Women have always been a part of hip hop, and queer women have always been there too. From groundbreakers and legends in the genre to music superstars and young MCs on the rise, queer and trans women are slaying the rap game.
These artists have always been influencing others and pushing the genre forward, showing the world what rap can be. Heck, some of them have even invented their own genres! Queer and trans women know how to change the game, and these rappers show that off in spades.
Here are 19 of our favorites!
With her 1994 album Funkdafied, Da Brat established herself as one of the best women rappers alive. She came out in 2020 and introduced the world to her girlfriend, Jessica Dupart.
Queen Latifah is more known for her acting nowadays, but back in the day she was one of the biggest rappers in the game, with albums like All Hail the Queen and Black Reign, and hit singles like "Ladies First," and the Grammy winning "U.N.I.T.Y." Latifah is famously protective of her private life, but publicly expressed her love for long time partner Eboni Nichols at the recent BET Awards.
Young M.A. is one of the hottest MCs in the game. She brokout with her debut single "Ooouuu," which was a top 20 hit and got her nominated for BET and MTV awards. She's consitantly put out fire songs since then, and was on the cover of Out Magazine in 2019.
Chika was a part of XXL's 2020 Freshman Class and was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist last year. If that doesn't tell you she's one of the best young rappers out there, her music will. With bops like "Songs About You," "Balencies," and "Cinderella, Pt. 2," she's a force to be reckoned with.
Dai Burger is fun as hell. The queer rapper has released two studio albums so far, Soft Serve and Bite the Burger, and her song "Where My Girls" is an all-time, lady-loving classic.
After viral success with the song "Mooo!," Doja Cat has become one of the biggest rappers in America over the last two years. Her song "Say So" has earned two Grammy nominations, and other bops like "Kiss Me More" ft. SZA and "Best Friend" with Saweetie have proven she's a major skill.
While she hasn't formally come out, she has stated that she likes "both" and likes "people that I can have sex with." She also posted on social media that she went on a date with British singer Bree Runway.
Actress Trace Lysette debuted her first rap single "SMB" early this year and we have been LIVING ever since! We've been listening to the self-empowerment anthem all summer and aren't going to stop any time soon.
New Orleans legend Katey Red is considered the first queer and trans rapper in bounce music and created the sissy bounce genre. Go listen to "Where Da Melph At?," "Baby Daddy," and "Punk Under Pressure" and shake your ass right now.
Superstar rapper Cardi B has repeatedly said she identifies as bisexual and has been with both men and women, and recently shot back at online fans calling her out for "queerbaiting," saying it erases her bisexual identity.
Hot Girl Megan has several times teased that she likes the ladies, never more so than when she went on Instagram Live and said "I'm a free agent on the ladies side. I'm looking for a new girlfriend if anybody trying to be a hot girl. I like petite tings with tattoos, that's my type." She also said she likes "Spanish girls with big old asses, petite Black girls, and thick Spanish girls."
Chicago rapper KC Ortiz has bops including the dance track "Beat, Beat, Beat," and one of our favorite songs in recent years, "Die Young."
Quay Dash is a terrific trans rapper from New York City who's song "Queen of This Shit" is a forever banger.
Tiger Goods mashes together hip hop, R&B, disco, pop, and more on their latest EP, Most Improved Award. With songs like "Mean Girls," "Reborn," and "No Shade," the EP is one of our favorites of the year and we can't wait to see what Tiger does next.
A member of Lil Yachty's Sailing Team, Kodie Shane broke out in 2016 with her song "Sad." she released her debut album Young HeartThrob in 2018.
South African rapper and former drag king Dope Saint Jude has songs filled with political messages, killer beats, and great rhymes.
Atlanta-based rapper Bali Baby released her debut album Baylor Swift in 2018 and has released great songs like "Banana Klip," "Electrical," and "WADDUP BITCH."
OMB Bloodbath is a Houston-based rapper that isn't afraid to get real on tracks like "Don't Do It" and "Hitz."
Princess Nokia has been releasing great tracks since 2017, including the paired albums Everything Is Beautiful and Everything Sucks from 2020. She uses both they/them and she/her pronouns and identifies as bisexual.
Mexican-American rapper Snow Tha Product has been putting out mixtapes since 2008 and isn't slowing down any time soon. She releases songs both in English and Spanish and is set to release her first studio album in a decade, VALEMADRE, this year.
