The following is a list of the best-sellingfemale rappers of all time, based on sales of albums and singles. As of 2016,traditional sales have been combined withstreaming anddigital downloads, making upalbum-equivalent units.
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| Artist | Country of origin | Year of first recording certification | Singles | Studio albums | Total certified units(from available markets) | Reported sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicki Minaj | Trinidad & Tobago | 2009[1] | 136 | 5 | 179.5 million
| 100 million[19] |
| Lil' Kim | United States | 1996[20] | 36 | 5 | 45 million[23] | |
| Doja Cat | United States | 2020[24] | 45 | 4 | 109.14 million
| 34 million[29] |
| Missy Elliott | United States | 1997[30] | 74 | 6 | 30 million[29] | |
| Lauryn Hill | United States | 1998[32] | 20 | 1 | 20 million[33][34] | |
| Cardi B | United States | 2017 | 45 | 2 | 132.26 million
| 16.925 million[35] |
| Year | Album | Artist | Sales | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | Lauryn Hill | 20 million | [36] |
| 2018 | Invasion of Privacy | Cardi B | 7.1 million | [37] |
| 1993 | Very Necessary | Salt-N-Pepa | 7 million | [38] |
| 1999 | Da Real World | Missy Elliott | 6 million | [39] |
| 1996 | Ill Na Na | Foxy Brown | 6 million | [40] |
| 2000 | The Notorious K.I.M. | Lil' Kim | 5.1 million | [41] |
| 1996 | Hard Core | Lil' Kim | 5 million | [42] |
| 2021 | Planet Her | Doja Cat | 4.6 million | [43] |
| 2012 | Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded | Nicki Minaj | 4 million | [44] |
| 2010 | Pink Friday | Nicki Minaj | 3.8 million | [45] |
| 2014 | The New Classic | Iggy Azalea | 3 million | [46] |
Sales based on claimedcertifications by the RIAA in the United States.
| Artist | Single | Released | Certified sales (in millions) | Source | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardi B | "Bodak Yellow" | 2017 | 13 | [47] | |||||
| Nicki Minaj | "Super Bass" | 2011 | 12 | [48] | Cardi B featuringJ Balvin &Bad Bunny | "I Like It" | 2018 | 11 | [47] |
| Nicki Minaj | "Starships" | 2012 | 10 | [48] | |||||
| Jessie J featuringAriana Grande & Nicki Minaj | "Bang Bang" | 2014 | 10 | [48] | |||||
| Maroon 5 featuringCardi B | "Girls Like You" | 2017 | 10 | [47] | |||||
| Iggy Azalea featuringCharli XCX | "Fancy" | 2014 | 9 | [49] | |||||
| Ariana Grande featuringIggy Azalea | "Problem" | 2014 | 8 | [49] | |||||
| Cardi B featuringMegan Thee Stallion | "WAP" | 2020 | 8 | [47] | |||||
| G-Eazy feat.A$AP Rocky &Cardi B | "No Limit" | 2017 | 7 | [47] | |||||
| Lizzo | "Truth Hurts" | 2017 | 7 | [50] | |||||
| Doja Cat | "Say So" | 2020 | 6 | [51] | |||||
| Migos feat. Nicki Minaj & Cardi B | "Motorsport" | 2017 | 6 | [48] | |||||
| Ariana Grande feat. Nicki Minaj | "Side to Side" | 2016 | 6 | [48] | |||||
| Iggy Azalea featuringRita Ora | "Black Widow" | 2014 | 5 | [49] | |||||
| Yo Gotti featuringNicki Minaj | "Rake It Up" | 2017 | 5 | [48] | |||||
| Ciara featuringMissy Elliot | "1, 2 Step" | 2004 | 5 | [52] | |||||
| Big Sean featuringNicki Minaj | "Dance (A$$)" | 2011 | 5 | [48] | |||||
| Doja Cat | "Streets" | 2019 | 5 | [53] | |||||
| Doja Cat featuringSZA | "Kiss Me More" | 2021 | 5 | [51] | |||||
| Lizzo | "Good As Hell" | 2016 | 5 | [50] |
With over 34 million records sold since 2018, Doja Cat turned a novelty moment into a stratospheric career in music while never letting her superstardom supersede her passion for hip hop culture." "If someone said Missy Elliott is the greatest rapper of all time, even if you disagreed, it's impossible not to understand. She's sold over 30 million records. All six of her albums have reached platinum status.