These genres lend themselves well to Mutinta's mission, as the bombastic drums, unrelenting guitar riffs and scathing synths collide fervently with the raw desperation in her voice.Īside from GHNTDWTLHOOI, Mutinta has released three other albums and a number of EPs, most recently I Lie Here With my Rings and my Dresses in 2021. As stated in her bio: "She is granting herself permission to be angry." The anger and frustration that comes forth in Mutinta's guttural raps is an expulsion of resentment and pain, the lyrics a much needed cathartic release. That album found her rapping over Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin samples about gender, identity, her queerness and her upbringing in Zambia.
The Montreal- and Ottawa-based artist rose to widespread acclaim after her album God Has Nothing to do With This Leave Him Out of It won the 2020 Polaris Music Prize. Ashanti Mutinta) plays in, creating music that is as bone-chilling as it is exhilarating. Horrorcore, hip hop and industrial metal rule the sonic landscape Backwash (a.k.a. Backxwashīackxwash's music is a riotous alarm - it snaps you out of anything you were doing before, demanding your undivided attention. So where can a complex, dynamic genre like rock 'n' roll go from here? Back to its roots, in the hands of innovative Black artists who are ready and willing to make some noise, we argue.īelow, meet some of Canada's most fearless new rock voices who are paving the way for the genre's next generation. "There are not enough opportunities for Black artists to be heard and seen." "I produced this film to celebrate and shine a light on Black artists doing rock music in Canada," says the film's producer and Toronto-based music industry veteran David "Click" Cox.
The Onyx Experience, which can be viewed above and on CBC Music's YouTube channel, questions the lack of Black artists present in contemporary rock, despite the genre's undeniable roots in the Black community. On the heels of the June 9 world premiere of The Onyx Experience, a new live concert film that traces Black rock music in Canada, the conversation around north-of-the-border genre trailblazers is rightfully reignited.