ABC News announced the airing of a new special highlighting the immense contributions of women in rap music, The Real Queens of Hip-Hop: The Women Who Changed the Game. According to a press release obtained by EBONY, the special will take an “intimate look at the evolution and impact of women emcees and rappers, told by the trailblazing artists who helped create a musical and cultural empire.”
The Real Queens of Hip-Hop is produced by an all-female leadership team at ABC News. Fatima Curry is the director of the special and she will executive produce it with Melia Patria.
As ABC is set to premiere its new prime-time drama Queens, The Real Queens of Hip-Hop “chronicles the origins of hip-hop as it grew from urban culture in New York during the ‘70s and ‘80s, and eventually exploded into the pop mainstream as a globally recognized musical genre and cultural phenomenon.”
Narrated by Salt of Salt-N-Pepa, the one-hour program features an original spoken word performance by the legendary MC Lyte and an original score curated by WondaGurl.
The special also features new interviews with City Girls, the legendary “mother of the mic” MC Sha-Rock as well as Da Brat, Eve, Trina, and Yo-Yo. These trailblazing artists open up about their greatest moments in the industry and vividly reveal their personal stories. The program also includes a compelling, intergenerational conversation hosted by radio personality and rapper Angie Martinez with Lakeyah, Lil Mama, and Roxanne Shanté. They have a candid conversation about the beauty standards and body pressure placed on women, breaking the glass ceiling of the male-dominated industry, and how the internet and social media have forever changed the culture.
Marie Nelson, senior vice president of integrated content strategy, ABC News, expressed her excitement about the special and lauded the impact of Black women on hip hop history.
“I grew up listening to and loving the pioneering work of female emcees and was amazed by how much I learned when previewing this special,” Nelson said. “With projects like ‘The Real Queens of Hip-Hop,’ ABC News and ABC Entertainment are working to super-serve culturally diverse and multigenerational audiences with authentic and relevant storytelling that widens the lens and places their experiences at the center.”
The Real Queens of Hip-Hop: The Women Who Changed the Game – An ABC News Special will air Monday, Oct. 18 10pm EDT on ABC.
