MUMBAI: Rapping isn’t a male prerogative anymore. Indian female rappers are not exactly taking the field  by storm, but they are certainly making a dent in the scene thus far dominated by Baba Sehgal and his ilk. Take a look at these feisty ladies who are adding their own spice to the mix.

Sofia Ashraf

1987 born Sofia Ashraf hails from Chennai and is an Tamil rapper and singer. Her songs focus on the negligence of corporations that fail to clear up industrial waste. A former creative supervisor with O&M, her song ‘Don't Work for Dow’ which was released in 2008 criticizes Dow's failure to pay compensation to victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster in India. In 2015, she released ‘Kodaikanal Won't’, a music video focusing on mercury pollution in Kodaikanal from a thermometer factory owned by Unilever.

Deane Sequeira

Deane Sequeira, born on September 28, 1996 is possibly Bollywood's youngest independent female rapper. Apart from her rap role, she is a singer, song-writer and composer. She sang 'Bezubaan' with singer Mohit Chauhan for the dance film ABCD. She has featured in 'Boat ma kukdookoo' with Mika Singh, Shivi and Rochak Kohli in ‘Welcome 2 Karachi’, 'Out of control munde' with Mika and Suzanne D'mello for 'Purani jeans' and the official mash-up of 'Luv u soniyo'.  This Goan born girl started out by recording her first English original compositions ‘Random’ when she was just 15, got signed on by Artist Aloud and released her debut hip hop-rap single. She’s been performing live since, even as she completes her studies in Mumbai.

Ish Kaur

Ishita Kaur also known as Ish Kaur, born in New Delhi, could compete with Diane for the honour of being the youngest rapper the country has seen. The Delhi girl started her career at the age of 13 by joining a student hip hop group called Gangster Soul. She has a huge fan following on YouTube and Reverbnation, works individually and takes music as her only love in life. She mostly raps about teenage life, but her lyrics also often dwell on being a woman in a male dominated world and empowerment.

Nindy Kaur

Nindy Kaur, wife of rapper Manj Musik, is a British Indian singer, rapper song writer and music producer. Born in the United Kingdom, Nindy started her career with Bhangra duo Shezad Roy and Sukhbir in 2004. After joining Birmingham-based band RDB, she made her Bollywood debut in 2009 with the film ‘Aloo Chaat’. In 2011, Nindy released her debut album ‘Nindypendent’ and she also collaborated with rapper Raftaar in 2012, and released two singles ‘Gal Mitro’ and ‘BBM’.

Deepa Unnikrishnan

20 year old Deepa Unnikrishnan aka Dee MC raps for a cause. Born and brought up in the suburbs on the outskirts of Mumbai, she started rapping in 2012 and is now part of Mumbai's booming underground hip hop movement. Deepa has a distinctive approach to talking about gender inequality, women empowerment and likes to spread messages about breaking several social barriers while rapping. Deepa was nominated for her song 'Talk My Way' in Radio City 91.1 Freedom Awards last year and she was the only female rapper to make it to this category.