
The girls are taking over the charts and it’s about time. In the US, this year alone, there has been three all-female collabs to top the charts with Megan Thee Stallion & Beyonce, Doja Cat & Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande all getting their time at the top. They may be finally getting their respective dues but it’s been a very long time coming.
This week, we’re spotlighting some of our favourite all-female pop and rap collabs. The ones that stitched together genres, bringing together fandoms in the process. From the fresh Doja Cat and Bebe Rexha collaboration to Lady Marmalade, here are a selection of our favourites.
Bebe Rexha - Baby, I'm Jealous (feat. Doja Cat)
Mashing funky guitar lines with Bebe's smoky vocals and Doja's tongue-in-cheek bars, Baby, I'm Jealous is the latest Doja Cat feature from a woman that's quickly rising to the top. The song focuses on the whole idea of the grass being greener on the other side - always wanting what other women have and feeling insecure about it, but Bebe and Doja are here to tell ya that you don't need to be jelly of others - you just do you.
Anne-Marie - To Be Young (Feat. Doja Cat)
We love unexpected collabs and British popstar Anne-Marie with viral rapper/singer Doja Cat is one we couldn't have picked. The song is an introspective one and a slightly different vibe for both Anne-Marie and Doja, who both tend to put out more upbeat, peppy tracks, but we're liking how this lush, reflective sound looks on them both.
Ashnikko - Cry (Feat. Grimes)
Ashnikko and Grimes’ Cry is really a genre-defying collab by two of music’s biggest experimentalists. Unsurprisingly, Cry pulls from a huge pool of inspiration. There’s rock, rap, R&B, pop and pop-punk thrown into the pool as Ashnikko gives one of her most memorable performances yet. Meanwhile, Grimes brings an otherworldly presence to the song.
Iggy Azalea - Fancy (Feat. Charli XCX)
Say what you want about it now but Fancy was a phenomenon back in 2014. It put Charli XCX on the map internationally and made Azalea a contentious rap star. Still, it went #1 in the US and until Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj’s Say So, was the last all-female collab to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Doja Cat - Say So (Feat. Nicki Minaj)
Speaking of Say So, it’s technically a rap collab but it skirts a thin line between rap and pop so we’re going to drop it in here. Minaj is no stranger to pop collabs and she effortlessly transformed Doja’s disco-leaning cut into a number one hit, switching up the beat and taking it from the ‘70s into the ‘80s.
Ariana Grande - Get On Your Knees (Feat. Nicki Minaj)
Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj have plenty of collaborations together but this one may be our favourite. The Pinkprint highlight is a slinky album highlight that offers up icy Minaj verses alongside a heady Grande hook. It’s perfection.
Nicki Minaj - Fly (Feat. Rihanna)
Minaj and Rihanna have both appeared on each other’s albums but it was Fly from Minaj’s Pink Friday that really took flight. As Minaj was proving that she could compete in the pop world, Rihanna brought an ethereal hook to the table. It’s been almost a decade since the last Nicki and RiRi collab and we’re getting tired of waiting.
Christina Aguilera, P!NK, Mya, Lil Kim & Missy Elliott - Lady Marmalade
Chances are if you see a new female collaboration being promoted, it’s being touted as “the next Lady Marmalade”. Almost two decades later, this remains one of the finest events in pop music. The Moulin Rouge soundtrack centerpiece brought together five women from different genres. Christine Aguilera brought power, P!NK brought angst, Mya brought class and Lil Kim brought charisma. Meanwhile, Missy Elliott produced the track. Iconic.
Little Mix - How Ya Doin’ (Feat. Missy Elliott)
Missy came out from behind the decks on this Little Mix track, hopping on the mic for a colourful hit. It was taken from the girls’ debut album DNA but getting Elliott on a track so early on proved that they had the steam to keep it going. Since then, they’ve collaborated with Nicki Minaj, Stormzy, Jason Derulo and more.
Eve - Let Me Blow Ya Mind (Feat. Gwen Stefani)
Any ‘90s kid knows this one as soon as the beat hits and Eve raps, “Drop your glasses, shake your asses.” Stefani had stepped out of No Doubt ready to launch a solo career while Eve was one of the hottest rappers in the game. The mutual momentum made for an unstoppable collab. So good that they came together years later on Stefani’s Rich Girl.
Beyonce - MY POWER (Feat. Tierra Whack)
From Nicki Minaj to Megan Thee Stallion, Bey is no stranger to a female rap collab, when she’s not dropping bars herself. On last year’s Lion King companion The Gift, she gave the spotlight to Tierra Whack who wipes the floor with her opening verse and hook on this song. Bey then arrives later on with a powerful mission statement - “My power they’ll never take.”
Christina Aguilera - Can’t Hold Us Down (Feat. Lil Kim)
Christina Aguilera’s Stripped record is indebted to hip-hop and she invited Lil Kim into the mix on this hard-as-nails song. Can’t Hold Us Down is a feminist anthem that got right into people’s faces in the best way. Kim’s verse is absolutely iconic as she questions, “Here’s something I can’t understand / If a guy has three girls he’s the man...but if a girl does the same she’s a w***e?”
Charli XCX - Lipgloss (Feat. Cupcakke)
Charli XCX and Cupcakke have one of the most fruitful relationships of modern pop music but this is where it all started out. Fans suggested Charli hit up Cupcakke and it eventuated in this Number 1 Angel cut. Charli takes the sugary sweet hook while Cupcakke hits us with NSFW verses that would get any crowd rowdy.
Cardi B - Ring (Feat. Kehlani)
Cardi and Kehlani were mutual fans before this song came to be and it just so happens that their chemistry is magnetic. This Invasion Of Privacy highlight took Cardi briefly from hip-hop to explore an R&B/pop hybrid - Kehlani’s wheelhouse.
Dua Lipa - IDGAF (Feat. Saweetie)
This one may have flown under the radar but we’re here to pull it out from the vault. Dua Lipa’s IDGAF got a late update from Saweetie just as the pair were blowing up. They’re both superstars now but back then they were simply teaming up to bid a bitter farewell to a bad boyfriend.
Melanie Martinez - Copy Cat (Feat. Tierra Whack)
Melanie Martinez and Tierra Whack are both oddballs in their respective genres so it makes sense that together they’re a match made in heaven. Copy Cat was a standalone drop released earlier in the year. It’s a wonky pop song that sees Whack come through with a verse that drips charisma.
Normani & Megan Thee Stallion - Diamonds
The new Queen of rap and the new Queen of pop, together on a showstopper from the Birds Of Prey single. Megan comes through with the bars, as always, but don’t rule out Normani either who delivers some fierce raps throughout the track as well as that delectable hook.
