Rap's history does not include everyone who contributed to its rise. Sha-Rock, of the Funky 4 and Funky 4 + 1, reaffirms her role as the first woman MC in hip-hop's formative years in episode 2 of LouderThanARiot
Amanda Howell Whitehurst/Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPRIn 1981, MC Sha-Rock and her group, the Funky 4 + 1, were invited to perform on. It was one of the first nationally televised rap performances ever, expanding the reach of the nascent genre to mainstream audiences who might never have heard or seen it before. It was almost certainly the first time many viewers had seen a woman rapping.
As sole woman in the Funky 4 + 1, Sha-Rock was its secret weapon. But just as often, she found that status led her to be treated as a token or accessory, even within the group — a dynamic that helped lead to its eventual demise. Sha-Rock's own legacy was damaged by that double standard, too: Part of why she isn't remembered as an originator is that hip-hop's canon has been curated mostly by men.
In this episode, we dig into the knotty story of Sha-Rock, the first female MC, to understand how deep hip-hop's double standards really go.
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