1.) "Lick It Before You Stick It" - Denise Lasalle, 2000
A Taste: "You're makin' her feel good, but you can make her feel better/ If you treat your lady like a stamp and a letter"

2.) "Downtown" - SWV, 1992
A Taste: "Go downtown/ To taste the sweetness"

3.) "Not Tonight" - Lil' Kim, 1996
A Taste: "I don't want dick tonight/ Eat my pussy right"

4.) "My Neck, My Back" - Khia, 2002
A Taste: "My neck, my back/ Lick my pussy and my crack"

5.) "Put It In Your Mouth" - Akinyele, 1996
A Taste: "Or you just could eat me out"

6.) "I Luv" - Too $hort featuring Trick Daddy, Scarface & Daz, 2001
A Taste: "I luv gettin' my pussy ate"

7.) "Candy" - Foxy Brown featuring Kelis, 2001
A Taste: "Let me know when you're ready to eat"

8.) "J.O.D.D." - Trick Daddy featuring Trina, 2004
A Taste: "Sucka suck on da clit/ Just suck on da clit"

9.)"Sugar" - Bikini Kill, 1993
A Taste: "What are you afraid of?"

10.) "Work It" - Missy Elliott, 2002
A Taste: "You do or you don't or you will or you won't cha/ Go downtown and eat it like a vulcha"

11.) "Face" - Rick Ross featuring Trina, 2009
A Taste: "Sittin' at the green light/ 'Cause I'm gettin' face."

12.) "Tongue Song" - Trina, 2000
A Taste: "Head like wut wut wut/ Hands all on my butt butt butt/ Ya need to lick it again c'mon"

13.) "How Many Licks" - Lil' Kim, 2001
A Taste: "Roll some weed with some tissue and close your eyes/ Then imagine your tongue in between my thighs"

14.) "Any Time, Any Place" - Janet Jackson, 1994
A Taste: "I can feel your hand moving up my thighs/ Skirt around my waist/ Wall against my face/ I can feel your lips"

15.) "Lick It" - 20 Fingers, 1995
A Taste: "You gotta lick it/ Before we kick it"

16.) "Glory" - Liz Phair, 1993
A Taste: "You are, you are shining some glory on me"

17.) "Red Light Special" - TLC, 1994
A Taste: "Take a good look at it/ Look at it now"

18.) "Where Life Begins" - Madonna, 1992
A Taste: "Dining in and eating out/ I guess that's what this song's about"

19.) "Twist" - Goldfrapp, 2003
A Taste: "Put your dirty angel face/ Between my legs"

20.) "Bliss" - Mariah Carey, 1999
A Taste: "Take it down low/ Make me get high"

When we hear the word rappers, we think of black males; they're what feminists would call hip-hop's unmarked category. This makes tough going for pretenders outside of this category, and it's meant that many of the identities that female comers have carved for themselves—Boss' gangsta bitch, Kim's badass nympho, or, recently, Lil' Mama's lunchroom alpha girl—have registered as one-offs or fads. (We see the same thing with white rappers, whether it's the Beastie Boys' nerdy boogie or Eminem's white-trash horror-core.)

A couple of weeks ago, NPR's Farai Chideya spoke to Spinderella and YoYo about the dearth of female rappers in hip hop. Yo Yo said, "I think that hip-hop has not been allowed to grow up… It's not getting better." As for Spinderella, she mused: "I think women need to really take advantage of the moment — the lack of females that are mainstream right now allows for someone else to come and snatch it up."

Unlike pop or rock, hip-hop has always been the voice of the streets, raw words with an un-Photoshopped, un-censored swagger. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Why should the boys have all the fun? In a spirit of celebration and reminiscence, here are some of my favorite hip-hop tracks with women at the helm:

Salt n Pepa, "Push It"

Yo, yo, yo, yo, baby-pop/Yeah, you come here, gimme a kiss/Better make it fast or else I'm gonna get pissed/Can't you hear the music's pumpin' hard like I wish you would?/Now push it/Push it good/P-push it real good

Monie Love, "Monie In The Middle"

Brother what is with you, you can't take a hint?/I need to shove a splint between your eyes for you to see/You and me were never meant to be/Your homeboy likes me, I like him, too, get out the picture/I get your point but I'm not rolling with the punch/I scrunched up the letter you wrote me in lunch

Missy Elliot, "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)

I got my umbrella/My finger waves these days/They fall like Humpty/Chunky/I break up with him before he dump me/To have me? Oh yes you lucky

Lauryn Hill, "Everything Is Everything" (Also "Ready Or Not")

I philosophy/Possibly speak tongues/Beat drum, Abyssinian, street baptist/Rap this in fine linen/From the beginning/My practice extending across the atlas/I begat this/Flippin in the ghetto on a dirty mattress/You cant match this rapper slash actress/More powerful than two Cleopatras/Bomb graffiti on the tomb of Nefertiti

Queen Latifah & Monie Love, "Ladies First"

I break into a lyrical freestyle/Grab the mic, look into the crowd and see smiles/Cause they see a woman standing up on her own two/Sloppy slouching is something I won't do/Some think that we can't flow/Stereotypes, they got to go

MC Lyte, "Ruff Neck"

I need a ruffneck/I need a man that's quick and swift/To put out the spliff and get stiff

Missy Elliott: "Lose Control"

I've got a cute face/Chubby waist/Thick legs in shape/Rump shakin both wayz/Make u do a double take

Lil Kim, "No Matter What They Say"

If I was you I'd hate me too/Louis Vuitton shoes and a whole lot of booze/Every other week a different a dude and other crews/I make offers nobody can refuse/You might even see me on the channel nine news/I get paid just for laying in the shade/To take pictures with a glass of lemonade/My rocks shine like it was dipped in Cascade

Additional tracks: Eve, "Who's That Girl"; M.I.A., "Galang", Bahamadia/Roni Size, "New Forms". Oh, and Trina's couplets in Trick Daddy's "Shut Up".

Feel free to let me know if I've missed anyone.

Ladies! I Can't Hear You! No, Really, I Can't Hear You! [Slate]
Ladies Of Hip Hop Tell Their Side Of The Story [NPR]

[New York, August 4. Image via Bauer-Griffin.]

• Michelle Williams and Spike Jonze: It's on. A source says after Heath's death, "Spike had a gentle way of just being there for Michelle… His patience and kindness caused Michelle to look at him in a different light. Now the two are spending more time together, and their one-time friendship has developed into more." They worked together on Synecdoche, New York. [Daily Mail]
• John Mayer was in front of the L.A. City Council at City Hall yesterday for a hearing regarding paparazzi. "I don't sit before you today to ask that you ban the paparazzi," he said. "I'm asking you to regulate it, officialize it, tax it, legitimize it." He talked about dangerous encounters in which photogs would run red lights just to stay behind him and proposed a law requiring "an acceptable distance" between paps and an "unwilling subject." [People]
• Verne Troyer is suing former girlfriend Ranae Shrider, alleging she picked the lock to his bedroom door and threw him to the floor. The little guy's got big trouble. [TMZ]
• Heather Matarazzo, from Welcome To The Dollhouse and The Princess Diaries, is engaged! She's been with girlfriend Caroline Murphy for over a year. Her rep says: "It was really cute. First Heather proposed to Caroline, then Caroline proposed to her." [E!]

• Britney Spears was cavorting in Mexico with her bodyguard, Lee, and apparently they're hooking up. "Britney and Lee hit it off immediately," a source spills. "They’ve spent so much time together that one thing led to another and their relationship became physical." [MSNBC]
• Britney's dad was granted legal control of his daughter until December 31. "The extension of the conservatorship was at the request and suggestion of Britney's doctors," says a source. If it ain't broke… [People]
• Shia LaBeouf's car crash and subsequent injury is fucking with production on Transformers 2. "Everyone had to adjust their schedule," says a source. [Variety]
• "Both Sides Claim Victory In Rob Lowe Nanny Hearing." Um, okay. [People]
• Joan Rivers spoke at a Girl Scouts fund raiser and maybe acted inappropriately. This report says: "We hear that she dropped the f-bomb frequently, called women 'whores' repeatedly and sounded off on what the Girls Scouts didn't teach girls." Uh-oh. [Orlando Sentinel]
• Nicole Kidman will be flying from Nashville to Sydney over the weekend; she's due on the set of the $100 million-plus Baz Luhrmann film Australia. Will she take little Sunday Rose with her? [Sydney Morning Herald]
• Balthazar Getty is "torn" and "confused;" he's dating Sienna Miller but reportedly "realizes how deep his love for [wife] Rosetta is." What ever will he do? [Mirror]
• Naomi Campbell's mom says Naomi saved her life. The supermodel made sure her mom got the best treatment when she was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. Valerie Campbell says, ""Naomi went from one doctor to another in America, pulled all her contacts and did not take no for an answer. My daughter saved my life." [Mirror]
• Mariah Carey has purchased a Caribbean love nest for herself and her new hubs. It's got five massive bedrooms, Jacuzzi and indoor swimming pool. I wanna marry Mariah, too! It's like winning the lottery. [Mirror]
• Amy Winehouse is disappointed that Alicia Keys and Jack White are recording the James Bond song. Get your shit together, girl. [Mirror]
• A state prison inmate who once implicated a Los Angeles police officer in the slaying of rap star Biggie Smalls testified Thursday that he recanted the allegation because of threats he received from Suge Knight. Wil we ever know what really happened? [LA Times]
• Johnny Depp just purchased Hunter S. Thompson's private papers. Fear? Loathing? [Page Six]
• Gossip Girl's Ed "I'm Chuck Bass" Westwick was seen making out with "some random chick" in NYC on Wednesday night. A spy says, "When the two left together, Ed was leading her by the hand. He was moving quick, but he had time to wink at a hot brunette before slipping out." [Rush & Molloy]
• Blind item! "This heir likes to credit his recent slimdown to exercise and no booze, but it turns out he's on the party-boy diet - we caught him snorting coke off his keys in the men's room at an NYC hot spot." [Rush & Molloy]
• Hulk Hogan's son Nick has been moved to a minimum-security facility where "it's much better." Hulk says Nick "was moving through life and maybe not real appreciative of things… When this happened, it totally spun him in a 180… It's the best thing that ever happened to him. I'm not saying it's a good thing. But it happened for a reason." [People]
• Liz Taylor is "fine," her publicist says. "Her hospital visit was precautionary. She will be returning home shortly. At present, she is surrounded by family, friends and fabulous jewels." [AP]
• When Ashlee Simpson gives birth, Pete Wentz may take his spawn on the road: "I think (a concert tour) would be a really awesome environment for kids," Pete told In Touch. "Bringing a kid along would be cool." Dude, you're saying that because you've never done it. [MSNBC]
• Jess Origliasso of The Veronicas may or may not be naked over on (NSFW) Fleshbot. [News.com.au]
• Christopher Ciccone: Bitter? Madonna's brother was also her dresser for a while. He says: "I saw myself as an artist, and there I was on my knees with her sweaty tits hanging over me. And I was like, you know, How can I tell my friends this is what I am doing? At the same time, I wanted to be there for her, and I knew she needed somebody who was going to be real and who could keep her secrets and be private with her. I was the only one who could do that." [Vanity Fair]
• Two members of Snoop Dogg's entourage were busted for marijuana possession in Texas yesterday. (Snoop was not arrested.) Finding weed on Snoop's bus is like finding a bird in a tree. Natural habitat! [Yahoo News]
• Audrina Patridge has a blog now. Highlights: Skin secrets, a video of her tattooed sister, and a post called "My Closet Is A Disaster." [Perez Hilton]
• "I most definitely want kids, but I'll probably adopt kids. I don't know if I can take that kind of pain [of labor]. Maybe in the year 2020 you could just pop a baby out and it'd be fine. But right now I'd rather just adopt." — Missy Elliott. [People]
• "You know, she wasn't the kind that played with dolls, and then all of the sudden she has all of these children. She loves kids though. She's very playful. It's wonderful." — Jon Voight on daughter Angelina Jolie. [E!]
• "I was raised by a single mom and am surrounded by strong women, so seeing females treated as nothing more than ornaments or toys doesn't sit well with me. But it's very true to life in the '60s." — JonHamm of Mad Men. [Page Six]

Mary J. Blige Clips From Life After Death DVD [YouTube, via Sandra Rose]