Ya’ll need to check out my friend Metahuman… He is a multidisciplinary artist that I’ve been wanting to introduce on here for awhile. Finally I got around to chatting with him about it and we put together a little interview/essay and got some tracks. Besides music, he puts on Trans/Giving, which is a film festival that is currently touring college campuses and other venues. Does he look familiar to you??? Well, maybe you saw the 13 Love Stories post I put up a couple weeks ago? Him and his partner were apart of that whimsical jaunt down “romantic lane”. In case you missed it, here it is:
Besides the sweet interview to follow, Metahuman also highly suggested that I check out the graphic novels “Aya” and “Aya of Yop City” by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie. I’m on it! You should do it too…
Interview:
I make music to make people think, but in a fun way. That’s why I put my hip hop lyrics to house beats, because that’s the music I like to dance to. My music is all autobiographical and tends to focus on radical politics. My music is inspired by Dead Prez, Katastrophe, The Coup, Feloni and Melange LaVonne. Music should inspire and uplift, through voicing the truth about life. I view music as an important way that people can come together and have fun. The poetic nature of hip hop lets you tell a story and create a mood with the rhythm. It’s a powerful medium to convey unheard stories because it grabs you and pulls you in, and opens you up to hear about someone else’s experiences.
Being trans, I was always hungry for music to express any situation I could relate to and it never did. That’s one reason I focus so much of my art on my experiences as a trans person. Luckily I started hearing more trans artists like Katastrophe and Athens Boys Choir and Ami Mattison, and I know how crucial these artists were to my growth in accepting myself. It is a life changing moment when you see your oppression for what it is and understanding that you don’t have to hate yourself just because others hate you. Presenting a positive trans story and being living proof that you can live a happy and fulfilled life is a part of my reason for being a public figure.
I write and perform as a cathartic act and also as a leader showing younger trannies the light at the end. I’ve been through a lot to get where I’m at and now that I’ve found my voice and it’s stronger, clever and melodic… I’m gonna use it!
“The Chance” was written several weeks after top surgery as I was dealing with the emoitions that came with that intense experience. “You Don’t Really Know” Me was a musical response to a transphobic film playing at the LGBT Film Festival last year.
I just wanna make sure everyone has seen this Athens Boys Choir video:
Metahuman MP3′s:
Metahuman – The Chance
Metahuman – You Don’t Really Know Me
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