Female Artists and Their Influence on Hip Hop Culture

Female vocal groups started springing up in the late 1950s. There was much controversy in the late 50s between publishing companies, specifically ASCAP and BMI, who had many different styles in the way they supported of artists. Amongst the controversies of the late 1950s, the Brill Building was created. The Brill House is famously known as a house of purely songwriters. It was like a factory where the people there just wrote song after song, but never really performed them. A new publishing company is created from the Brill Building and that is ALDON music.

The Shirelle's, an all female group, were one of the first groups to sing a popular song from the Brill Building. Not only is this the beginning of powerful female groups, but also powerful female black vocal groups. The music at the time was still geared towards a teenage crowd.

Transitioning a little now, Soul music was a bridgepoint to Rock & Roll music, which also led to the created of Hip Hop music. Soul music also supported amazing black female vocal artists, including none other than Aretha Franklin. Soul music was a type of music that was more of an internal commentary on external issues. These artists were reflecting on their own issues.

It is very important to see how female vocalists, whether group or individual have impacted the music industry of today. Hip Hop is also a type of music that is more of an internal commentary on external issues, and without Soul music, Hip Hop could potentially have not developed.

Also, Hip Hop relies heavily on creativity, where, without the Brill Building constantly churning out new music and using new styles, this embracing of creativity would have been much harder to accept.

Below is the song "Lady Marmalade" originally by Patty LaBelle and the Blues, which was released in 1974. This sing has been recreated many times, most notably by Missy Elliot and other female artists.

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