Cardi-B is interesting to me because she does come off as pretty trashy, but I wondered if that was not my own gender bias? Like because she raps about enjoying sex and where she comes from, being a stripper, and is not ashamed about it, but instead embraces it, does that mean I can only appreciate a female rapper that is more "clean cut." I remember really enjoying HUSTLE N FLOW and for the male pimp coming out of that life, I found myself celebrating it and enjoying Terrance Howard's portrayal. Her music is raunchy and does tend to be a lot about extremely explicit sexual themes, but there is also plenty of themes about her rising from nothing into something-a theme that should be embraced. Her personal life is nothing I would subscribe to, but the hooks, rhythms, and lyrics are pretty damn good. I can appreciate a bad-bitch and the music she creates, even if I don't necessarily subscribe to her lifestyle brand.
To each his own though, just something I thought about as I started to listen to more female hip hop artists. I too love Lauren Hill, the Fugees were great!