Brooklyn-based rapper Nitty Scott, MC has never shied away from talking about her feminism or Afro-Latin identity and the ways it’s had an effect on her music. During her recent tour stop in Toronto for International Women’s Day, she sat down with podcast #GYALCAST to talk not only about her quest for career longevity, but what cross-cultural sounds we can expect from her next project CREATURE! She opened up about dealing with constant sexism as a woman in hip-hop. Nitty spoke at length about women who inspire her, including writer and poet Rupi Kaur.
“I love Rupi Kaur, she’s an amazing poet. Her work inspired a lot of what’s on the upcoming album. It made me feel like it was ok to feel a lot the feelings that specifically women of color experience. We deal with the effects of racism and sexism at once and that really affects your psyche. You internalize a lot of society’s messages.”
She also had plenty to say about the evolution of her image from rugged tomboy to embracing her curves.
“[My old manager] basically told me I could not be an intellectual and also be sexy. That my sexuality is intimidating. At that time I thought, ‘I want to be respected’… so hoodies and Timbs it is.”
She added that since shedding her more conservative look, the responses have been mixed.
“I’ve always been respected as a lyricist, and I’ve heard people act like all my work doesn’t exist because I’m in a bodysuit.”
Nitty also touched on her changing sound and her playing with new influences each time she heads back into the studio.
“The artists we’ve seen that have withstood the test of time, it was because they continuously reinvented themselves. I’m not afraid to build on what Nitty Scott is or what a Nitty Scott song can sound like. I’m not afraid to f*ck that all up.”
Of her next project, CREATURE! (slated for a summer 2016 release) she says, “It’s Afro-Latina girl magic. It sounds like Piña Coladas in a concrete jungle.”
Listen to the full episode here:
#GYALCAST [link to gyalcast.com] is a Toronto-based podcast featuring a rotating cast of Black women who talk music, womanhood, Afro-Caribbean identity, sex & relationships.
Sajae is a Toronto-based writer and digital creator who enjoys long walks to wherever the snacks are. Find her @Jaefiasco
