Guns, hot cars and a harem of girls: like it or not, the globalisation of hip hop has also brought the genre’s alpha-male attitude to music scenes all over the world, making rap a difficult genre for women to thrive in.

But girls do rap, and keep reaching milestones regardless of machismo and the coronavirus pandemic. In May 2020, American female hip-hop artists Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion reached the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.