With her debut album Yaa Asantewaa, Eno Barony introduced a new style and standard of lyricism to Ghana’s hip hop landscape. Throughout the title track and the album’s entirety, Eno embodies the spirit of the 19th century Ashanti Queen Mother — letting rappers in the industry there were now new laws and a new king in the game. Her transformative contributions to the continent’s hip hop catalogue were recognised in 2020 by the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) award for Best Best Female Rap Act in Africa. 

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In 2021, Eno (also known as the Rap Goddess and the King of Queens) released her second album Ladies First and once again transformed the game with her woman-centred and focused sophomore project. From start to finish, Eno is joined by fellow Ghanaian female rappers and singers to capture the complexity of Ghanaian womanhood and society. Ladies First embodies “hip hop as a form of cultural resistance that…present[s] challenges to patriarchy, gender norms, and the politics of respectability.” 

The album’s first and award-winning track, “God Is a Woman,” featuring Ghanaian singer and songwriter Efya, sets the album’s tone and pace. Letting listeners know this is the birth of a new era and that women were taking the game to a different dimension, Eno proclaims that she’s entering every lane, even though it’s a man’s world and she entered without a passport. 

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In addition to her lyrical dexterity and agility, Eno’s sound and style honours the multidimensionality of Ghanaian hip hop culture which has evolved significantly from its predecessor, hiplife. From the reggae-dancehall vibes of “My Dear” featuring AK Songstress, to the heartful, gospel-inspired sound and message of “Aseda” and the highlife-fused women’s anthem “Enough Is Enough” featuring Wendy Shay, Eno doesn’t shy away from showcasing her knowledge and mastery of Ghanaian popular music at-large. The album’s bonus track is worthy of praise and a moment to pause and appreciate the diversity and audacity of Ghana’s female hip hop artists.

Featuring Dedebah, GRiiA, Erza Tamaa, and Queen Bars, Eno starts off “Up & Running” by asking the men to step aside so these ladies can bust it. Eno then steps aside and Dedebah picks up the mic and moves through her verse with the heart of a lion. She’s then followed by GRiiA, Queen Bars, and Erza Tamaa who lyrically flex their skills and make space for each other as rising rappers in a musical landscape shifting from its male dominance. Across the continent, female rappers are in conversation with each other and the Diaspora — writing themselves into hip hop’s history and expanding on a legacy of collaboration going as far back as Pauletta and Tanya Winley’s 1979 classic “Rhymin’ & Rappin’.” Rappers MissPru DJ, Gigi LaMayne, and Rosa Ree are among several prominent African female rappers who have joined forces to shake up the industry with rhymes and raps that are uncompromisingly artful and woman-centred.

“Up & Running” entices listeners to explore music from the growing and diversifying hip hop landscape. The artists featured, and other artists such as Br3nya, Feli Nuna, Freda Rhymz, Ohemaa Dadao, offer their own style and contribution to a larger history and legacy of women in the music industry. Dr. Ramey-Amoah says: 

The ‘Her-story’ of women in the music industry has traveled…from Highlife to Burger Highlife, Afro-Rock, and Reggae to Hiplife. Contemporary female artists have strived to carve a niche for themselves in the industry, blazing the trail for future women musicians. Without any hesitation, female artists have continued to use their musical platform to address pertinent issues affecting women. They have couched it in such a way that people can relate to them. They have created, integrated, and revolutionized the music industry, and affected society by telling the woman’s story through songs.

Ghana’s female rappers, in particular, have carved a niche for themselves within the hip hop industry and are using their platforms to discuss friendships, romantic relationships, sexuality, gender expression, sexual violence, spirituality, and societal values (and the contradictions and limitations they present for women across the country). Ladies First, as a body of work, exemplifies a level of creativity and commentary necessary for the genre and society at-large.

“Let those who never believed bare witness that being a female is not a weakness.”

 - Eno Barony, The Next Chapter

Beyond Ladies First, Eno declares it “Eno Barony season” in one of her latest singles, “The Next Chapter.” Having won at this year’s 3Music Awards and the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, she has every right to do so. The years to come prove to be filled with more music and more wins for Eno, who currently wears the crown as Ghana’s Rap Goddess.