The majority of our readers would consider the late 90s and early 00s to be holy ground for music.

The women in this playlist are some of the greatest to ever do hip-hop and R&B because they knew how to raise their hands and speak their minds. Their personalities are unapologetic, as artists they understood how to control their narratives to rise within a historically male-dominant genre.

Salt N’ Pepa taught me to run my life the way I choose because it’s None Of Your Business. At 10 years old I blasted Destiny’s Child in my bedroom and dreamed about leaving a metaphorical man at home for a fantasy club that was Jumpin, Jumpin. Behind the Notorious B.I.G. there was Faith Evans. There is a reason why Dana Owens goes by QUEEN Latifah. I could write a novel about this playlist. Together these women taught us to never count out the importance of the female perspective in hip-hop and R&B because it is fearless and fierce. These songs paved the way for artists that we obsess over today; without this foundation it’s very possible that we would be living in an alternative world without Nicki Minaj or Kehlani and who wants to live there? NOT ME.

In the wise words of Salt N Pepa:

What’s the matter with your life?

Why you gotta mess with mine?

Don’t keep sweatin’ what I do

Cause I’m gonna be just fine, check it out