Emmylou Harris

After WireTap blogger Biko Baker asked "Where is the Next Lauryn Hill?" last week bemoaning (what seemed like) the lack of women in rap and hip-hop, MC Invincible (interviewed in Bitch's Loud issue) wrote back suggesting dozens of female MCs from around the country. Check out her excellent list of recommendations and discover all the amazing female rappers you didn't know you were missing (I'm already hooked on New Jersey's Lady Luck).
New York female hip-hop collective ANOMOLIES
Read on for music shorts, plus new music recs and an mp3 from Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers!

My Bitch Tapes mix this week is a celebration of the punkest women out there: the women of country music. While other genres largely excluded female musicians, women country singers back in the day were a dime a dozen (thank god!) Not even poverty, abusive husbands and managers, substance abuse issues, or a male-run music industry could keep these ladies away from the mic. It was hard to whittle my list down to eight of my favorite songs, but here it is.