Grown Folks Hip Hop

The Female MC****Since our last topic was about the top ten hip hop groups of all time, we figured it would be a good idea for our next topic to be a spin off of the hip hop group thing. We noticed that Salt -N- Pepa was among many of the top ten lists. That spawned the question...Where are the female hip hop groups? If you think about it for a minute...let's just say within the last five years, can you name a female hip hop group? I'm sure you would all be hard pressed to come up with one period, let alone a group that was as prominent as Salt-n- Pepa. Now I know there have been other female groups besides S-N-P over the years, like a J.J. Fad or Finesse and Synquis (some of ya'll right now are like..Finesse and who???) but today it's non-existent. The role of the solo female MC is hard enough as it is...but we have seen many successful ones like Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, Lil' Kim, Foxy, Da Brat, Missy, Eve, Trina and the list goes on. Why aren't there any female Hip-Hop groups in the industry. Some may say it is hard enough poppin' off a solo career as a female MC, let alone a female Hip-Hop group. Could it be that most female MC shy away from the stereotypical sex & money rhymes that some of the more prominent female artists of recent years seem to put out. There are some nice female MCs like Bahamadia, Jean Grae and new Def Jam signee Lady Sovereign that go the other way with the subject matter of their rhymes, but they have yet to enjoy the commercial "success" of some of their peers. Are the days of the Female MC and Female Hip-Hop group coming to an end? Is there room in Hip-Hop for the different types of Female MCs; or are the will ones who only sell sex be the only Female Mcs to hear their music on the radio? Are the labels and radio stations responsible for the lack of mainstream Female MCs? Are Female MCs marketable? We'd like to know your thoughts.