Nearly two weeks after the release of Straight Outta Compton, we’re still trying to understand what its success means for hip-hop. There are now 111 million reasons why we should be paying attention to the pivotal hip-hop biopic and its accompanying press. Undoubtedly, it makes a claim for the return of engaging, big-budget Black films that do not star a man in a dress. Its careful storytelling and well-rounded edge means that hip-hop history is capable of gripping a vast audience. More importantly, hip-hop biopics are filmed through an empathetic lens: by practice, it often regards the artist (or those closest to them) as subject matter experts. For many Black artists, a biopic places the national narrative into their hands for the first time.

Dr. Dre and Ice Cube’s presence during the film’s production no doubt influenced the finished product. Inevitably, their revisionism led to the absence of certain stories. Despite the group’s notorious misogyny, their career is the stuff of lore: the birth of gangsta rap, the rise of Compton, Los Angeles as a cultural hotpot of the West Side, and the careers of two of the most successful rappers in the game can all be tied to the group’s tumultuous nine-year run. Straight Outta Compton works logistically partially because "Niggaz wit Attitude" is still a controversial phrase nearly 30 years later, and the group’s influential braggadocio can still be felt.

The Great Content Machine wants to know what The Next Big Hip-Hop Biopic will be. Only time will tell if Straight Outta Compton has already birthed a new generation of Black film—though many are taking their bets. The film presents race, poverty, relationships amongst Black men, and the struggle for hip-hop’s legitimacy as challenges not easily overcome. Our Next Big Biopic should feature similar complex challenges. If Hollywood is looking for its next big story, it should look no farther than the Black women who have carried hip-hop on their backs.

-=-=-=-Black female rappers in the '80s and '90s not only faced similar agitators, but also battled an industry hostile to them as women. Yet they have always led the charge on creating some of hip-hop’s most seminal works, and their projects were born of and commented on their own personal lives. Frankly, their stories are important and can chart the genesis of hip-hop.

As Straight Outta Compton surges forward, here are five pioneering female rappers to consider.

1. Lil' Kim

Lil Kim’s disappointing feature in the 2009’s Notorious B.I.G. biopic Notorious is a great example of why her biopic should have existed ages ago. Unsurprisingly, Kim was upset by being seen as a mere love interest, and later spoke out against the film’s "false portrayal and lies." She told NME two days before the movie’s release, "The film studio and producers involved were more concerned about painting me as a 'character' to create a more interesting story line instead of a person with talent." Kim’s own story could easily double as its own feature, as she’s far more than a footnote in B.I.G.’s career—her story spans homelessness, abuse, and her eventual rise to the top of the rap game.

__2. Missy Elliott

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With her career alone, Missy Elliott could tell multiple stories. Her successes as a songwriter and record producer precede her legendary contributions to hip-hop music, and her friendly writer-producer duo with Timbaland generated numerous rap and R&B hits in the 1990s. The release of her career-changing verse on Gina Thompson’s "The Things That You Do" could make a pretty pivotal scene of its own.