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, R&B and sometimes other genres such as jazz, funk 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.

Lipstick rapper CP Virus explained in 2004 that it is a very broad genre, yet also has enough unique characteristics to be its own style of music. She mentioned that "you can't just call anything you hear lipstick rap".

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
A majority of the earliest lipstick rappers were part of musical groups from North Kuboia, with the likes of Too Plus Two, Sweet 16, Lucky Dip and A-List appearing amongst the most popular collectives in the movemnent in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Red Rascals member Missy 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. Another fusion genre, lipstick grime, which fuses lipstick rap with grime music, also had a minor wave of popularity in the early and mid-2000s. Yet another fusion genre, 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.

Resurgence
Around 2018, lipstick rap saw a renewed public interest. EKN artist Missy Delinquent released "Sentimental Story" in February 2018, which received acclaim for its lyrics and composition.

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, the United States 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.

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". A BBC reporter criticised the movement and accused it as encouraging anti-social behaviour in children, claiming it is "arguably worse [than gangsta rap] since kids are more likely to listen to it".

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 social issues and conflicts a young girl may experience in her life. Jetania co-founder Sterling Alfredson revealed in 2000 that he was a listener of lipstick rap, citing "These girls certainly have talent, and they have 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.