Fifty years ago this month, the culture was changed forever with the inception of hip-hop. Now, just in time for that anniversary, Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop is here to set the record straight. Premiering Aug. 9, the new four-part docuseries gets its title and theme from the 1989 Queen Latifah anthem (featuring Monie Love). The series honors women’s crucial role in shaping hip-hop, layering fresh perspectives on the issues they rap about, and, according to Netflix, “reinserting them into the canon where they belong: at the center, from Day 1 to present day.”
Through in-depth interviews with Sha-Rock, Roxanne Shante, Rah Digga, Latto, and a host of other featured musicians, the series presents a definitive look at the genre, from the foremothers and trailblazers of hip-hop to the breakout stars of 2023. As Queen Latifah herself says in the trailer above: “We have come through a lot. We have stood back up, and we’ll keep standing back up… That’s just how it is.”
Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop was directed by Hannah Beachler (production designer for Black Panther and Lemonade), Raeshem Nijhon (producer of The Hair Tales and Growing Up), and dream hampton (Freshwater, Surviving R. Kelly, Finding Justice), whose journalism is also highlighted in the episodes. It’s executive produced by Culture House with a team including Nijhon and hampton, Troy Carter, Carri Twigg, Nicole Galovski, Jennifer Ryan, Justin Simien (Haunted Mansion, Dear White People), and MC Lyte (a featured artist in the series).
Stream all four 45-minute episodes now on Netflix.
Right here, at the top of this article.
The documentary series features in-depth interviews with groundbreaking artists from back in the day all the way to the present, including:
The docuseries also features conversations with other key women behind the scenes, including archivist Syreeta Gates, plus producers and stylists, record label executives, journalists, and academic critics. Also look out for appearances from and/or footage featuring Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Lil’ Kim, Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, and other major players in hip-hop.
“It’s very important for people to understand that women helped build this culture from the front lines from Day 1,” says Sha-Rock, whose rhymes were the first by a woman rapper to be enshrined on vinyl in 1979.
The musicians featured in the docuseries offer crucial perspectives and personal stories from their own upbringing, delivering real-world experience from inside the music industry and from a multitude of backgrounds. Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Da Brat, Coi Leray, and others speak to issues including the importance of writing their own songs, respect and getting paid, fashion and style, artistry and musicianship, cultural appropriation and erasure, sexual harassment and violence, body positivity, sexuality and feminism, building a brand, and the growing importance of rap in politics and society.
A timeline of the evolution of hip-hop unfolds over four episodes, centered around the women who made it all happen. The conversations and stories of Ladies First go back and forth over the years and across generations, making it clear how you can trace a line between Tierra Whack, Missy Elliott, and Nicki Minaj, between MC Lyte and Da Brat — and showing how relevant the issues Roxanne Shante rapped about in the 1970s still are today.
Powering it all is a vital community of sisterhood: In one episode, women give each other their flowers, with contemporary hitmakers acknowledging their artistic influences and early path breakers shouting out the women musicians who are carrying the torch now.
