Backxwash
Backxwash 2021 Press Photo
Background information
Born (1991-10-04) October 4, 1991 (age 32)
Lusaka, Zambia
OriginMontreal, Quebec, Canada
GenresHorrorcore, rap metal, Trap metal, alternative hip hop, rap rock, nu metal[1]
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • producer
Years active2018–present
LabelsUgly Hag (Present/Self-Released), Grimalkin (Past)
Websitebackxwash.bandcamp.com

Ashanti Mutinta, known professionally as Backxwash, is a Zambian-Canadian rapper and producer based in Montreal, Quebec.[2] 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.[3][4]

Biography

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 computer science.[5][4]

After completing her degree she moved to Montreal, where she began performing at jam nights and released her debut extended play (EP) F.R.E.A.K.S. in 2018.[5] She followed up later the same year with the EP Black Sailor Moon.[6] Around the same time, she came out as transgender.[7]

God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It, her second full-length album, was released in May 2020.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]

She would then release her third full-length album, I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses,[11] on June 20, 2021, to generally positive reviews. I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses was longlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize.[12]

Backxwash's "Don't Come to the Woods" and "Devil in a Moshpit" appeared in Season 1, Episode 2 of the Showtime series, Work in Progress.[13]

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

References

  1. ^ Alderslade, Merlin (August 31, 2020). "Backxwash's God Has Nothing To Do With This… is the most important album of 2020". Louder Sound. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Erik Leijon, "Trans hip hop artist Backxwash delivers unfiltered rhymes" Archived 2020-06-21 at the Wayback Machine. Cult MTL, June 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Philippe Renaud, "La Montréalaise Backxwash remporte le prix Polaris" Archived 2020-10-21 at the Wayback Machine. Le Devoir, October 19, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Friend, David (October 19, 2020). "Backxwash wins Polaris Music Prize for her album "God Has Nothing to Do With This..."". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Philippe Renaud, "Backxwash, elle et son autre" Archived 2020-06-21 at the Wayback Machine. Le Devoir, May 30, 2020.
  6. ^ Victoria Lamas, "Rapper Backxwash Releases Innovative EP ‘Black Sailor Moon’" Archived 2020-06-22 at the Wayback Machine. The Link, December 24, 2018.
  7. ^ Jesse Locke, "Montreal rapper Backxwash invokes self-altering fury" Archived 2020-06-21 at the Wayback Machine. Daily Xtra, May 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Scott Simpson, "Backxwash Turns Hip-Hop on Its Head with Masterful 'God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It'" Archived 2020-06-21 at the Wayback Machine. Exclaim!, May 28, 2020.
  9. ^ Matt Bobkin, "The Metal Influences That Shape Backxwash's Ferocious Hip-Hop" Archived 2020-10-25 at the Wayback Machine. Exclaim!, August 18, 2020.
  10. ^ Richard Trapunski, "Polaris Music Prize 2020: Montreal rapper Backxwash’s victory is for the unapologetic" Archived 2020-10-29 at the Wayback Machine. The Georgia Straight, October 20, 2020.
  11. ^ "I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  12. ^ "2022 Long List - Polaris Music Prize". Polaris Music Prize. June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  13. ^ "Music from Work in Progress S1E02". Tunefind. Retrieved 2021-09-12.

External links

Polaris Music Prize
Authority control databases: Artists
Categories