List of best-selling female rappers

Nicki Minaj is the best-selling female rapper of all time, with over 100 million records sold.

The following is a list of the best-selling female rappers of all time, based on sales of albums and singles. As of 2016, traditional sales have been combined with streaming and digital downloads, making up album-equivalent units.

Best-selling female rappers worldwide

Artist Country of origin Year of first certified record 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


8.35 million
 45 million[23]
Doja Cat United States 2020[24] 45 4


108.37 million
 34 million (2018–2022)[29]
Missy Elliott United States 1997[30] 74 6


30.31 million
 30 million[29]
Lauryn Hill United States 1998[32] 20 1


26.34 million
 20 million[33][34]
Cardi B United States 2017 45 1


132.26 million
 16.925 million[35]

Best-selling albums from female rappers worldwide

Release year Album Artist Reported sales References
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 4.662 million (2021–2022) [43]
2010 Pink Friday Nicki Minaj 3.8 million [44]

Best-selling singles from female rappers worldwide

Sales based on claimed certifications by the RIAA in the United States.

Artist Single Released Sales
(in millions)		 Source
Nicki Minaj "Super Bass" 2011 12 [45]
Cardi B "Bodak Yellow" 2017 11 [46]
Cardi B featuring J Balvin & Bad Bunny "I Like It" 2018 11 [46]
Nicki Minaj "Starships" 2012 10 [45]
Jessie J featuring Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj "Bang Bang" 2014 10 [45]
Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B "Girls Like You" 2017 10 [46]
Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX "Fancy" 2014 9 [47]
Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea "Problem" 2014 8 [47]
Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion "WAP" 2020 8 [46]
G-Eazy feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B "No Limit" 2017 7 [46]
Lizzo "Truth Hurts" 2017 7 [48]
Doja Cat "Say So" 2020 6 [49]
Migos feat. Nicki Minaj & Cardi B "Motorsport" 2017 6 [45]
Ariana Grande feat. Nicki Minaj "Side to Side" 2016 6 [45]
Iggy Azalea featuring Rita Ora "Black Widow" 2014 5 [47]
Yo Gotti featuring Nicki Minaj "Rake It Up" 2017 5 [45]
Ciara featuring Missy Elliot "1, 2 Step" 2004 5 [50]
Big Sean featuring Nicki Minaj "Dance (A$$)" 2011 5 [45]
Doja Cat "Streets" 2019 5 [51]
Doja Cat featuring SZA "Kiss Me More" 2021 5 [49]
Lizzo "Good As Hell" 2016 5 [48]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Nicki Minaj Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "BRIT Certified - The BPI". BPI.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Les certifications". SNEP (in French).
  5. ^ a b c "CERTIFICADOS". Pro-Música Brasil.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Gold & Platinum - Music Canada". Music Canada.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Accreditations - ARIA". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Datenbank: BVMI". Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  9. ^ a b c "Certificaciones AMPROFON". AMPROFON. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  10. ^ a b c d e f *"Single Certification Search". Recording Music NZ. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Certificazioni". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (in Italian).
  12. ^ a b c "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży". ZPAV (in Polish). Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Certificeringer | IFPI". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  14. ^ a b c "Awards". Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  15. ^ a b c d "統計・認定データ | 一般社団法人 日本レコード協会 (RIAJ)". Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  16. ^ a b c d e "Trofeoversikt - IFPI - Gull og Platina". IFPI Norway (in Norwegian Bokmål).
  17. ^ a b c d *"Guld & Platina | ifpi". IFPI Sweden (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  18. ^ a b c d e "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade - hitparade.ch". Swiss Hitparade.
  19. ^ "Columbia Concerts: 9 shows to see this October, including Nicki Minaj, Method Man and Redman". The Post and Courier. September 30, 2024. Archived from the original on October 11, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  20. ^ "Lil' Kim Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | ..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
  21. ^ a b "Database | Goud, Platina & Diamant". NVPI.
  22. ^ "Lady Marmalade — Ελληνικό Chart". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 2002-02-22.
  23. ^ Skelton, Eric (August 1, 2018). "Premiere: Lil' Kim Lives a Life of Luxury in "Nasty One" Video". Complex. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  24. ^ "Doja Cat Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | ..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  25. ^ a b c "Auszeichnungen Archiv". IFPI Austria - Verband der österreichischen Musikwirtschaft (in German).
  26. ^ a b c "Goud en platina". Ultratop.
  27. ^ "Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták" [Gold and Platinum Records › Database]. Slagerlistak.
  28. ^ "RIAS Accreditations". Recording Industry Association Singapore.
  29. ^ a b "What She Says: 50 Greatest Women MCs". BET. December 8, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2025. 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.
  30. ^ "Missy Elliott Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & Mo..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
  31. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2006 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  32. ^ "Lauryn Hill Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
  33. ^ Greig, Jon. "Lauryn Hill Says She Was Called 'Crazy' For Calling Out Systemic Racism Over A Decade Ago: Now, It's 'Part Of The Mainstream Chorus'". Blavity. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  34. ^ "20 Years Since Ms. Lauryn Hill's Debut, How Much Has Changed?". Paper. June 29, 2018. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  35. ^ semple, Isaac (2025-05-04). "How many records has Cardi B sold?". Hip Hop Hero. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  36. ^ Worldwide sales figures for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill as of 2023.
  37. ^ Worldwide sales figures for Invasion of Privacy as of August, 2025.
  38. ^ Worldwide sales figures for Very Necessary as of 2020
  39. ^ Worldwide sales figures for Under Construction as of 2019.
  40. ^ "A History of the Female Rapper". BET.
  41. ^ Worldwide sales figures for The Notorious K.I.M as of 2016.
  42. ^ Worldwide sales figures for Hard Core as of 2016.
  43. ^ Worldwide sales figures for Planet Her as of 2022.
  44. ^ Worldwide sales figures for Pink Friday as of 2012.
  45. ^ a b c d e f g "Gold & Platinum – RIAA (Nicki Minaj)". RIAA. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  46. ^ a b c d e "Gold & Platinum – RIAA (Cardi B)". RIAA. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  47. ^ a b c "Gold & Platinum – RIAA (Iggy Azalea)". RIAA. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  48. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum – RIAA (Lizzo)". RIAA. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  49. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum – RIAA (Doja Cat)". RIAA. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  50. ^ "Gold & Platinum – RIAA (Missy Elliot)". RIAA. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  51. ^ "Doja Cat - Streets". RIAA. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
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