Ladies Night: The Best Female Collabs
Through the disease, disaster, and scandal cocktail that is 2020, the brightest silver lining has been the onslaught of phenomenal women teaming up and storming the charts. Especially exciting was the history made in May, with four black women occupying Billboard’s top two spots for the first time.
Contrary to what Lana Del Rey might think, women have been singing about taboo topics since the dawn of American popular music in the form of jazz in the 1920’s (see: Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, etc.). They’ve been scorned and slandered for their expression long before Ms. Del Rey was a twinkle in the industry’s eye. In genres from soul to rap, women have utilized the medium of music to reflect on their femininity, sex, and complicated relationships. And for a heaping dose of f-you, sometimes they bring their friends. Here are some of my favorite female collaborations, pre-2012:
No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) - Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand (1979)
If you like disco, this is perhaps the apex of musical achievement. If you think you don’t like disco but you like pop, you should at the very least appreciate this song—modern pop derives much of its energy from disco, as well as its fusion of bombastic instrumentals with techno sounds. Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand on the same track is nothing short of legendary, as they set the stage for all the pop girls that followed. The late 70’s had a breadth of genres flourishing, while subsequent decades saw mass trend consolidation on the charts. Popstar collaborations like this became scarce until the 90’s.
Whatta Man - Salt-N-Pepa & En Vogue (1993)
The success of En Vogue’s first album in 1992 kicked off the black female vocal group genre in the 90’s (see: Destiny’s Child, Blaque, SWV, Xscape, Total, 702) and they remain one of the world’s best selling girl groups. Teaming up with the premier female rappers of their day may seem like a natural move for stars today, but Whatta Man was one of the first of its kind. The song set the standard for rap songs featuring an R&B/pop star on the chorus, à la Eve and Gwen Stefani’s Let Me Blow Ya Mind or Cardi B and SZA’s I Do. So whenever Beyoncé teams up with Nicki or Meg for a superstar collab, you know who to thank.
Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix) - Lil’ Kim, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Da Brat, Angie Martinez, and Missy Elliott (1996)
This is verifiably the biggest and best female posse cut. In a desert starved of big rap collaborations between women, Ladies Night was the oasis. Five (5!) female rappers disrupted the Death Row/Bad Boy Records monopoly on collab tracks. Lil’ Kim was finally able to stop being that one woman rapper in the Junior M.A.F.I.A. crew and lead one of her own. It also had the most celeb-stacked video this side of Bad Blood, featuring a ton of the previously mentioned 90’s vocal groups, Queen Latifah, T-Boz, and Mary J. Blige.
When You Believe - Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey (1998)
The Definitive Diva Duet. An unbelievable match up of vocal titans. Whether you think this track from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack is transcendent or pure sap, the power of two of the world’s most esteemed vocalists at the height of their respective careers is undeniable.
I Used To Love Him - Lauryn Hill & Mary J. Blige (1998)
The pain of these two women has created more timeless classics than almost any other artists. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is an all around near perfect album, and this is one of the most touching falling-out-of-love songs. Raw, metaphorical, and beautifully harmonized, it’s essential listening for anyone bleeding out the poison of heartbreak.
The Boy Is Mine - Brandy & Monica (1998)
The greatest musical catfight of all time. While our 2020 sensibilities scoff at pitting women against each other over a man, Brandy and Monica did it in a positively irresistible way. This song is filled to the brim with battling vocal runs that elevated the standard for the vocal quality of “teen” music.
Same Script, Different Cast - Whitney Houston & Deborah Cox (2000)
Essentially the big girl version of The Boy Is Mine, this track features Whitney as the scorned woman and Deborah as her man’s new girl. Whitney warns Deborah that the man is a scrub, Deborah is blinded by love, rinse and repeat. It’s severely underrated given the amazing vocals and depth of the material, particularly notable to me for how it reads as a Broadway musical-esque verbal battle between the two.
Lady Marmalade - Lil’ Kim, Christina Aguilera, P!nk, and Mya (2001)
The most predictable song on a list of this kind, this lineup is the only way a Patti Labelle track should ever dare to be touched. Made for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, the video was all bombastic production and burlesque aesthetics, featuring opulence and glamour and garter belts galore. It also made Lil’ Kim the first female rapper to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 13 years later, Bang Bang used the same key ingredients for success—the Loud, Soulful One (Christina/P!nk v. Jessie J), The Reigning Queen of Rap (Lil’ Kim v. Nicki Minaj), and the Sweet Soprano (Mya v. Ariana). Its mini-sequel Can’t Hold Us Down from Kim and Christina in 2002 was also a spectacular call out of gendered double standards.
VMA Tribute to Madonna - Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott, and Madonna (2003)
Fun fact: the audio from this performance is actually on Spotify! And rightfully so, as one of the most infamous performances in pop culture history. Former Mouseketeers Britney and Christina had already broken out of their virginal teen queen molds and told the world they, respectively, “weren’t that innocent” and “dirrty.” Honoring Madonna, they emulate the sexual girlishness of Like A Virgin, poking fun at their own images as media Lolitas in a scene mimicking Madonna’s own 1984 VMA debut. Miss Blond Ambition herself then comes out in a tuxedo to match, a reflection of her career-long exploration of gender and sex. Madonna French kisses the successors to her pop throne. The cameraman goes down in history as extremely ruthless by cutting to Britney’s ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, immediately after she is kissed. Missy Elliott comes out and the world parties. Legendary.
Beautiful Liar - Beyoncé & Shakira (2006)
In the anti-The Boy Is Mine, Beyoncé, Shakira, and their supernatural hips join forces to vanquish a two-timer over the perfect storm of R&B/Latin/Middle Eastern inspired beats and instrumentation. Challenging the abundance of songs in the early 2000’s featuring scorned women getting revenge on cheaters (Hit ‘Em Up Style, Bust Your Windows, Before He Cheats), they decide to “go high” and move on, declaring “it's not worth the drama / for a beautiful liar.” The video’s dance break is also a feat of cinematic achievement:
Telephone - Lady Gaga & Beyoncé (2010)
Often (rightfully) acclaimed for the star vocals and pulpy video, the best part about Telephone was its musical positioning: it met the R&B inspired pop of the 00’s with the electronic pop that would dominate the 2010’s. Telephone was the Switzerland of pop ideology. But the power of the cinematic, campy video can’t be understated. It’s a fascinating ode to pop culture, complete with sex, murder, and product placements. What more can I say that the stuffed-to-the-brim video doesn’t already?
Bonus: Your Crowning Glory - Julie Andrews & Raven Symoné (2004)
From one of the greatest films ever made, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, this duet crossed generations and genres to definitively become the number one most empowering song of all time.
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