today, although she wasn’t even a rap fan.
Even though the hip-hop industry remains largely dominated by men, women are becoming more prominent. We’ve listed our top picks for Houston’s up-and-comers below.
1. OMB Bloodbath
Since 2015, Alexandra Nicks has slowly built her foundation in the rap world. Known as O.M.B. (Only My Brothers) Bloodbath, she has been telling stories about her upbringing in the Third Ward.
Her first singles, “Shootston” and “Bolt,” helped introduce her to audiences. Her newer songs, “For Me,” “Dropout,” and “Not Gang,” continue to captivate audiences.
As a supporter of the city, she organizes the Everybody Eats Food Festival to show that she is unwilling to forget where she came from.
Despite her music’s hard-hitting lyrics, she has a sense of humor and personality that is perfect for today’s youth.
2. KenTheMan
It has taken this Houston native seven years to gain national recognition for her rapping. The freestyle she performed on 92.3 The Beat LA went viral on Twitter.
KenTheMan is a nickname she uses to identify herself because she considers herself to be like a man in terms of her character and ego. Her song “He Be Like,” which has exceeded 1 million streams, is currently one of her most popular tracks.
3. Lebra Jolie
Her hometown is the Fifth Ward. After her hit record Cut It, the so-called femcee has remained consistent.
Then, she collaborated with fellow Houston rapper KenTheMan for the song “Throw Fits.” After the song went viral on Instagram, she reunited with KenTheMan for the song “First Off.”
4. Milli Bucks
Although Milli Bucks is from Jacksonville, Florida, she pays her respects to Houston. Her presence in Houston for so long has led many people to assume she is a Houstonian.
It only took Buck over a year to gain a significant fan following. Her rap career started to take off after she made some connections here in Houston.
The freestyle she performed with Yung Ro has received more than 14,000 views on YouTube.
5. Young Lyric
The hip-hop princess may be best known for her appearance on The Rap Game, but she is more than that. She turned down a contract to work with Jermaine Dupri so she can be an independent artist.
The artist has ties to Rap-A-Lot and worked with Falcon The God on a song. Her debut album Miss Direction garnered a lot of attention.
It shows Michelle’s diversity of style and vulnerability with Kam Franklin, Lee Lon, Jack Freeman, Fat Tony, Kitty Beebe, and Suraiye. In Houston, her album gained her plenty of praise and introduced her to some national audiences.
6. Drizzy
Known primarily for her freestyles, Drizzy’s mouth is a certified weapon. A rapper like this can match any male rapper in the world today.
Since she’s still upcoming, she doesn’t have any singles out yet but stay tuned to her Instagram for more rap freestyles and news of upcoming hits.
7. That Girl Lay Lay
She may be little, but this rapper is bursting with energy. A rising star among the young talent scene, Lay Lay’s freestyles were posted on Twitter by her father (she writes all her raps on her own).
After her freestyles gained notoriety, she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Lil Duval features on a recent project, Tha Cheat Code Reloaded.
8. Kayy Kilo
The Houston-based artist was born in Baton Rouge. She developed her love for poetry, which eventually developed into rap.
Her freestyle videos became increasingly popular in the city as she began dropping them.
As soon as her E.P.E.P., You Ain’t Heard Yet, was released, Da Baby became interested in her and signed her to his label, Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment. “Yeah Bitch,” a song she recorded with her label boss, and “In My Bag” are among her singles.
There is more to come from her.
9. Jet The 3rd
Information about Jet The 3rd is scarce – except for info about her music, but the music is enough to earn a reputation. In her 2019 EP Au Courant, she demonstrates a melodic and rapped style similar to that of Don Toliver and Travis Scott.
The album earned the endorsement of D.J.D.J. Candlestick, who chopped it in 2020. With R&R, Jet introduced new fans to her style and kept them waiting for more.
10. C-Red
C-Red comes from Tallahassee, Florida, but has been making a name here in Houston with her top releases.
There were many standout tracks on I’m Ready, including “Black Bijoux” featuring Killa Kyleon, “Hot Sauce,” and “Airplane Mode,” which showcased her lyrical ability.
While she’s not rapping, she works in the medical field and posts “Whitecoat Wednesdays” on her social media, where she freestyles over various beats during breaks from school and work.
11. Big Jade
While she is small, her presence is commanding, and she commands the crowd every time. With a steady stream of freestyles over popular beats and Beat King production, Big Jade has steadily built up a following.
In her second album, Pressure, she features Queendom Come, O.M.B.O.M.B. Bloodbath, and Erica Banks, with production by Beat King.
It is evident that she is developing her talent and has the potential to really take the mainstream by storm with tracks such as “Dem Girls” and “Respectfully.”
12. Queendom Come
In 2020, Beatking’s smash hit “Then Leave” dominated the airwaves and social media. ‘Gangsta Stripper Music 4’ became a national hit thanks to the single, driven by Houston’s Queendom Come.
This wasn’t the first time that the two had racked up chart numbers together. They have worked on several tracks, including “Throw That,” “U Ain’t Bout That Life,” “Keep It Poppin,” and “Respectfully” with Big Jade.
Queen is also able to rap and sing. Expect to hear more from Queendom Come as her music gains traction on TikTok, Youtube, and the radio.
13. Martina Marie
During her working career as a nurse, Martina Marie consistently released freestyles via Instagram from her car. A freestyle she did over So Gone went viral.
She began releasing more freestyles and getting nods from celebrities like Jill Scott, Sevyn Streeter, and Hitmaker.
Eventually, her work led her to Carl Crawford and his label 1501 Certified Entertainment, the label that signed Megan Thee Stallion and Erica Banks. Her first single with the label, “Daddy,” is picking up steam.
As a result of Martina Marie’s proven consistency and the backing of a label, fans can expect to see more of her music in the future.
14. Richelle Gemini
During the early part of her career, Richelle Gemini performed poetry. After gaining popularity in that world, she gradually expanded into Hip Hop, eventually releasing a few albums.
Her 2015 album Words From A Baby Momma presents her life as an open book. Throughout 2018, Sweet Gemini Jones has released three albums: As For Me And My House, Gems, and Sweet Gemini Jones.
The lifestyle Gemini has adopted is evident in her artwork, which is reflected in the book she released with her third album, As For Me and My House We Will Serve Veggies.
She even created a Daily Cookbook for Transitional Vegans to help those looking to eliminate meat from their diets—perfect to use for any cooking class.
You can expect more rap content, poetry, books, and events from Richelle soon.
15. Inayah
Viral success can also be seen in the case of Inayah Lamis. Having honed her skills as a jingle writer, she applied them to building a following on social media to become a songwriter.
Creating commercial songs that grabbed audiences within seconds adapted easily to social media. She gained close to 2 million followers after her freestyle over Ella Mai’s Boo’d Up.
She is a singer and rapper who splits her talents between the two, dropping R&B songs like “Best Thing,” as well as melodic flows like “Melody” off her recent E.P.E.P., Side A.
A lot more Inayah is coming in the upcoming years.
16. Monaleo
A song titled “Beating Down Your Block” launched Monaleo into the spotlight. With 10 million views for its video alone, the single sampled Youngstar’s 2000 smash “Knocking Pictures Off The Wall.”
Since Monaleo released that video, she has been dropping more music. She has a confident flow and openness about her life revealed in her music.
17. Erica Banks
With her single “Buss It,” Erica Banks made waves in the music world with Houston’s 1501 Certified Entertainment. She started rapping in high school and continued her music journey while studying nursing at Texas A&M.
She eventually signed with 1501 Certified Ent after deciding to pursue music full-time. Among her many hits since signing is “Toot That” featuring Beatking and, of course, “Buss It,” the TikTok hit that made her an overnight sensation.
There is no sign of Banks stopping, so expect to see more from her.
18. Esco Llaiya
Esco Llaiya, originally from Los Angeles, was raised in Houston. As the daughter of a songwriter who worked with Babyface and Whitey Houston, Esco got into music early, eventually turning her love of poetry into songwriting.
In 2019, she released the song “Self Love,” and in 2020, she released “Jupiter Hotel,” which is even more melodic. The sound of “Io/Devil’s Playground” and “Calisto” is a great example of Esco Llaiya’s work. In the future, expect to hear from her more.
19. Sunni Tha Rapper
In the past, Sunni Tha Rapper was a member of Matthew Knowles’ group T.O.D.T.O.D. (Topic of Discussion). Due to creative differences with the artistic direction and changes being made to the group, the duo broke away from the label and went independent.
After an amicable split, Sunni has continued to release independent albums. As a result of the recent split, Sunni hasn’t released a lot of solo work.
Still, the speed at which she releases freestyles shows her commitment to hard work and dedication during her time in groups. There’s no reason to expect it to stop.
20. Jazz Anderson
Another Houston transplant is Jazz Anderson. She grew up in Beverly Hills as the daughter of reality star Tami Roman and basketball star Kenny Anderson.
In Houston, she’s carved out her niche and become a success. With Separation Anxiety in 2020, she featured D.J.D.J. X.OX.O.
She includes interludes from multi-disciplined artist Tierney Malone in one of her latest albums, The Experiment.
Despite being the daughter of celebrities, she is striving to establish herself as a musical artist, television host, and media personality.
The sound of this self-proclaimed Houstonian is just beginning to take shape.
