You probably know Sesali Bowen for her TikToks breaking down who each rap girl makes music for. Or you might know her for coining trap feminism and writing her debut book on the term. If not, then surely you know her for her moniker and social media handle that sums up the intersections she proudly sits at, Bad Fat Black Girl .

Shes breaking ground for the way media covers Black femmes and queer artists in hip-hop. And with her podcast Purse First , she and co-host Pierre Phipps, of the gay rap duo Freaky Boiz, are making history with the first and only platform dedicated specifically to the girls and gays of rap.

The New Jersey-based journalist first had the idea for her podcast in 2020 while working on her book, Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes From a Trap Feminist. She saw a void in how female and queer rappers were being discussed in comparison to straight male rappers. There was clearly an opportunity being missed, especially considering the boom of female and queer rappers on the scene in recent years. And often when they were being discussed, it was either in a disrespectful or minimizing way.

Enter Purse First.

I thought a lot about the disconnect between how I listen to hip-hop and how so many people around me listen to hip-hop, Bowen said. We only listening to mostly women because there was so much there, and having to get on the internet every day and find out about how the hosts of these other really popular hip-hop podcasts are problematic, even misogynistic, have hosts with sexual assault allegations or just generally disrespectful to women in general.

She recruited Phipps as her co-host, and they launched their first season in early 2021. Bowen, who worked in publishing at Nylon and Refinery29s Unbothered previously, knew her judgment around the worthiness of a show like Purse First was on point, despite an initial struggle to secure funding. She got confirmation of that when the Pussy Rap and All of That group, founded by Mikeisha Vaughn, Laja H, Robyn Mowatt and Kia Turner, gained a lot of interest at the height of Clubhouse, the social network based on audio only.

Purse First launched independently, and the hosts had to be scrappy about production, using their industry contacts and Bowens media knowledge to book guests and promote the show.

The episodes often include guest interviews with both newer and seasoned artists. Previous interviews include Kidd Kenn, Baby Tate, KenTheMan, BbyMutha and Trina. Bowen and Phipps also do historical dives, including an oral history of Phipps group Freaky Boiz. Purse First recently hit its 5,000-download mark, a milestone for the duo that records virtually on different coasts. This season, theyre hoping to lean into video content and live conversations to complement their show a lot more. This season, which premiered Aug. 12, features guests including Dai Burger and Kali.

We hope to be just a very refreshing alternative, Bowen said.

Bowen spoke with me about the importance of Purse First, her journey to coining trap feminism, stan culture and her hopes for the future of rap.