In the mid-80s, hip hop culture began to emerge in Morocco. Although Al Kayssar was the first artist to rap in Darija, the dialect of Arabic spoken in Morocco, women were already active on the rap scene in the 90s.
Widad Mjama (aka Queen Thug), considered one of the pioneers of the genre, became a major figure on the Casablanca scene in 1999 with her group Thug Gang.
Also Casablanca-based, Tigresse Flow was the first group of female rappers to come together in 2005. The band included Soultana, a former B-girl who later pursued a career as an MC.
Two years later, Tendresse (Hanane Lafif) joined leading groups Bclik and Xsid before going solo.
Since then, the number of female rappers in the country has grown constantly. Whether influenced by boom bap, trap or drill, these artists recount their daily lives, tell personal or collective stories, denounce gender violence, and demonstrate once again that rap is not only a man’s game.
Here are 10 female rappers you need to know, selected from the 25 Moroccan artists listed on Madame Rap.
With:
- Minerva
- Frizzy
- Dounia
- Khtek
- Manal
- Chimera La Bruna
- Krtas Nssa
- Tendresse
- Ily
- Notta
