On March 5th, I’d like to talk about Ashanti Mutinta, a Canadian MC and producer who is best known by the stage name Backxwash. IMO, Backxwash should be held in the highest esteem by anyone who is a fan of independent and experimental hip-hop music. - ThreadSky

seanpadilla.bsky.social • 27 days ago

On March 5th, I’d like to talk about Ashanti Mutinta, a Canadian MC and producer who is best known by the stage name Backxwash.

IMO, Backxwash should be held in the highest esteem by anyone who is a fan of independent and experimental hip-hop music.

Reposted from Sean Padilla

It’s Women’s History Month; I love Black women; and I love talking about music. Therefore, I’m gonna do something fun on the skyline to combine these three things.

Every day in March, I’m gonna talk about a Black female musician who inspires me, with links to some of my favorite songs of theirs.

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seanpadilla.bsky.social•27 days ago

Backxwash was born and raised in Zambia, and began rapping and producing there before moving to Canada to study computer science. From there, she began making a name for herself in Montreal by performing at jam nights and releasing her earliest works with the help of the Grimalkin DIY collective.

seanpadilla.bsky.social•27 days ago

https://music.apple.com/us/album/black-sailor-moon/1445215691 = It was around the time when Backxwash released her second EP, “Black Sailor Moon,” that she came out as transgender. She called this EP “a rage-filled approach to religion, gender, sexuality and witchcraft,” and that description felt like a mission statement.

seanpadilla.bsky.social•27 days ago

On Backxwash’s earliest releases, she delegated most of the production duties to other artists whom she felt were compatible with her aesthetic.

https://backxwash.bandcamp.com/album/god-has-nothing-to-do-with-this-leave-him-out-of-it = From this album onward, though, Backxwash handled most of the production herself.

seanpadilla.bsky.social•27 days ago

“God Has Nothing to Do with This…” was the first in a trilogy of albums released from 2020 to 2022 that marked Backxwash’s full arrival as an artist.

Due to uncleared samples, the album is only available as a free download.

Despite this, it blew enough minds to win the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.

jacquesgranger.bsky.social•27 days ago

Those three records are incredible. I can't wait for her new one!

seanpadilla.bsky.social•27 days ago

On these albums, Backxwash spits bars with the intensity of a hardcore punk vocalist, on top of beats whose sound design recalls dark ambient and industrial music.

The trilogy serves as an autobiography in reverse chronological order, with Backxwash going back in time to process her emotions.

seanpadilla.bsky.social•27 days ago

Precolonial spirituality is a huge theme in Backxwash’s work on these albums. You can hear her unpack the trauma of growing up in a Christian household, embrace her Zambian roots, and inhabit the fullness of her womanhood. The conceptual heft and sonic unity of these albums is staggering.

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