La' Chat

Where most female artists in the rap game often boast more impressive looks than MC skills, La' Chat represented a new style of female rapper — the female thug rapper. Following the precedent set by fellow female thug rappers from the South — Mia X and Gangsta Boo — Chat broke through as a member of an established clique (Three 6 Mafia) and represented a feminine point of view. Yet Chat didn't rap about Prada like Foxy Brown, never resorted to overt sleaze like Lil Kim, and wouldn't even bother with crossover tactics like Eve. No, Chat represented the ghetto with pride. She raps about street politics, drug dealing, casual sex, and staying true to the thug life. Her breakthrough came on Project Pat's "Chickenhead," one of the first Three 6 Mafia-produced songs to get national airplay. She then reprised her role as the feminine foil on Three 6 Mafia's "Baby Mama" from the Baby Boy soundtrack. These two impressive performances set the stage for her debut album, Murder She Spoke, which appeared in late 2001.