From Charli Baltimore to Queen Pen to Solé: Where Are the ’90s, Early ’00s Female Hip-Hop Rappers Are Today!

In the 90s and early 2000s, Walkmans and CD players and radio airwaves were dominated by a specific brand of feminine fire. Whether it was Charli Baltimore’s “cold as ice” flow, Queen Pen’s Brooklyn grit or Solé’s sensually explicit bars you could’ve played at “4, 5” or “6” in the morning, these female rappers weren’t just background characters in a male dominated industry, they were part of the blueprint. But the industry shifted. The lights dimmed. And many of these queens walked away from the booth. Decades later, they haven’t just “disappeared,” they evolved. Here’s what some of your favorite female hip-hop rappers from those glory days have been up to long after the beat dropped.

THEN: Charli Baltimore

Philadelphia’s own Tiffany Jarmon stepped into the booth and emerged as Charli Baltimore, a name inspired by “The Long Kiss Goodnight’s” cinematic assassin played by Geena Davis and a presence that was just as lethal in the mid-90s.

Charli Baltimore quickly proved she was far more than a gorgeous face. The Grammy Award-nominated artist was a razor-sharp lyricist who traded bars with rap titans like Ghostface Killah on 1999’s “Stand Up,” holding her own with a cold, calculated flow before taking her talents to Murder Inc. Records in 2001.

NOW: Charli Baltimore

After surviving a harrowing 2017 health scare where a rare bone infection nearly cost her a leg and her life, she didn’t just recover, she reinvented herself as a powerhouse executive behind the scenes, serving as the president of her own label, BMB Entertainment.

Today, the 51-year-old icon is often seen championing the careers of the next generation, including her two daughters India and Siaani, who have carved out their own lanes in the modeling and DJ worlds.

THEN: Rah Digga

During an era when female rappers were often marketed as vixens, Newark’s Rashia Fisher, better known as Rah Digga, was the undisputed “rapper’s rapper.” She was discovered by Q-Tip while performing eight-months pregnant and was quickly recruited as the first lady of Busta Rhymes’ Flipmode Squad. She brought a husky-voiced, lyrical finesse that could out-rap any man in any room at anytime.

Her 2000 gold-certified debut album “Dirty Harriet” remains a masterpiece of technical skill, fueled by anthems “Imperial” and “Tight.”

NOW: Rah Digga

While Digga still hits the road for major events like the Rock The Bells Cruise, her primary mission has shifted from the charts to the classroom.

In 2015, she founded the Lyrics Matter Foundation to provide music education, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) workshops and entrepreneurial skills from Newark to Taiwan teaching young people that hip-hop is an entrepreneurial engine and a tool for mental discipline.

THEN: Amil

Amil’s entry into the history books was the ultimate “right place, right time” flex. When JAY-Z needed a female voice to anchor his 1998 track, “Can I Get A…,” Amil was just a member of the all-female trio Major Coinz hanging out in the studio. One impromptu freestyle later, she didn’t just land the feature, she secured her spot as the first lady of Roc-A-Fella Records.

Amil, known for her signature laid-back and monotone flow, was damn near inescapable in the late ’90s with back-to-back features, including “Hey Papi” (2000) and “Nigga What, Nigga Who” (1999).

NOW: Amil

After famously walking away from the Roc at the height of its power, she spent years dodging “blackballed” rumors, only to emerge with a powerful truth: she simply didn’t want the fame.

In a 2014 interview with VIBE, Amil admitted she “started to rebel” against “the industry because it’s not what I wanted. I hated traveling. I wasn’t at after-parties or the club. Also, at the time, my son’s asthma, [who was] 5 [or] 6 years old at the time, was getting worse and no one was there for him. I had to be there for him.”

Amil’s last single, “Remember” was released in 2014 and today, the 52-year-old lives a private life.

THEN: Shawnna

Shawnna disturbed the peace and had no problem doing so!

The daughter of blues legend Buddy Guy, the Chicago native traded the guitar for a rapid-fire, gritty flow that could outpace the best in the business. After signing as the first female artist to Ludacris’ Disturbing tha Peace record label, she became a chart-topping force alongside Luda with their 2003 smash “Stand Up” and solo hits “Gettin’ Some” (2005) and “Shake Dat Sh**” (2004).

NOW: Shawnna

In 2026, Shawnna reclaimed the Guy family legacy by trading major-label politics for the life of a mogul. After a deliberate hiatus to prioritize her family, most notably being a fierce #SpecialNeedsMom for her “SONSHINE! My purpose! DUDAMAN a.k.a DuWop!!!,” Shawnna returned to music as her own boss.

Under her newly minted Guy Entertainment Group, she dropped single “Counterfeit” from her collaborative project with Lstreetz in 2025, proving that her pen is just as lethal when she’s the one signing the checks!

THEN: Queen Pen

A party ain’t a party ’til Queen Pen came through and she kicked down the hip-hop gates with a verse that helped defined a decade. Discovered by Teddy Riley at an IHOP restaurant in Virginia Beach, the Brooklyn native became the feminine backbone of Blackstreet and Dr. Dre’s 1996 track “No Diggity.”

By the time her debut album “My Melody” dropped in 1997, she was a household name who delivered R&B-infused street anthems like “All My Love” (1998) and “Party Ain’t a Party” (1998).

NOW: Queen Pen

Turns out, Queen Pen’s stage name was really a prophecy all along! After stepping away from music, she reinvented herself as a domestic violence awareness advocate and author in the urban literature world, VH1 reported.

Beyond the page, Queen Pen is a dedicated community leader, serving on the board for Children of Promise, who serves children of incarcerated parents. She also mentors incarcerated youth at Rikers Island, according to a 2015 interview with The Hip Hop Diva.

THEN: Solé

After a scene-stealing appearance on JT Money’s “Who Dat” in 1999, which reached No. 1 on the US Rap chart and stayed there for eight 8 weeks (a record at the time), Solé released her gold-certified debut “Skin Deep” and had the game in a chokehold.

Backed by the production magic of Tricky Stewart, the “4, 5, 6” emcee became the face of a sophisticated brand of hardcore rap, blending a sharp, confident flow with a visual presence that was nothing short of regal.

NOW: Solé

The artist once known as Solé has fully transformed into Aja Shah, a spiritual guide and wellness practitioner who traded the chaos of the music industry for a path of high-vibration healing. After a decade-long marriage to R&B crooner Ginuwine, Solé found a new forever with Public Enemy’s Professor Griff.

As the temple guide of the Goddess Temple of Love and the creator of Devi Tribe Wellness, she now uses her voice to empower women through yoga, meditation and sacred sisterhood. The mother of four daughters also released a second album, “Encoded,” in September 2019.

THEN: Jacki-O

While critics tried to compare Jacki-O to fellow Miami rapper Trina and Philly’s Khia, the self-proclaimed Madam of Miami carved out a lane that was strictly her own. With a gritty, street-certified flow and unapologetic persona oozing with sex appeal, Jacki-O didn’t just join the southern rap explosion of the early 2000s, she helped set it ablaze.

She dominated the mid-2000s with “Nookie (Real Good),” “Break You Off” featuring Jazze Pha and “Fine” featuring the Ying Yang Twins, and became the face of Poe Boy Entertainment.

NOW: Jacki-O

After retiring her hip-hop persona in 2014, Jacki-O underwent a profound spiritual transformation, trading the stage for scriptures. “So very thankful to God for having a calling upon my life and saving me. My life was predestined and predicated for his will, and Im truly honored to serve him:),” she wrote in a November 2014 Facebook post.

In 2023, she posted a picture on Facebook holding a Bible, and her posts often include Bible verses and encouraging messages to her 10K followers.

“From Rap to Restoration! Join me on this journey as we take in depth steps to be healed from hurt, severed from soul ties and redeemed from ridicule! If God be for us who can stand against us?!,” her Facebook bio declared.

THEN: Vita

LaVita Raynor didn’t just join a record label, she helped build an empire. First catching the industry’s eye as the gum-snapping Kionna in the 1998 classic “Belly,” the New Jersey native (and younger sister to Total’s Kima) brought a rugged, yet high-fashion energy to Murder Inc. Records.

As the label’s first female signee, she became the “raw” counterpoint to Ashanti’s “sweet,” anchoring massive hits like Ja Rule’s “Put It on Me” (2000) and the Grammy-nominated “Down 4 U” two years later.

NOW: Vita

After navigating the politics of the Murder Inc. era, she successfully pivoted into entrepreneurship. Post-Murder Inc., Vita briefly aligned with rapper The Game’s Black Wall Street Records in 2012 and released an independent mixtape while creating a line of lingerie.

Last June, she reunited with with Ja Rule, Charli Baltimore and Lloyd for a tribute to the late Irv Gotti at Hot 97’s Summer Jam. Today, the 50-year-old is still active on Instagram and has appeared in projects “Blue Sombrero” (2005) and “The Games We Play” (2008).