First Things First

January 1, 2024

Women have been part of hip-hop since its inception in 1973. Simmons (creator/blogger, The Gumbo) enthusiastically celebrates those who have actual and figurative first achievements. Some chapters are straightforward and give a small bio and a critique of a person's work. Besides musical artists, there are chapters about fashion designers, magazine editors, and radio deejays. She cites R&B soul singer Millie Jackson as the first mother of hip-hop because her music has been sampled more than 200 times by rappers. Other chapters use Venn diagrams, sidebars, and more to get Simmons's point across; a chapter on Lil' Kim includes transcribed text messages between Simmons and a friend to explain why she is the first blueprint for modern women in rap. Simmons engages readers by speaking directly to them. Many of the sidebars give her opinions, such as why Queen Latifah deserves multiple stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. While some readers may welcome Simmons's fresh writing style, others may find it distracting, especially the multiple footnotes that are more about her than the chapters' subjects. VERDICT Give to readers who want an original and different take on the history of hip-hop.--Anjelica Rufus-Barnes

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 15, 2024
An engaging study of "just how important women are to hip-hop." Considering how Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Megan Thee Stallion reign over pop culture as much as Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and other male rappers, the idea behind this entertaining history of women in hip-hop may seem superfluous. However, as Simmons makes apparent, such seeming equality was not always the case. The author, founder and CEO of online hip-hop hub The Gumbo, provides a charitable explanation for the slight: there simply wasn't enough space to promote the origin stories of both men and women in hip-hop. Her reaction ("stinks if you ask me") captures her can-do approach to her worthy enterprise. Simmons is clearly not interested in wasting time with the negatives of life because there are so many amazing women and accomplishments to celebrate. The result is a fascinating document of how essential women were to the foundation of hip-hop and how they helped carry it to become the world's most popular genre today. Though most of the women Simmons writes about aren't new to hip-hop heads, the way she centers them rather than making them footnotes is noteworthy, as is the lack of sexist judgment directed at artists like Lil' Kim, "whose innovative fashions played an important part in her overall image." Furthermore, the author thankfully reminds us that the famous Bronx party signifying the birth of hip-hop 50 years ago was planned by then-teenager Cindy Campbell, not her brother, DJ Kool Herc ("Yup, you read that right"). Simmons' lighthearted approach doesn't always work--especially when she follows strong arguments about the importance of MC Lyte or Queen Latifah with joke-filled sidebars--but does keep the party going throughout the entire half-century ride. Simmons happily rips up decades of hip-hop mythology to show the indispensable work of women in the game.

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