In 2022, the music is her passion society e.V. is dedicated to raising awareness of and combatting sexism in the music industry. Sexism is made up of prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, against women or non-male-identifying individuals on the basis of sex. Unfortunately, it is something that presumably female-presenting people - also artists - have experienced at one or many points, in their private lives and their musical careers. Luckily, they put their anger and frustration into some fantastic tunes - and we put together a playlist of those to scream along angrily to.
ASHNIKKO FEAT. KODIE SHANE "INVITATION"
To kick off this playlist of feminine rage with a bang, we present to you London-based artist Ashnikko and American rapper Kodie Shane's single "Invitation". Over an aggressive electronic beat, the two artists proclaim their frustration and anger with men who feel invited to comment on women's bodies and choice of clothing. "I could be lickin' on a lolly, dolled up like a dolly, short skirt lil' hottie - don't you comment on my body", Ashnikko sings what we're all thinking. We recommend listening to this while cruising through the city in your shortest skirt, raising middle fingers to unwanted audiences.
LIZZO "LIKE A GIRL"
How many of us have heard the phrase doing something "like a girl" with a negative connotation? The answer is probably: too many, if not all. On this R&B-infused pop song of her album "Cuz I Love You", self-love superstar Lizzo reclaims the phrase by celebrating empowerment and leaning into doing things the feminine way.
"The only exes that I care about are in my f*cking chromosomes"
Lizzo on "Like A Girl"
All throughout the song, Lizzo takes traditional concepts of feminine attributes ("sugar, spice, and I'm nice") and mixes them with what is most associated with male stereotypes. She's happy to add some estrogen to a system full of toxic masculinity by running for the position of first female president and using her female attributes to her advantage without depending on anyone.
CHRISTINA AGUILERA FEAT. LIL' KIM "CAN'T HOLD US DOWN"
This song is throwing us back to one of the most badass pop albums of the 2000s - Christina Aguilera's "Stripped". After a brief intro, the 2002 release opened with this feminist anthem that challenges toxic masculinity and gender stereotypes in a way that was seldomly heard of as explicitly at the time of its release. With her lyrics, one of the figureheads of feminism in the music industry slams prejudice and double standards in the way women are treated - in the music industry and beyond. "It's a common double standard of society: the guy gets all the glory, the more he can score, while the girl can do the same and yet you call her a whore", she exclaims her frustration with how sexuality is perceived between men and women. The song, a collaboration with trailblazing rapper Lil' Kim, was first inspired by Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady" verse targeted at her. From her fury and frustration, a feminist anthem was born that lives on to inspire women around the world even 20 years later.
RINA SAWAYAMA "STFU"
Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama is another female artist who had enough of casual sexist and racist talk from (white) men. On "STFU", the London-based artist channels her anger into a rage-infused metal pop song. Through the song's lyrics and the accompanying music video, Rina Sawayama blows off the steam of built-up fury from enduring years of micro-aggressions. Although this song is primarily a release of her feelings on racism and racial anti-Japanese comments, the fetishization of women of color and sexism play a role here, too - as especially becomes obvious in the intro of the music video.
For more rage-infused songs on sexism to let out your anger to, tune into our collaborative playlist on Spotify, and add your favorite songs on the topic!
music is her passion is the magazine of music is her passion society e.V. The Berlin-based music is her passion society e.V. is a non-profit association supported by membership fees, subsidies, and donations. All the content you can see here is the result of the purely voluntary and passionate commitment of all members to equality empowerment in music.
