Lipstick rap

Lipstick rap is a subgenre and cultural movement that originated in the northern region of Kuboia during the late 1990s. The genre fuses hip hop and rapping with elements of youth-orientated genres like teen pop and bubblegum pop, tempos usually range from 95 to 105 bpm and lyrics are typically about rebellion and self-consciousness. It is usually performed and marketed towards pre-teen and teenage girls.

Lipstick rap reached its peak around the year 2000. Controversial during its height of popularity, the subgenre was criticised for supposedly encouraging wreckless and anti-social behaviour, whilst others considered the term sexist and/or misleading. Lipstick rap also received some defence, with some arguing it opens up hip hop to more audiences and is more welcoming and appropriate than other forms of hip hop.

Lipstick rap as a genre began to decline during the late 2000s, although it still maintains a significant fanbase. In 2018, Uroika Mabus stated "it's not dead, it's just gone underground again".

Characteristics
As a subgenre, lipstick rap fuses old-school sounding hip hop of the 1990s and early 2000s with teen pop, funk and sometimes jazz and rock. Instrumentals often feature disc scratching sounds, electronic guitars and saxophones, and the tempo is usually around 95 beats per minute. Lyrics are usually about social and teenage rebellion and commentary on social issues. Unlike other teen-orientated genres, lyrics are rarely about love and romance. Vocals are prominently rap, though also often feature melodic and rich singing choruses.

Origins
Actresses Charlie Karma and Sharlie Deem wrote and performed some hip hop-orientated songs for the Jetanie-Kuboian animated series The New Adventures of The Sweet Treets. A news article by the BBC published in 1997 reported that Kuboian girls typically enjoyed performing freestyles during their lunch breaks and days off school.

Development
Among those credited with bringing the genre to mainstream are Missy Robins, CP Virus and Little Bee. Robins released her debut extended play, Follow the New Leader, in February 1999, and became the first musical artist to have a number one album on the Karuboia charts. Robins and CP Virus coined the term in late 1997 - Robins used the term publicly for the first time in November 1998, saying "we were all trying to work out what the best term would be, and [lipstick rap] is what we all agreed on".

Lipstick rap saw another wave of new popularity around the 2000-01 period with the likes of Uroika Mabus and Lizzie Dennison, who were signed to Bertelsmann Music Group after appearing on the television series Charlie Karma and Friends. Another surge came around 2003 with the likes of Aourine Esthers, Iroune Ruby, Louise Keys and Violet Stars, who spawned music careers after appearing in television advertisements and promotions. Kuboian television personality and singer Ericka Streets explored lipstick rap in some of her music.

Iroune Ruby fused lipstick rap with elements of eurodance in most of her early work, which led to the creation of a fusion genre, lipstick eurodance.

Fanbase
Lipstick rap has a longtime fanbase. A female-prominent fanbase, approximately 70% of the fanbase are female, with a large portion having been born in the 1990s and early 2000s. Despite being a Kuboian movement, there are also fans of the subgenre elsewhere, with smaller but passionate followings in Australia, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Fans of lipstick rap are often labelled as "karouls". Whilst some members have criticised the term as being used to degrade them, a majority of the fanbase have reclaimed the term.

LGBT and sexuality
Many media outlets have reported that the LGBT community is very strong within the lipstick rap fanbase. A survey in 2004 reported that approximately 17% of the members identified as homosexual, with approximately 23% identifying as bisexual. A moderate portion of the members stated in another survey in 2006 that they have no interest in relationships.

Criticism
Lipstick rap has faced criticism over the years, with some arguing that it promotes poor behaviour amongst young girls. A NME article argued that lipstick rap musicians "do not need to act overly egotistical and in-your-face in order to get their point across". [TBA] felt that the lipstick rap name is misleading, saying that the name implies that it is associated with lipstick lesbianism and/or lipstick feminism.

Lipstick rap fanbase
The lipstick rap fanbase have been regularly cited as being unfriendly and unwelcoming towards new and/or younger members. Reports from the mid and late 2010s claim that fans of lipstick rap dislike newer music trends and frequently degrade fans of said trends.

Praise and defence
Amrit Freeland praised lipstick rap as evolving hip hop music and opening it up to more people. She also argued against the idea that it represents impulsive and bad behaviour in girls, and that it is instead a reflection of the determination of introducing new musical and cultural styles, as well as expressing consciousness in a young person. Jetania co-founder Sterling Alfredson revealed in 2000 that he was a listener of lipstick rap, citing "These girls certainly have talent, and they haven proven that you can make rap music without swearing and being extremely sexist. If anything, they have surprassed their forefathers." Missy Robins sent Alfredson a letter thanking him for his comments.