Lipstick rap

Lipstick rap is a subgenre and cultural movement that originated in the northern region of Kuboia during the mid 1990s. The genre fuses hip hop and rapping with elements of youth-orientated genres like teen pop and bubblegum pop. It is usually performed by and marketed towards pre-teen and teenage girls.

Lipstick rap has its origins from around the mid 1990s, having relations to social shacks and community-based radio stations. It peaked in popularity around 1999-2000 before seeing a decline around the mid 2000s, though it maintains a cult following.

Characteristics
As a subgenre, lipstick rap fuses hip hop and funk music with genres such as teen pop, R&B and bubblegum pop. Instrumentals often feature disc scratching sounds, electronic guitars and pianos, and the tempo is usually between 90 and 100 beats per minute. Lyrics are usually about teenage rebellion and social issues young people face, though rarely talk about very mature subject matters in order to appeal to a younger audience. Vocals are prominently rap, though also often feature melodic hooks.

Lipstick rapper CP Virus explained in 2004 that it is a very broad genre and can depend on personal taste, especially since not all hip hop musicians from Kuboia are necessarily lipstick rappers.

Early history
Lipstick rap has its origins through social shacks and community radio. Teenagers, typically girls, would often spend their free time recording music, typically by paying for recording sessions with money they earned from part-time jobs. A majority would write and perform lyrics over instrumentals from the Free Beats series of compilation discs that were released in the mid 1990s. In 1997, Vision News produced a documentary about teenage girls who had released their music on white label records.

Lipstick rap was also influenced by female media personalities who released hip hop-orientated songs throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, such as Antonia Morales, Chloe Wallace, Naomi Karma and Sharlie Deem. The soundtrack to the television series Ouraine, performed by Emily Merletta, has also been credited as influencing the movement.

Mainstream success
The first lipstick rappers to gain mainsteam attention were Missy Robins and CP Virus, who had multiple top ten hits on the Karuboia charts. Robins' 1997 single "Find a Way" was the first lipstick rap song to gain mainstream attention, whilst Virus's single "What's Going On?" was the first under the subgenre to chart at number one.

Another wave of new artists came during the early 2000s with Aourine Esthers, Little Bee, GoGo Girl, Sweet 16, Stella C and Iroune Ruby. Ericka Streets incorporated lipstick rap into her music and thus was often credited as being a lipstick rapper.

Decline
Lipstick rap began to decline around 2005, with many lipstick rappers either decreasing their productivity, shifting to more danceable genres like eurodance or having difficulty finding commercial success. In spite of this, the genre continued to see some success in the mid 2000s through acts such as Stella C and Amy-Elizabeth.

Many sources cite the death of Ericka Streets in November 2010 as the true decline of lipstick rap music, though other sources have disputed this.

Revival
Lipstick rap saw a revival in the late 2010s through a wave of new artists such as Flavia, Missy Delinquent and Tashi.

Magenta mixtape
In lipstick rap terminology, a magenta mixtape is generally used to describe an independently released single typically containing two unique tracks and multiple different versions or remixes of each track, and sold at a cheaper price than the average single. They were typically released in the late 1990s and early 2000s by independent lipstick rappes to gain recognition, and are recognisable via their magenta-coloured label. The term was coined by Missy Robins in 1997 when she released "Find a Way" on a custom-made pink labelled maxi CD. Some teen pop artists influenced by lipstick rap have also released magenta mixtapes.

Culture and influence
Lipstick rap is largely associated with the "karoul" stereotype given a majority of its fans are younger women and girls from well-off backgrounds. It has also been reported, on numerous occasions, that many fans of the subgenre are part of the LGBT community.

Although lipstick rap is performed mostly by young girls, there are a few of the opposite gender. Male lipstick rappers include Zeke Kattenby, T.o.P and Little Kix.

Lipstick rap has seen a few small followings in international regions outside of Europe, including Australia, Brazil, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

Lipstick metal
Lipstick metal, which fuses lipstick rap with nu metal and rap rock, had minor popularity in the early 2000s, with some lipstick metal artists such as Jessie Dred and Lollipopz receiving airplay on American active rock radio.