There have been a lot of female rappers that have emerged in the past year. While women still don't get their rightful dues in the game, they are gaining more recognition and a bigger platform than ever before. Of course, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B are the most poppin' on the Billboard charts, there are tons of other women who are making an impact without commercial success. One of the most exciting young female rappers to come out in recent times in Bali Baby. She gained recognition in 2016 before cementing her name in the underground the following year with her project, Bali's Play 2.
Bali Baby has carved her own niche in the rap game. She's been described as "one of very few openly gay female rappers with any skin in the game" and wears her individuality on her sleeve. It's what makes her stand apart from the sea of female emcees that have come out recently. Bali Baby came through for the latest episode of "On The Come Up" where she discusses female rappers, her future plans for the Play Girls, and more.
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"It's kind of crazy to see how many females are joining the rap game every day. Every day, I see a new girl on Instagram, new Instagram models, some hoes... Everybody wanna rap now," Bali Baby told HNHH about the surge of female rappers in the game. She explained that she's not opposed to it but she does notice that the passion for music is often blurred by clout. "Females wanna rap and I admire it but I want bitches to rap for a real reason. You shouldn't be rapping for no clout, you shouldn't be rapping for no money. You should rap because you really like music. If you're doing it because you really like music, shout out to you. But if you doin' it for any other reason, I don't respect that shit."
Bali Baby recognizes the pressure that comes with being a female in the rap game. Not only because it's a male-dominated genre but also due to how the actions of one female rapper fall onto the other up-and-coming women in hip-hop.
"You got us bitches all on the line. Everything that every other bitch do falls back on all the other females. What Nicki and Cardi is doing right now is going to fall back on all of us. All of us upcoming female rappers," she said.
Bali Baby shifted the conversation over to her own group of female rappers, Play Girls. While she praised them as the "hottest rappers in the game," she explained the future plans of the collective.
"I definitely want to turn [Play Girls] into a whole female label and not just for rappers. I want it to be for make-up artists, hairstylists, you know, female strippers," she explained. "I want to support it if you a female."
Building the Play Girls into an empire is meant to create a place for women specifically to prosper. Not only do women have to compete with men but Bali Baby explained that she wants to create a space where women are more inclined to co-exist rather than to compete with each other.
"It's so hard, females are so competitive," she explained. "I'm tryna have a homebase, you know what I'm sayin'? Like GTA, like this is home, safe base -- The Play Girls."
Peep the latest episode of "On The Come Up" with Bali Baby and subscribe to HNHH TV for a new episode, every Wednesday.