For this week’s weblog, I needed to spotlight an rising feminine artist within the Naija underground. As an avid listener of underground Hip Hop within the States, I’m keenly conscious of the position that ladies play in each pushing the tradition and shaping the sound of the underground. In that very same vein, as I’ve matured, I’ve additionally develop into conscious that even despite underground areas positioning themselves as alternate options to mainstream norms, they ceaselessly reproduce the identical dangerous constructions that overlook and marginalize ladies, each as artists and listeners.
In lots of underground circles, I hear discourse the place the presence of girls is scrutinized, and oftentimes outright degraded. As listeners, they’re anticipated to “show” their data of area of interest artists or subgenres, testing their “legitimacy” and reinforcing a tradition of gatekeeping the place ladies should overperform to achieve credibility. As artists, the bounds of a girl’s creativity is usually relegated into hyper-specific aesthetics with a view to be thought-about legitimate. For instance, some distinguished and longstanding feminine artists within the underground embrace Bktherula, Molly Santana, and xlovclo. Every of them have distinct sounds and have proved to be key influencers of the tradition, constructing sturdy fanbases outdoors of the standard trade. Within the face of their innovation, nevertheless, many rising feminine artists inside the underground are sometimes labeled as clones of those three, negating their individuality. This comparability is deeply gendered, as I do know tons of male artists who straight copy the sound of bigger artists, with the aim of driving the pattern wave, and are celebrated for his or her “ingenuity,” whereas ladies are flattened to copies.
This discourse is precisely what introduced me to vvsmygwen. I used to be scrolling TikTok and got here throughout her tune “Saysum.” Checking the feedback, I noticed many evaluating her to Playboi Carti and Bktherula. For me, her response, “If Gwen was Gwen,” encapsulates her inventive messaging. Vvsmygwen is an rising artist inside the Nigerian Alté scene. Alté (brief for various) is a budding youth-led subculture, based on the emphasis of experimentation, individuality, and inventive autonomy. As a style, Alté serves as a fusion of Afrobeats, Hip Hop, R&B, and Indie. Vvsmygwen is cementing her place inside this wave, making the clear assertion that she is filling an area solely she will be able to occupy.
On first pay attention, I appreciated the rawness of this monitor. Sonically, I used to be taken again to the early Soundcloud period the place distorted and unclean mixing introduced character to the monitor. For an absence of higher phrases, vvsmygwen was in her bag when she made this tune, made obvious by her supply and move.
Entering into the lyrics, my principal critique is that that there isn’t a lot revolutionary content material. Her opening traces for instance, “My nigga hold taking part in with me/I believe I would like a spare one.” Like many male artists, she is glamourizing having many companions, and on the identical time she can also be leaning into ego-ic rap, emphasizing that she’s not the one to be performed with and her capability to get a brand new man if wanted. She goes onto to play into the standard braggadocio schemes, “I hope no broke bitch mentioned none…I’m killing, these niggas want medkits.” The following couple bars I discover humorous as a result of she says, “I ain’t even have to flex/I ain’t even have to flex it,” then proceeds to flex and discuss how she is counting checks. I need to emphasize that it’s okay that vvsmygwen’s lyrics aren’t important profound. It’s provocative…it will get the folks going.
Up to now, I’d argue that vvsmygwen is doing precisely what she got down to do upon coming into this various area. She is making a reputation for herself. She is expressing herself authentically and unapologetically, asserting her place in an area ladies have been made to really feel that they don’t belong. She will be able to discuss chasing the bag and having an abundance of dudes making an attempt to get at her as a result of that’s her reality. And on the finish of the day, she is simply her being her, reinforcing the messaging behind her hook “hakunamatata.” She has no worries, no doubts in herself. She is precisely who she thinks she is. Vvsmygwen only in the near past dropped one other venture entitled, “Hannah Montana,” leaning additional into that rockstar persona. I personally am excited to see her development as an artist in addition to the trajectory of the Naija Alté scene.
