Watch the queen conquer: MC Lyte, Quay Dash, the cast of 'Rap Sh!t' | Louder Than A Riot, S2E10

Watch the queen conquer: MC Lyte, Quay Dash, the cast of 'Rap Sh!t' | Louder Than A Riot, S2E10 with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, live, performance, tiny desk, tiny desk concert, tony desk, tiny concert

Over the last nine episodes, Louder Than A Riot has tackled the unwritten rules of rap that hold the whole culture back. For the show's finale, we dig into the root of all those rules: the scarcity mindset. It's the belief that access and resources are so limited for those marginalized in hip-hop that you have to fight tooth and nail for them, and that only one can make it to the top at a time. "There can only be one queen bitch. That's why the girls be arguing all the time," says rapper and actress KaMillion. "That's how we're programmed."

So, for the mother of all rules, it's the mother of all episodes, as we ask hip-hop professionals how the scarcity mindset impacts their art and their lives. First, music journalist, professor and author Kathy Iandoli and the legendary MC Lyte break down the lineage of scarcity for women in the game. Then, Aida Osman and KaMillion share how the show they co-star on, HBO's Rap Sh!t, is tackling scarcity head on, while New York rapper Quay Dash explains using her work to create abundance. And finally, the entire Louder team gathers to say goodbye, as scarcity comes for us, too.

Illustration by Amanda Howell Whitehurst.

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LOUDER THAN A RIOT’s second season unpacks just how deeply misogynoir is embedded in the fabric of the hip-hop culture that we love. How did issues of masculinity play into the tensions between ILoveMakonnen and Drake, or Saucy Santana and the industry? How did Rico Nasty's community mobilize for her when she was targeted by Playboi Carti fans? Why did Megan Thee Stallion's reputation get put on the stand for a trial where she was the victim? And why does the culture antagonize rap beefs that reinforce the idea there can only be one queen of rap?

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