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This is a following list of the best-selling female rappers of all time, including albums and singles.
Figures for the list only includes pure sales figures and available figures after the 1990s: as of 2010 certifications have been combined with streaming or digital audio sales; in this list only digital sales are counted since most of today artists' pure sales are sold digitally.
Artist | Country of origin | Period active | Studio albums | Claimed sales |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nicki Minaj | Trinidad & Tobago | 2004- Present | 5 | 100 million [1] |
Iggy Azalea | Australia | 2011–present | 3 | 70 million [2] [3] [4] |
Lauryn Hill | United States | 1988–present | 1 | 50 million [5] |
Lil' Kim | United States | 1994–present | 5 | 45 million [6] |
Cardi B | United States | 2015–present | 1 | 31 million |
Missy Elliott | United States | 1991–present | 6 | 29 million [8] [9] [10] |
Sales based on claimed figures and certifications.
Artist | Release year | Song | Claimed sales |
---|---|---|---|
Cardi B | 2017 | "Bodak Yellow" | 10 million [11] |
Iggy Azalea | 2014 | "Fancy" | 9.1 million [12] |
Nicki Minaj | 2012 | "Starships" | 7.2 million [12] |
Release year | Album | Artist | Claimed sales |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | Lauryn Hill | 20 million [13] [14] |
2010 | Pink Friday | Nicki Minaj | 3.8 million [15] |
2014 | The Pinkprint | Nicki Minaj | 3 million [16] |
2018 | Invasion of Privacy | Cardi B | 3 million [17] |
2012 | Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded | Nicki Minaj | 1.4 million [18] |
Kimberly Denise Jones, better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. In her teens, she would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage. In 1994, she was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Under Construction is the fourth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 12, 2002, in the United States. The album was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production by Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, Errol "Poppi" McCalla and Elliott herself.
The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by Billboard magazine. Although it originally started tracking song sales the week of October 30, 2004, it officially debuted in the issue dated January 22, 2005, and merged all versions of a song sold from digital music distributors. Its data was incorporated in the Hot 100 three weeks later. Since October 2004, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboard's music singles charts. The decision was based on the dramatic increase of the digital market while commercial single sales in a physical format were becoming negligible.
Hot Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. Streaming data and digital downloads were added to the methodology of determining chart rankings in 2012. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single sold in that given week. The song with the most weeks at number one is "Old Town Road", with a total of 20 weeks.
"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a song by American rapper and singer Lauryn Hill from her debut solo studio album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released as her solo debut and lead single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on August 10, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. No commercial release was originally intended for the single in the US, but limited-quantity physical formats were issued two months later, on October 27.
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian-born rapper and singer based in the United States. Often referred to as the "Queen of Rap", she is known for her musical versatility, animated rap flow, and alter egos. She first gained recognition after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009.
"Super Bass" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj from the deluxe version of her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010). It was sent to American rhythmic radio stations as the album's fifth single on April 5, 2011. The song was written alongside Ester Dean, Roahn Hylton, and producers Kane Beatz and JMIKE. According to Minaj, the song's lyrics detail the story of a playful romance between Minaj and a potential suitor. The pop rap song contains electronic influences, while Minaj raps over a hip hop beat. An accompanying music video for the single was shot in March 2011 by director Sanaa Hamri and shows Minaj playfully taunting a group of men; while making use of multiple props colored bubblegum pink.
Colin Tilley is an American filmmaker, music video director, and television commercial director. Tilley is the CEO and owner of Boy in the Castle Productions. He has directed more than 300 music videos.
Amethyst Amelia Kelly, known professionally as Iggy Azalea, is an Australian rapper and model. Azalea's accolades include two American Music Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, a People's Choice Award, four Teen Choice Awards and four Grammy Award nominations. Azalea is popular on video sites, her Youtube channel has accumulated 3.4 billion views, and 15 of her music videos have received over 100 million views on Vevo.
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is the second studio album by rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on April 2, 2012 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. Looking to transition from her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010), Minaj wanted to make a follow-up record about "just having fun". Stylistically, the album is divided by a first half of hip hop tracks and a second half of dance-pop songs. As executive producer, Minaj enlisted a variety of collaborators.
"Starships" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on the date February 14, 2012 by Young Money, Cash Money, and Universal Republic as the lead single from her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012). The song was written by Nicki Minaj, Nadir Khayat, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Bilal Hajji, and Wayne Hector, and it was produced by RedOne, Yacoub, and Falk.
The New Classic is the debut studio album by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released on 21 April 2014 by Def Jam Recordings. Primarily a hip hop album, The New Classic features elements of EDM, dance-pop and trap in its production.
"Fancy" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring British singer Charli XCX, taken from the former's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was released on 17 February 2014 by Def Jam Recordings as the fourth single from the album. "Fancy" was described as an electro-hop, electropop, and pop rap song. It was written by Azalea and XCX, composed and produced by production team the Invisible Men, alongside additional producers the Arcade. It was leaked under the title "Leave It" in December 2013.
"Problem" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, featuring Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released by Republic Records on April 28, 2014 as the lead single from Grande's second studio album, My Everything (2014). It was written by both alongside Savan Kotecha, Ilya and Max Martin, being produced by the latter two with Shellback, with Peter Carlsson serving as a vocal producer. "Problem" is an uptempo dance-pop and R&B song with influences of funk music, which comprises a melody based on drums, saxophone loops, and trumpets. The chorus features uncredited background vocals from American hip-hop artist Big Sean. Lyrically, Grande has stated that the song is about "the feeling of being absolutely terrified to re-approach a relationship that's gone sour – but you want to more than anything."
"Anaconda" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on August 4, 2014 by Young Money, Cash Money, and Republic as the second single from her third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014). The song was produced by Polow da Don, DJ Spydr, and Da Internz, and prominently samples "Baby Got Back" (1992) by Sir Mix-a-Lot. It peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Minaj's highest charting single at the time. The song also peaked within the top ten in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, top forty in Austria, France and Portugal and top fifty in Czech Republic.
Reclassified is the reissue of Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was released internationally on 21 November 2014 by Virgin EMI Records, and in the United States on 24 November 2014 by Def Jam Recordings. Released seven months after its parent album, Reclassified featured five newly recorded songs.
Billboard Women in Music is an annual event held by Billboard. Its main award is titled Woman of the Year, established to recognize "women in the music industry who have made significant contributions to the business and who, through their work and continued success, inspire generations of women to take on increasing responsibilities within the field", according to the magazine. Taylor Swift is the most awarded woman of the event, with three awards . Women in music include women as composers, songwriters, instrumental performers, singers, conductors, music scholars, music educators, music critics/music journalists, and in other musical professions. A songwriter is an individual who writes the lyrics, melodies and chord progressions for songs, typically for a popular music genre such as pop, rock, or country music. A songwriter can also be called a composer, although the latter term tends to be mainly used for individuals from the classical music genre.
"MotorSport" is a song by American hip-hop trio Migos, Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj, and American rapper Cardi B. Written alongside Murda Beatz and Cubeatz, it was released on October 27, 2017, as the lead single from the trio's third studio album Culture II (2018). It reached number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Migos' second top 10 in the country.
Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon, known professionally as Doechii, is an American rapper and singer. After releasing her debut EP, Oh the Places You'll Go (2020), she rose to prominence on TikTok with the viral success of her 2021 song "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake". She then signed with Top Dawg Entertainment in a joint venture with Capitol Records, through which she released her second EP, She/Her/Black Bitch (2022. Her 2023 single "What It Is " marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"Super Freaky Girl" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj from her fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2 (2023). It was released on August 12, 2022, by Young Money and Republic Records as the lead single from the album. It is an upbeat, raunchy song that samples Rick James' 1981 single "Super Freak," as Minaj raps about a girl having sexual fantasies and endeavors, while also boasting about her career. It received comparisons to Minaj's 2014 single "Anaconda," as both tracks include classic samples and sexual lyrics.
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