Ladies First A Story of Women in Hip Hop Review: Netflix’s latest documentary series, directed by Hannah Beachler, is hands-down a great coverage of how Black Women paved their own distinct path down the road of Hip-Hop against all the odds and made it big. With interviews of Hip-Hop OGs like Queen Latifah, Sha-Rock, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shante, Da Brat, Remy Ma, Rhapsody, and Yo-Yo, along with new and emerging stars like Latto, Saweetie, Kash Doll, Tierra Whack and Chika, the series is a succinct exploration of the last 50 years of female Hip-Hop and one that showcases their significance in Hip-Hop culture and American culture in general.
While the title of the documentary series tells us that it deals with women in Hip-Hop, the series itself is a lot more. By showing their lives, the times during which they were born and how society functioned during those times, Hannah Beachler puts forth a series that throws light on society and its norms and how these women had to deal with them; breaking barriers, owning themselves and taking a stand.
Ladies First A Story of Women in Hip Hop Plot/Synopsis
With interviews of the Hop-Hop stars, both OGs and the emerging, along with journalists, and other contributors, the show is divided into 4 episodes; and each episode addresses a different topic. From how it began to the obstacles to the stories to disputes and abuses to how the present is seeing a change in things. Objectively speaking, it is a celebration of Black Women in Hip-Hop and all that they have achieved and contributed, which allows women of the present generation to look up to them for inspiration.
Ladies First A Story of Women in Hip Hop Review: Discussion
What makes Ladies First A Story of Women in Hip Hop a nice watch is that we get to hear first-hand accounts of all the female stars who are the pioneers, i.e. the first women to make it into Hip-Hop and make it big too. These include Sha-Rock, MC Lyte, and Roxanne Shante, who speak about their experiences growing up in the dangerous neighbourhoods that shaped their childhoods which in turn played an important role in their Hip-Hop creations.
We get archival footage that adds another layer of authenticity as we see the stars as teens performing on streets, and TV shows, and getting noticed. Words from journalist Joan Morgan, producer Drew Dixon and gender studies professor Brittney Cooper further add to the narrative of how these women were changing the game and how society was reacting to the change. In this way, the Netflix series becomes more than just a series of interviews brought together; one that speaks about how women contributed to shaping American culture, of which Hip-Hop is a significant aspect.
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As proof of this, we get to listen to young female stars who tell us how they look up to the pioneers who have inspired them to be proud of who they are and take charge of what they want to do. Their styles are different, and their looks are different and yet they are all united by a feeling of sisterhood that transcends the music itself while adding to it.
But there are things that the series doesn’t delve into as much as it should have. While the series does address the issues the women faced, and the hardships and the abuses (including racial) that they had to endure for a very long time in the music industry, it doesn’t provide these with the required amount of attention, especially not as much as it provides to the successes.
The series doesn’t really acknowledge the fact that such issues, like getting shot at (the bizarre case of Megan Thee Stallion) and/or being abused, often bar a woman from even trying to explore a career in Hip-Hop despite knowing she is good at it. And in this way, talent is destroyed. It also doesn’t talk about the rivalries among the women, which is clearly evident nowadays and rather uses the motif of sisterhood to disregard a core feeling in the name of celebrating womanhood in Hip-Hop.
Ladies First A Story of Women in Hip Hop Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, it is a commendable attempt to bring together a 50-year history into 4 episodes, although I think that it would have been better as a feature documentary. At times, the series appears to be stretching by establishing the same point multiple times rather than moving on to the next one. This could have been avoided as it might make people skip a couple of minutes, if not more. However, if you want to know about women in Hip-Hop, this series is what you should start with.
The full series is now streaming on Netflix.
Did you like Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop? Do let us know in the comments below.