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2000 - 2020: 7 epic female artists

7 songs by 7 women shaping the decades

By Anastasia SPublished 3 years ago 7 min read
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These are the sounds of seven gifted black female artists that left a footprint in music. They have so many influential hits in a range of genres and are artists that have been in my favorites list on my Spotify account from the moment I have heard them.

Looking back into the history of black female artists, we see the black women contributing to the 20's blues and jazz, the 70's funk transitioning into disco - the good times my mom cheers up when she recalls stories - to changing hip hop and pop music starting with the 80's. Across the decades, there is one common fact. And that is that black women have paved the way for so many artists and music genres.

My connection to music

Growing up in the 90's, I grew up listening to so many genres of music as my mom loved to open my mind, but it was our favorite time from my childhood. I remember always dancing to the different tunes with her in our small living room, laughing, twirling too much I would get dizzy. The pure happiness and joy of those moments I will always cherish. But also opened my mind and heart to so many different artists.

Today I want to focus on the period between 2000 and 2020, 2 decades where we are seeing so many more beautiful black women in the industry mesmerizing us with their lovely voices.

2020 - 2020: 7 Songs by 7 Black Female Artists

So hope you will enjoy my favorite 7 songs by 7 females that shaped the decade. They have been added in chronological order.

2001: Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On

My connection to the song: I discovered Missy Elliott through my childhood best friend. And I instantly fell in love with her voice and her funny rhymes. I remember often after school, in the park with my friends, we would play this song on. At the time we weren't 100% sure of the meaning of the words behind the lyrics being teenagers with not a great English, but it was catchy and always made me feel giddy. Years on, it is still on my playlist. I believe this song was in top ten in a few countries around the globe such as U.S. or the U.K.

Who is Missy Elliott?: An american rapper and a music producer

Genre: Hip Hop, R&B

Awards: 4 Grammy + The Black Entertainment Television Award

How does she stand out?: What I like about her as an artist is that she revolutionized the music video industry as she always tried new things and themes, but also her songs are all about feminism, gender equality, body positivity and sex positivity from the beginning of her career.

2003: Beyonce - Crazy in love

My connection to the song: Crazy in love is an all time classic that is such a staple in playlist. A song that combines so many genres of music but also has very relatable lyrics. It is about a girl that discovers that she is in love and she is doing things that she wouldn't normally do. It is about a beautiful evolution of a woman in love.

Who is Beyonce? : American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer.

Genre: R&B, hip hop, pop and soul

Awards: Over 400 awards

How does she stand out?: She changed the way fans think of what going to a concert is like. She impressed us with show-stopping tours full of bar-raising visuals and costumes. Beyoncé went beyond being a singer and became an amazing Entertainer.

2007: Alicia Keys - No one

My connection to the song: The moment I listened to this song, I remember listening to it on repeat. It was such a true representation of how I felt at the time, where so many things can distract you but no one can get in the way of what is meant to be at that time. This was the song that lead me love her music, her piano play, but also the soul in her voice. Also how cool is that this was the most listened song in the US when it came out?

Who is Alicia? : American singer-songwriter.

Genre: R&B, hip hop, pop and soul

Awards: around 15 Grammy Awards and many others

How does she stand out?: She has had such a big impact on the soul music genre, but also in so many other aspects of life. The one I love the most, which might not be related to her music, but a few years she decided to stop wearing makeup. And I love that she promotes natural beauty, being yourself and not hiding away.

2011: Nicki Minaj - Super Bass

My connection to the song: The music, the hair, the makeup, the lyrics. She sold me on this from the first second of the song. It's about flirting on your own terms, having fun with it. It is safe to say, it went trendy so fast that every girl tried to learn the verses and rap them. And I was one of them. Took me almost a week, but I remember dancing around my room with headphones in and just having fun.

Who is Nicki? : Trinidadian-American rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, and model

Genre: Hip hop, rap, dance, R&B

Awards: over 167 awards

How does she stand out?: I love her distinctive vocal stylings where she often incorporates various accents from both sides of the Atlantic. She loves having fun with her music videos and sends so many messages through her lyrics.

2011: Rihanna - We found love

My connection to the song: Rihanna has been one of my favourite singers from an early age so I had to include her on this list. I thought for quite some time which would be the best song I want to include here and I decided on We found love featuring Calvin Harris. A lovely song about finding love in a hopeless place.

Who is Rihanna? : Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman

Genre: Pop, hip hop, R&B, reggae

Awards: over 200 awards

How does she stand out?: She has fun with fashion, makeup and music. As you progress through her songs, you learn more and more about her past. Also her make up line promotes inclusivity and is so good.

2017: Lizzo - Truth hurts

My connection to the song: I have discovered Lizzo very recently, and I cannot not listen on repeat to her songs. This song in particular is all about female empowerment and has no bullshit lyrics and has become viral 2 years after it has been originally released through Netflix and Tik Tok. And I am so happy that it did, because I can relate to this song, but also I love listening to it on days when i am feeling down.

Who is Lizzo? : American singer, rapper, songwriter, and flutist

Genre: Hip hop, funk pop, R&B, soul

Awards: 2 Grammy + 12 other awards

How does she stand out?: She mixes big vocals with very relatable stream-of-consciousness lyrics about womanhood, self-worth, and even the mundane things in life. She always wants to send a positive message and I live for it.

2020: Cardi B - WAP

My connection to the song: When thinking about Cardi B, it was a must to include WAP. The NSFW song of 2020. It has one of the most detailed and quotable lyrics of any hip hop song according to various articles written in the media. And I so agree with them. While it empowered lots of women and enraged so many other people, if you think about it, it is not as NSFW lyrics from rappers in early 90s or 2000s. It is one of those things where you love or you hate it.

Who is Cardi B? : American rapper, songwriter, and actress.

Genre: Hip hop, rap

Awards: over 100 awards

How does she stand out?: Cardi is making music history, and she has the stats to prove it. She dethroned Beyoncé twice. She is all about female empowerment and feeling like a badass every day. She is quite open with her fans too which i love

If you liked this article, kindly like and share and hope this will inspire you to find out more about these 7 wonderful women that shape the history of today's world.

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About the Creator

Anastasia S

I always loved writing, but I never got the courage to start

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