sed on Tuesday (July 25), the first trailer showcased the dynamic journey of women in the industry, featuring icons such as Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Rah Digga, and Da Brat. Meanwhile, newer sensations like Saweetie, Coi Leray, Latto, Tierra Whack, Rapsody, Kash Doll, and Chika also made cameos.
However, the absence of industry giants, including Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliott, Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown, and Lauryn Hill, hasn’t gone unnoticed. Social media reacted to the clip, with avid fans expressing their confusion and frustration at the perceived oversight, particularly regarding Minaj.
“I’m not even being a Barb. But not acknowledging Nicki’s impact is insane,” one user wrote. Another stan commented, “You have to acknowledge Nicki Minaj when it comes to women in hip hop. This disrespect to her legacy is exactly why Barbz go so hard. Nicki Minaj has had a longer and more successful career than any of these women y’all [have] shown and has done more for MUSIC in general as well.”
Elsewhere, one person tweeted, “We really got to sit down and talk. Why do they keep excluding Nicki Minaj from these topics like she isn’t the most successful female rapper of all time? They’re literally tryna wipe her from the history books due to personal vendettas.”
The reason for the rap superstar’s omission currently remains unclear. Podcaster Shawn Allen claimed that the licensing of Minaj’s music and videos proved to be a stumbling block. He also mentioned that both Minaj and Elliott had not given permission for their music to be included.
“I think [because] Nicki is working on her own doc… I don’t understand why Missy didn’t agree,” he speculated about the reason for their alleged non-participation. He also shared that Netflix purchased but did not produce the project, urging fans to redirect their frustrations.
Yes but it didn’t make sense bc she didn’t give us any licensing
Scheduled to release on Aug. 9, the four-part series aims to reframe the role of irrepressible women in hip hop’s 50-year journey. Netflix emphasized in a press release, “By giving flowers to originators like Sha-Rock and Roxanne Shante or hearing real talk from contemporary superstars like Saweetie and Coi Leray, ‘Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip Hop’ contextualizes the history of the music that changed the world… through a female lens.”
