Women have played an integral role in pioneering and evolving hip-hop culture to the worldwide phenomenon it has become today. Today (October 18), ABC will be celebrating the many invaluable contributions that women have made to hip-hop music and culture with their 1-Hour News Special titled Real Queens of Hip-Hop: The Women Who Changed The Game. 

The special is narrated by Salt of the legendary Salt-N-Pepa, who will chronologically tell the story of women’s struggles, triumphs, and experiences as they navigated their ways through hip-hop and the music industry. 

Real Queens of Hip-Hop will include interviews from hip-hop pioneers like Roxanne Shante, MC Sha-Rock, Salt-n-Peppa, as well as today’s superstars like Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, and City Girls. The show will include an original spoken word performance from MC Lyte and scored by Canadian hit-maker WondaGurl. 

Featuring commentary on the impact of Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Da Brat, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Eve, Trina, Nicki Minaj, and other influential women that have set the groundwork for female emcees, Real Queens of Hip-Hop marks ABC’s continued exploration of the culture, which Marie Nelson, senior vice president of integrated content strategy at ABC News, spoke about in a statement about special.

“I grew up listening to and loving the pioneering work of female emcees and was amazed by how much I learned when previewing this special,” Nelson said. “With projects like ‘The Real Queens of Hip-Hop,’ ABC News and ABC Entertainment are working to super-serve culturally diverse and multigenerational audiences with authentic and relevant storytelling that widens the lens and places their experiences at the center.”

Watch the trailer for Real Queens of Hip-Hop: The Women Who Changed The Game below.