Hip-hop is often stereotyped to be an unforgiving world of prejudice and narrow-mindedness when it comes to issues related to gender and sexuality. Hip-hop’s overwhelmingly destructive reputation about these issues are grounded in years of intolerance and thick walls built up, which are only beginning to crumble in recent years, one brick at a time. Much like the rest of music, hip-hop evolves with time. Both sound and subject matter develops to adapt to the word around it.
Earlier this year, Pharrell and Flying Lotus spoke about the changing nature of hip-hop. Pharrell argued that hip-hop needed to evolve to appeal to the changing times. Producers can create their own music and songs don’t have to tell stories to be influential. “There’s room for everybody now,” FlyLo said. “You can be super lyrical… you can just ride the beat barely rhymin’, and it’s all good.”
But the changing nature of hip-hop stretches much further than beats and production. The rise of artists like Syd tha Kid and Frank Ocean have jumpstarted conversations about the acceptance of homosexuality, and now we are also seeing hip-hop artists challenge the very notion of gender itself. As unlikely as it may seem to some, Young Thug is one of the most important artists in this conversation, and people are really taking notice.
On the cover of his new album, titled Jeffery – his real name – Thug wears a dress.
The baby blue ruffled skirt is designed by Alessandro Trincone, has Japanese influences, and was originally modelled on a man, not a woman. Legend has it that Thug stumbled upon the photo and immediately knew he needed the dress for the cover. “I think his cover image exactly centred my point, which is that everyone can wear whatever they want to,” Trincone told W Magazine. “Everyone can be themselves. Ignore what people are saying and thinking.”
He also explains the idea behind androgyny. “The feminine side of every male is explicitly shown through the whole collection, hoping to introduce a new meaning of masculinity, far from the traditional imagery society has carried through time.”
This is simply an example of Young Thug’s openly ambiguous style and belief system, which he claims began when he was 12. He is often seen wearing women’s clothes and has stated that he doesn’t believe in gender. In a GQ interview he said, “[I wear women’s clothes] because [they] are [slimmer] than men’s clothes. The jeans I got on right now, they’re women’s jeans. But they fit how they’re supposed to fit. Like a rock star. The only thing I probably have in men’s is, like, briefs. T-shirts. Ninety percent of my clothes are women’s.”
In itself, the fact that a guy is wearing a dress isn’t a really big deal. It’s not shocking, and it doesn’t even feel overly gimmicky – actually, it’s a beautiful image, one that you could easily imagine adorning any high-end fashion magazine. But it’s certainly worth talking about, because this is hip-hop, not fashion. Wearing a dress on his album cover continues Young Thug’s ongoing identity, going against gender stereotypes and the kind of male-dominated machismo so commonly identified with hip-hop. It also continues to force his listeners to think about the issues related to it, and that might be the most important factor of all.
That an Atlanta rapper like Young Thug has not only been labelled gender fluid, but has apparently been compared to David Bowie, Prince and Little Richard, for his approach to gender and androgyny, is remarkable for hip-hop in 2016.
To many, hip-hop artists are highly influential individuals with license to inspire and create conversations. It’s important for them to be open about who they are and inspire their fans to do the same. Thug has never been afraid of gender fluidity, again making reference to it in his Calvin Klein ad. “In my world, you can be a gangsta with a dress or you can be a gangsta with baggy pants. I feel like there’s no such thing as gender,” he said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ymE6dUF98Y
Ambiguity does not only live in their image, but also in their lyrics. In an interview with the UK Independent, Angel Haze spoke about their* preference for not using pronouns at all. “I like to make all my work ambiguous so that people can relate to it. If all my songs were about how in love I am with a girl… There are no key words, no pronouns,” they said.
This appeal allows Angel’s music to be interchangeable, and being open about this issue forces the listener to think about it, too. The listener can put themselves into the song’s protagonist’s shoes, applying the lyrics and emotions to their own life experiences and dreams. It might even help them express who they are and help them cope with similar struggles and issues, should they be facing them. It’s the kind of conversation that can help someone discover who they really are as a person and provide the courage to some others that person.
Could we do they if all angled toward one specific gender? No. Could we do it if gender ambiguity, non-heteronormative sexuality and other related issues were ignored or shunned? No.
As a society, we are becoming more open-minded and aware of different ways of living. We all have our own beliefs and opinions that shape who we are and allow us to grow in confidence and feel comfortable in our own skin. Hip-hop has the power to change lives for better and for worse. Yes, it still has a long way to go in some ways, but artists like Young Thug and Angel Haze deserve a lot of praise for flying these flags.
*Angel Haze prefers they/ their pronouns
Image: W Magazine
Lion Babe, the dynamic duo from New York consisting of Jillian Hervey and Lucas Goodman, released an album earlier this year, Begin. The album managed to showcase the group’s penchant for a unique RnB sound, as well as showcase Hervey’s refreshing vocals.
One of the bigger hits to emerge from the album was the song, Jungle Lady, which managed to explore the groups distinctive sound with the help of Goodman’s mellow beats and Hervey’s soothing vocals.
The song has since been noticed by Devin Christian, who with the help of some vocals from no other than Angel Haze has managed to rework the song for the final instalment of DJ Kitty Cash’s Love The Free mixes.
Jungle Lady Remix Pt. II has emerged as a strange hybrid of the electro-bohemian sounds of Lion Babe which have been reworked into The Notorious B.I.G’s Big Poppa beat, all the while managing to retain the trademark dreamy quality which a lot of the Love The Free mixes are able to convey. Angel Haze manages to channel her inner Biggie with her verse, nailing it as she mimics the Brooklyn rappers tell-tale sound.
While on paper this mix sounds like a kaleidoscope of fuckery, in practise the song manages to capture the essence of all the artists involved, while maintaining a level of decorum which enables each of them to come through on their own without the song ever feeling like it’s too messy or bogged down.
The song will feature on the upcoming mixtape, Love The Free, Volume 3 by Kitty Cash and is scheduled to drop sometime in June.
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Image: pigeonsandplanes
Vice-owned site Broadly have released an insightful ten-minute interview with Angel Haze, in which they* talk about their life and career in such an intimate and real way. The interview with Mary HK Choi gives details about their family life, their artistry and how they see success, while providing us with some interesting advice at the same time.
The interview follows the release of their newest mixtape Back To The Woods in September. After Choi asks about the title, Haze talks about being kicked out of the house by their mother and sleeping alone in the woods, describing it as “liberating”.
They then gave us some great advice, knowingly or not, which works as an interesting metaphor for real life. “I released that [the animals are] not out there to hurt you, they don’t give a shit about you.”
Most of us think that people are constantly judging us, preventing us from doing some of the things we want to do. By being forced into a seemingly dangerous situation, Haze made us realise that it is our own fear that is preventing us from taking a chance, not the threat of others.
Although she is seen as prominently a rapper, Haze sings on this mixtape. They mention that despite their former label’s orders to stay in the box of being “a dark, grim rapper”, they still wanted to sing. “I love singing. I love Amy Winehouse, I love Tracy Chapman, I love Ani DiFranco, I love the purest voices you can have.”
After showing a track to Kayne West, he told them to remove anything that they didn’t want on there and stay true to who they are. This was also mentioned in another interview with The Huffington Post. “That [conversation] just basically gave me the mental willpower to be like, ‘Yo, this is not what I’m doing.'”
Haze’s modest nature became clear when they started talking about success. They say that they’re not that good yet, acknowledging that there is always a learning process. “I’m striving everyday to do something, to do something I want, to do something I’m proud of, to do something that, like, everything I’ve gone through was worth it.”
Everything Haze said had purpose and meaning behind it. It was like having a deep and meaningful conversation with a close friend, full of trust and free from fabricated facts. It’s a must-hear for anyone, whether you’re a fan or not.
* Haze identifies as agender and prefers the use of gender neutral pronouns.
Speaking about their* first LP Dirt Gold, Angel Haze is quick to call it a learning experience. The debut album for the artist, Dirty Gold was released without the consent of then-label, Island/Republic Records following immensely frustrating delays. In conversation with Billboard, the singer/rapper observes that on that album, there were more writers and producers than there was Angel Haze. A new project, Back to The Woods, is almost the polar opposite. Angel Haze has penned the bulk of the LP themselves and enlisted just one producer, Tk Kayembe, to help bring the words to life.
Together, Haze and Tk have crafted a 13 track project which Haze stresses is not a sophomore release, but rather something for fans to sink their teeth into before a second album is dropped. Back to The Woods is a dark, hard hitting collection of songs that eventuated from a moment of clarity that was the result of a hallucinogenic trip at Joshua Tree National Park. “We went to Joshua Tree with our exes and we did shrooms in the desert,” Haze comments, “And like, we sat there, ‘Yeah we gotta break up. We gotta break up with these bitches and we gotta make music.’” Break up they did. Haze split with their long-term girlfriend after a highly publicised relationship and went to work on new music.
Listening to Back to The Woods, its easy to chalk all the songs up to love songs. That’s something Haze acknowledges, and no doubt enjoys about making music. “I learned in music that you can express anything in the world under the guise of love…There are so many different songs on there that are about so many different people. But it doesn’t matter because they all sound like love songs. I think it’s cool because it makes it universal but it also gets me a catalyst to say what I need to about everyone in my life that I have feelings for.” Eulogy is a track about Haze’s younger sister, Gods about their relationship breakdown, and The Woods is about their bedroom; something Haze didn’t have of their own until the age of 17 when they lived in their first house. Until then, Haze had been virtually homeless – nomadic and disconnected. When they were kicked out of that home, Haze lived in the woods near that house and says its the only place they’ve ever felt entirely safe: “Like I belonged there.” Which is where the name of the project has come from.
In true Angel Haze fashion, the entire Back to The Woods project is available to stream via SoundCloud. It’s immense and infectious. There is something evidently therapeutic in Haze’s approach to their art, with some confronting themes burried within the songs. Still, Haze describes the project as one of their best to date and it’s easy to hear why; the sound is enveloping, the lyrics vivid and anthemic. While it’s being described as a project between albums, Back to The Woods is meaty, full and uncompromising.
* Haze identifies as agender and prefers the use of gender neutral pronouns.
Fashion and music have always had a special relationship – just ask Kanye. They often have crossovers, as they come together and give creativity a new meaning. Alexander Wang has seen the effect of celebrity from other campaigns, not to mention being name-dropped in a myriad hip hop tracks, so he’s gone and enlisted a whole bunch of them for his ‘Do Something’ campaign.
If you looked at the list of artists who have taken part in the campaign, you’d think you were looking at a festival line-up. And what a line-up it would be!
The campaign features Kanye West, Grimes, A$AP Rocky, Haim, Lykke Li, Angel Haze, the Weeknd, Pusha T, Alice Glass, Jhene Aiko, AlunaGeorge’s Aluna Francis, the Gossip’s Beth Ditto, the Kills’ Alison Mosshart and more, clad in black hoodies and and graphic tees posing in black and white photos.
Do Something is an organisation that focuses on young people and social change. They have a variety of campaigns that tackle different issues, such as back-to-school stress, cyberbullying and taking care of the environment. Wang’s campaign celebrated their 10th anniversary, while spreading awareness in light of the good things they do.
Check out some of the beautiful photos, shot by Steven Klein.
Visit the Alexander Wang Facebook page for a look at the rest.
So many tracks, so little time! Last week was off the hook when it came to new music, so if you’re a little overwhelmed on where to start, why don’t you try on these for size?
Roseau – See You Soon
UK singer/producer Kerry Leatham, aka Roseau, is relatively a newcomer but something tells us she’ll be around for a while. Her voice alone stops you in your tracks, not to mention her sublime production. See You Soon is a dream you can’t help but get lost in, and it’s mellow vibes and sophisticated feel make for an extremely enjoyable listen every single time.
Homeshake – Faded
Homeshake is Peter Sagar, Mac DeMarco‘s former guitarist and chilled electronic music master. He’s prepping for the release of his sophomore album Midnight Snack which is out later this year, and this is the second single from that release. Faded is a slow, tinkering, dreamy track with a woozy but emotional side to it. It’s subtle but captivating, and is making us very excited for Midnight Snack!
Chance The Rapper & Noname Gypsy – Israel (Sparring)
Chance The Rapper is hardly one to sit still for very long and he’s not one to shy away from collaborations. Having just released a collab record, Free, with Lil B and Surf with Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment, he’s now teamed up with Noname Gypsy for Israel (Sparring). The Cam O’bi produced track is chilled and natural, and effortlessly shows off just how talented both artists are.
RaRa – Faries
Melbourne collective RaRa have only recently come onto my radar, but holy shit am I glad they have! The intergalactic jam that is their latest track Faries is a perfect introduction to their unique and fresh sounds, combining the best parts of hip hop, electronic, RnB and more. It’s incredibly promising and catchy as hell. Body rolling and grinding guaranteed!
Tirzah – Make It Up
Previously premiered about a month ago thanks to Four Tet dropping it in on his BBC Radio 1 show, Make It Up is one of those songs that has a groove you can get addicted to. It’s woozy, bouncy, a little dirty and the lyrics are tough and uncompromising. The house stylings of producer Micachu make it fun and upbeat, despite the slight air of desperation surrounding the track. I’ve got both eyes on Tirzah!
Deer – Cry For Help
Melbourne producer Deer is definitely worth a lot of your time, and you only need to hear just a few seconds of Cry For Help to know why. Unpredictable, huge and refined, Cry For Help is a huge step forward for Deer and marks his return to the scene in a big way. In a time where just about everyone is a producer, it takes something special to separate yourself. Whatever that is, Deer has got it.
Angel Haze – Babe Ruthless
Angel Haze is one of my favourite rappers at the moment, so any new music coming from her is a very good thing indeed. She reiterated that she was a force to be reckoned with last month with the release of her track Impossible, and now Babe Ruthless only further cements this. Not giving one fucking, Angel Haze goes to town in this track, and the results are astounding in a way that kind of gives you a feeling of whiplash. Hard hitting and fierce, Angel Haze is more than just another up and comer, she is THE one to watch.
Jamie xx ft Oliver Sim – Stranger In A Room (Pional’s Room Version)
Madrid producer Pional is the latest in a slew of producers to take on reworking a track from Jamie xx’s incredible album In Colour, but he is definitely one of the best too. This remix is subtle and refined, controlled and meticulous. Oliver Sim’s voice floats above a bed of groovy basslines and an impressive array of percussion. Sometimes less is more, and that rings true tenfold with this track!
Dornik – Stand In Your Line (Jungle Edit)
Dornik has quickly become one of my favourite artists lately; his effortless Michael Jackson-esque vocals and sublime knack for complimenting his vocals with some outstanding arrangements is not something I can pass up easily. Add a bit of Jungle on remix duties to this love, and it’s almost too much. That’s what we’re presented with in this edit by Jungle of Dornik’s Stand In Your Line. It’s a chaotic take but this spliced up version has more than enough groove to keep you going.
Neon Indian – Slumlord
Along with the announcement that a new album was on the way titled VEGA INTL, Neon Indian overjoyed fans this week with the accompanying release of new single Slumlord. It’s Neon Indian at his funky best; upbeat and exciting. Frontman Alan Palomo said in a statement about the track, “Most of what I’ve learned about human nature in my twenties has happened after dark. People are just kind of more honest then. More deliberate. I like to call the places I go to Night Schools.”
This week, the Abbott government has disappointed us once again. After more than five hours in a meeting, Tony Abbott and the Coalition have once again left Australia in the world’s ‘traditionalist’ shadow, denying the decision for a conscious vote for Marriage Equality. If you’re on any form of social media, you’d know people are not happy about this news. They can’t understand how places like the USA and Ireland can pass similar laws, but Australians can’t even get a foot in the chapel door.
It may seem hopeless now but, as an optimist, I still believe that one day we will have marriage equality for all Australians. And so, we’ve put together a little playlist from proud LGBTQI artists to keep our spirits up. We need to fight for those who are going unheard. Like these artists, we have a platform to express a certain view and have a voice above the rest of the community. Here are some of their stories.
Mykki Blanco – Wavvy
Mykki Blanco has been one of the most outspoken rappers within the LGBTQI community. The rapper bravely revealed that she was HIV positive, having also previously announced that she would quit music to become an investigative journalist, concentrating on LGBT issues. We refer to her as ‘she’ as per her wishes as she embarks on what she calls the beginning of a transgendered life. “You may not know it yet, but Mykki Blanco isn’t just female Mykki. Mykki Blanco is Mykki Blanco ‘female,’ Mykki Blanco ‘male,’ Mykki Blanco with blue eyes, Mykki Blanco with three eyes. I’m probably eventually going to do a video where it’s not Mykki, where it’s completely genderless, where it won’t be Mykki ‘boy’ or ‘girl,” she tells Dummy Magazine.
Her break out 2012 track Wavvy is said to be one of the most influential in emerging LGBTQI community within rap culture. When you look at the music video, you can see both sides of Blanco’s identity. The fact that she decided to make this clear so early in her career is inspiring.
St Vincent – Cruel
St Vincent has kept talk of her sexuality low key. It’s not that she’s hiding it; rather, she doesn’t want to be defined by it – and she doesn’t want to define it. In an interview with Rolling Stone she says, “I believe in gender fluidity and sexual fluidity. I don’t really identify as anything… I don’t have anything to hide, but I’d rather the emphasis be on music.”
Her music reflects on her personal experiences, so if you listen closely to can hear the little hidden messages. Cruel is one of the most obvious ones, with lines like “Bodies, can’t you see what everybody wants from you? f you could want that, too, then you’ll be happy.”
The music video also gives away a political undertone, where is she kidnapped and forced to be a wife and mother – a traditionalist notion that can often come head-to-head with some in the LGBTQI community.
Angel Haze – Battle Cry
Angel Haze is one of the newest LGBTQI rappers on the scene. In an interview with Fusion TV, Haze identified herself as a pansexual, otherwise known as people “who love across a spectrum.”
Her 2014 track Battle Cry featuring Sia (who is also apart of the LGBTQI community) tackles the darkness every LGBTQI person feels when they are told that the way they feel is wrong. The powerful video illustrates her pain and suffering – having been pushed around, her whole life, being told how to feel. Religion is one of the biggest obstacles for marriage equality, with the notion of a man and woman in marriage being the only one acceptable. According to them, all other forms of love are wrong.
Haze gives these people strength. Her emotional story tells those who listen that they can survive, even when it all seems hopeless. Even through the dark times, “You take it all and you still go/Take the sun and you still grow/ Lose the light and you still glow”.
Years and Years – Real
Years and Years Frontman Olly Alexander has been an advocate for gay artists using gender specific pronouns in their songs. As an openly gay musician, he has in two tracks on their last album, Real and Memo. “I’d like to hear a gay artist express their sexuality in a really open way. That’s something I’ve sort of tried to do a little bit on this album, but to be able to talk about sex is possibly new for gay artists, so I’d like to see that in the mainstream. I think you’re right – music does feel like it’s in a much more accepted, tolerant place; even with Miley Cyrus, when she doesn’t identify with either gender, and we’re getting used to these ideas of about non-binary gender, which is a good thing,” he told Digital Spy.
Real is about loving someone and attempting to peruse them, but you can’t have them. While it sounds like it’s a take on unrequited love on the surface, it could be taken another way. While some people are out and proud about showing who they are to the world, others aren’t quite there yet. They will deny who they are and reject others’ advances, even if they don’t want to.
Frank Ocean – Forrest Gump
When Frank Ocean came out in 2012, many musicians refused to work with him. T-Pain told Vlad TV, “”I know n***as that will not do a song with Frank Ocean just because he gay, but they need him on the f**king song and that’s so terrible to me, man… What I do ain’t going to affect nothing that you got going on.”
There are a few songs that hint Ocean’s sexuality, including Forrest Gump. Like Years and Years, he uses male pronouns instead of female ones. Lines like “my fingertips, and my lips, they burn” imply that it was about a relationship that feels wrong. So wrong, it hurts.
Laura Jane Grace and Miley Cyrus – True Trans Soul Rebel
Both Laura Jane Grace and Miley Cyrus have come out as transsexual and bisexual respectively. They performed True Trans Soul Rebel together to launch the Happy Hippie Foundation. The Foundation promotes awareness of LGBTQI issues, among many others. The lyrics of the song portray the thoughts many transgender people have while they are stuck in the wrong body, including that they “should be living a different life.”
Mary Lambert – She Keeps Me Warm
Mary Lambert is one of the few openly gay female musicians in the music industry. Being both a Christian and lesbian, the internal and external conflicts have, of course, been prevalent. Before it was featured as the chorus of Ryan Lewis and Macklemore’s Same Love with her as the female vocals, the lyrics were a part of the singer’s own track She Keeps Me Warm. The slow, folk-like song was a heartfelt ballad saying that this is simply who she is and she “can’t change, even if [she] wanted to.”
Azealia Banks – 212
Azealia Banks is one of the most controversial of those on this list. Despite being bisexual and using female pronouns in 212, she is often called homophobic due to her gay slurs on social media. This might just be another example of others lacking in understanding of what homophobia is. When you read her tweets, you may see what I mean. For instance, her tweet about men being proud of their sexuality could be taken as others missing the fact that women can be gay as well, however, this isn’t as publicised.
The Internet – Girl
The Internet’s frontwoman Syd The Kyd came out in the Odd Future’s music video for Cocaine. Her sexuality is made explicitly obvious in Girl. She sings about the passion LGBTQI people feel in their relationship, implying they are exactly the same as those in heterosexual relationships. They have the same fire and lust that eventually grows into love. So why shouldn’t they have the same rights as we do?
The Smiths – Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Many people over the years have thought Morrissey was gay. In his own words he is asexual, meaning he feels no sexual feelings toward men or women. He explained this in a post on his fansite True To You: “Unfortunately, I am not homosexual. In technical fact, I am humasexual. I am attracted to humans. But, of course … not many”.
It’s one of the more forgotten and misunderstood forms of sexuality that is disregarded by many. That’s why this song is regarded as the perfect example of a song about the solitary life of an asexual person; away from the noise and all alone. They hope one day someone would understand, but it’s “just another false alarm”.
Never one to mince words, or play to anyone else’s rules, Angel Haze is probably one of the most important female rappers of our time. With a provocative lyrical genius and an unapologetic, no-shits-given attitude towards the music industry that she’s apart of, Haze challenges the fundamental values that we live by. Her latest track Impossible is no divergence, over a thumping, warlike beat she chants about power, race and her rising strength as an artist. Haze shoots hard hitting lines like,
“There is nothing that can’t hold me down/ that shit is impossible/ shit is impossible” and
“I am a sickness man/ I am a cancer/ I know the devil man/ I am his handler.”
Haze’s provocative force is not only limited to her lyrics however, she’s spoken out, in her own way, against restrictions placed on her music by the industry. After months of negotiation regarding the release date of her previous album Dirty Gold, Haze went behind her label’s backs and released the album directly to SoundCloud. On December 18 she posted a now infamous tweet.
The manoeuvre was successful, with the album being immediately removed from SoundCloud and given an official release date of December 30. She also discusses issues of immense social importance, such as suicide, racism and sexual abuse, drawing from her own personal experience to empower others. Her commanding confrontation of the man who sexually abused her, over Eminem’s Cleanin’ My Closet is moving, raw to the point that it is almost hard to listen to.
Thankfully the release of her latest track Impossible has been a little more conventional, which must be a relief for the label. There is talk that it might be part of a bigger set of work, and potentially even album, but we will have to wait and find out. Check it out below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwU2JY5RLGg