Rapper T.I. recently spoke about his new show, “Sisterhood of Hip-Hop,” and shared his perspective on what women must endure in a male-dominated industry. With his protégée Iggy Azalea among the industry’s hottest new artists, Tip explained that women have barriers placed in front of them at all angles.
“And not just hip-hop,” T.I. says to Billboard, “Any male-dominated industry. The game was made to accommodate a man. For instance, take [NASCAR driver] Danica Patrick, if you were to take her journey and document it, I’m sure that would be an interesting story. There are barriers that must be broken down, doors that must be kicked open.”
T.I. then recounted the history of female artists in hip-hop.
“It was one period in hip-hop when females were almost as common as males, back in the Salt-N-Pepa period,” he explains. “Then there was a period when they were damn near nonexistent, with the exception of the Da Brat and Queen Latifah every so often. Years later, you had Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown, and after that females went away again. And then Nicki [Minaj] came out, Iggy [Azalea] came out. So now there feels as though there is a hunger, there is a thirst for females. The female demographic is growing and asking for representation.
“The bitter cold truth is most women don’t like to be around other women, period. And if they do like to be around the women, the women they like to be around are probably not the women that are the most suitable for the job. Either they’re gonna force someone they like into a position they don’t belong in, or they’re going to not like someone who belongs in the position.”
T.I. also praised Azalea’s breakthrough, giving credit to her for working hard enough to make it happen.
“In life opportunities come to the people who show that they deserve them the most,” Tip says. “I think that Iggy has worked tirelessly. I’ve seen Iggy go from Australia, to China, to Paris, to London, to Atlanta, to L.A., in like a two week period. Everybody ain’t gon’ do that. Some people are gonna say ‘no I can’t do that, that’s too much.’ But you’re investing, putting in the sacrifice. If you put the sacrifice in, it rewards you.”
