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As "gangsta" rap continues to expand, staying one foot ahead of its detractors, the feminine side of this enduring sub-genre has taken its own evolutionary course. Early '90s novelty groups like B.W.P. (Bytches With Problems) and H.W.A. (Hoes With Attitude) have fallen by the wayside, replaced by more polished acts.

After a spate of cameo appearances on other people's tracks, newcomers Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim quickly blew up the charts with their respective debut albums, "Ill Na Na" and "Hard Core." And in an industry defined by change, veteran rapper Yo Yo displays staying power with her fourth release, "Total Control." While each of these "nasty girls" has her own distinct style, what connects them is a predilection for fictional crime escapades, a material girl mentality and an unapologetic outspokenness about sex.

Unlike such mass-appeal female rappers as Queen Latifah, Salt-n-Pepa or the Fugees' Lauryn Hill, these gang moll lyricists are all satellites of powerful male rapper-producers. Yo Yo, the most independent and experienced of the three, started out as a protege of Ice Cube and his West Coast set. Lil' Kim readily admits in her bio that she owes "85 percent" of her career to Biggie Smalls. And while it is suspected that Nas has written many of Foxy Brown's best lines, it is beyond doubt that she emulates his style of delivery.

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Of the three, the diminutive Lil' Kim is the most shocking. Fireside photos of the lingerie-clad rapper contradict the disc's petal-pink design and flowery lettering. Second only to singer Millie Jackson in graphic lyrics, Lil' Kim spends most of "Hard Core" (Big Beat) emphasizing the importance of oral sex and dissing unsatisfactory lovers, as in "No Time."

Nastiness aside, Lil' Kim's talent as a lyricist shines through on several tracks. "Spend a Little Doe," backed by the piano riff from "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," recounts the all-too-common story of a woman who follows her boyfriend into the drug game. On "Drugs," label-girl attitude in full force, she boasts "{My} flow is first class, yours is Coach like the bag/ {I'm the} Prada mama, jog five miles a day, then I hit the sauna." An array of top-notch producers provide Lil' Kim with creative samples and beats infectious enough to make even prudish listeners nod their heads. Foxy Brown: Ill Na Na'

While 17-year-old Foxy Brown is slightly less sexually explicit than Lil' Kim, she makes up for it with her over-the-top materialism and mobster mentality. Last year, she made waves on a duet with rapper Jay-Z, "Ain't No Nigga," in which she defended a wayward boyfriend by saying "he sleeps around but he gives me a lot . . . diamonds and leathers."

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On "Ill Na Na" (Violator/Def Jam), which set a record for a female rapper by entering the charts at No. 7, Brown's standards haven't risen, but the misplaced priorities are paying off. Her seductively sleepy voice and cool demeanor, even as she delivers full-throttle lyrics, are enhanced by lush production and radio-friendly samples. This results in, at worst, such tracks as the unoriginal "Foxy's Bells," a take on LL Cool J's 1985 classic and, at best, hit singles such as the Blackstreet collaboration "Get Me Home." Tracks like "No One's" and "I'll Be" put '80s old-school songs by the S.O.S. Band and Rene & Angela to good use.

But unlike R&B artists, rappers are expected to write their own lyrics. Of the 10 vocal tracks on her debut, Foxy Brown has co-writing credit on five. Guest rapper Jay-Z wrote more of her debut than she did, including the title track. Brown, who professes herself ready to die for "the Firm" (a clique that includes herself and rappers Nas, AZ and Coremega), comes off like the female equivalent of Tone Loc -- a distinctive voice and image with as yet unproven lyrical skills.

To hear a free Sound Bite from this album, call Post-Haste at 202-334-9000 and press 8151. Yo Yo: Total Control'

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Next to Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown, Yo Yo seems positively tame. The sassy braggadocio and uncut aggression that catapulted her to fame in 1990 have by now become de rigueur. But while the others can be dismissed as studio creations, Yo Yo has proven lyrical prowess and serves as executive producer on her latest album.

Unfortunately, most of the production on "Total Control" (Virgin) lacks the creativity to back up her clever writing. A duet with MC Lyte, which should be an automatic success, falls flat. The album also suffers from too many uninventive interpolations of old songs. "Jamaica Funk" becomes "Yo Yo's Funk," "Ladies Night" becomes "Yo Yo's Night." One exception, an ode to the single life called "Thank You, Boo," turns the chorus of the Sly Stone hit into "Thank you for letting me be by myself again."

The album gets stronger as it progresses. "Body Work" showcases singer Teena Marie's distinctive vocals over an innuendo-laden rap about a demo tape. Her sense of humor remains undiminished and she brings the Cali flavor with lowrider rhythms, Ebonically correct English and crazy pig Latin. "Well, don't be shy. Slide me the number to your pizager {pager}/ I seen that you's a player with those fo' plaits in yo' hay-er." To hear a free Sound Bite from this album, call Post-Haste at 202-334-9000 and press 8152. CAPTION: Glamorous gangsters: Foxy Brown, left, and Yo Yo.

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