Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez, professionally known as Ivy Queen or “La Caballota,” has reigned as the “Queen of Reggaeton,” for over 20 years. The woman is a well-respected legend in the Spanish music industry as she paved the way for many well-known mainstream female artists today.
Ivy Queen, the first female member of underground rap group, The Noise.
Queen first stepped into the world of music when she was only 18 years old; she joined the underground rap group The Noise as the only female member. Though she received a lot of criticism for her “masculine” voice, she quickly made a name for herself as she astonished the world with her lyricism and rap skills.
However, it wasn’t until Queen released the Diva album in 2003 that she finally rose to fame, particularly with the feminist anthem “Yo Quiero Bailar.” As mentioned in my previous blog, Queen grew tired of the violent and sexual content within the music scene and decided to include themes of female empowerment and a female perspective within her music.
Queen, one of the first female Spanish rappers, continues to prove that women are more than capable of not only rap but also conquer male-dominated genres such as reggaeton.
(Originally published in Reggaeton Ambiente.)