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Backxwash

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Ashanti Mutinta, known professionally as Backxwash, is a Zambian-Canadian rapper based in Montreal, Quebec.[1] She is most noted for her 2020 album God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It, which won the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.[2][3]

Born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia, Mutinta began rapping and producing music in FL Studio before moving to British Columbia, Canada at age 17 to attend university for a computer science degree.[4][3]

After completing her degree she moved to Montreal, where she began performing at jam nights and released her debut EP F.R.E.A.K.S. in 2018.[4] She followed up later the same year with the EP Black Sailor Moon.[5] Around the same time, she came out as transgender.[6]

God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It, her first full-length album, was released in May 2020.[7] Her musical style blends hip hop with heavy metal and post-rock, including Black Sabbath samples and instrumental interludes influenced by Godspeed You! Black Emperor.[8] However, the album featured numerous uncleared samples, which have forced its removal from online music stores and streaming services, meaning that it is now available solely as a free download from Backxwash's Bandcamp page.[9]

In June 2020, she was announced as part of the lineup of Saint-Jeanne, an LGBTQ-inclusive Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day livestream coordinated by singer-songwriter Safia Nolin, and including comedians Tranna Wintour and Karl Hardy, actress and writer Gabrielle Tremblay, songwriter and producer Annie Sama (Apigeon), and drag queens Kiara, Matante Alex and Gisèle Lullaby.[10]

References

  1. ^ Erik Leijon, "Trans hip hop artist Backxwash delivers unfiltered rhymes". Cult MTL, June 6, 2020.
  2. ^ Philippe Renaud, "La Montréalaise Backxwash remporte le prix Polaris". Le Devoir, October 19, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Friend, David (October 19, 2020). "Backxwash wins Polaris Music Prize for her album "God Has Nothing to Do With This..."". Retrieved October 20, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b Philippe Renaud, "Backxwash, elle et son autre". Le Devoir, May 30, 2020.
  5. ^ Victoria Lamas, "Rapper Backxwash Releases Innovative EP ‘Black Sailor Moon’". The Link, December 24, 2018.
  6. ^ Jesse Locke, "Montreal rapper Backxwash invokes self-altering fury". Daily Xtra, May 25, 2020.
  7. ^ Scott Simpson, "Backxwash Turns Hip-Hop on Its Head with Masterful 'God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It'". Exclaim!, May 28, 2020.
  8. ^ Matt Bobkin, "The Metal Influences That Shape Backxwash's Ferocious Hip-Hop". Exclaim!, August 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Richard Trapunski, "Polaris Music Prize 2020: Montreal rapper Backxwash’s victory is for the unapologetic". The Georgia Straight, October 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Calum Slingerland, "Safia Nolin Gets Backxwash for Inaugural Saint-Jeanne Concert". Exclaim!, June 17, 2020.