2023-08-16 09:53:21
By Tonica Hunter.
It’s no surprise that BEX is the uncompromising rapper that she is. She comes from a solid foundation of matriarchal figures that have undoubtedly shaped her and her music. Together with a clique of FLINTA* artists, she is now in the process of reshaping the Viennese music scene.
“The universe owes me a happy adulthood”
Bex grew up with her foster grandmother – the mother of her Austrian stepfather – in the small Salzburg village of Pongau. This was in stark contrast to Busua, Ghana, where she was born and lived until she was nine. These discrepancies and transitions didn’t always make her childhood easy: As the only black kid in town and the only black student in school, she was repeatedly subjected to bullying, ranging from racist remarks regarding her appearance to (frequent) racially motivated threats once morest her person was enough. The problems were compounded by the ignorance and lack of support from those in authority around her, often leaving her feeling alone and alienated. “Even the driver laughed with them. I had to get off the school bus and as soon as it passed I just collapsed.”
Fortunately found Bex Comfort both in her roots and in the love and care she received from her extended Austrian family. Her relationship with her Austrian grandmother beautifully mirrors the relationship with her Ghanaian grandmother who passed away in 2018 but is still an important part of Bex‘ Life is. If she shows me photos of them, they will Bex‘ Eyes wide with joy and full of admiration. From her Ghanaian grandmother, a seamstress and fashionista Bex Keeping the kente and various items of clothing she left behind following her death. Among the Fante – the tribe of Bex‘ Ancestors – traditionally, inheritance passes to the first daughter; so her mother came first, and so did Bex. Of the material possessions she had to choose from, she kept the rich fabrics and clothes of her ancestors. Flipping through more photos with a smile on her lips, she sees her grandmother dressed head-to-toe in a printed satin ankara at formal occasions in Ghana, and then photos of her mother (whom she closely resembles) who wears a range of hairstyles and outfits that suits Bex fondly remembered and which she revives for a moment. Hairstyling and clothing are an important part of Bex‘ Private life, and of course these traditions have also become a central part of her identity as an artist.
“Bundles” of crackers
Her latest release is the first under her own name: the EP is titled ‘Bundles’, a nod to masses of hair (or wefts), the raw material for an endless array of possible hairstyles. It speaks to the power of a black woman to create her own look – and underscores the importance of her having that control. It is therefore no surprise that Bex‘ Artistic family consists mostly of local queer black hairstylists and creatives – her close friends W1ze, The Good Bush Project, Sunny Jana – who have supported her and her craft to this day. Especially considering the history of black women’s hair and the protective styles they created, the EP’s title alone carries a proud message of strength and resilience. The sound is an array of club bangers spanning rap, house and techno and loud, unashamed and authentic lyrics: “Bitches bark but I bite” (on the song BBL) – all their songs make you move and to feel their great energy, even without a stage.
Only moved in 2019 Bex to Vienna, but following that everything happened pretty quickly: One of their first appearances was in 2021 at a local event organized by female organizers and event managers. She might hardly imagine that just a year later she would be performing live at the Amadeus Awardsshow would occur.
Bex notes that she and her best friend and fellow musician W1ze – although the latter was nominated for the Best Sound award – were not booked to perform at the awards ceremony, which is criticized each year for awarding mostly white Austrian acts. Nonetheless Bex by the Viennese rapper, poet and author Yasmo brought into the medley performance. With this performance Bex known nationally for the first time, and those who didn’t know before now knew that Bex is a rapper to watch.
Bex’ Austrian grandmother (whom she describes as her biggest fan) and her half-sister secretly traveled from Pongau to Vienna to surprise her at her Amadeus performance. Her grandmother watched from a few yards away as the young woman who had raised her revealed a brave new side of herself. “I told my little sister not to tell my grandma that I play music,” she laughs. But maybe she shouldn’t have worried: her Austrian family gave her their full support and showed her that they accepted her as a whole. They even attended the Amadeus following party where they Bex‘ Met friends and partied late into the night.
The sound of doors opening
Later thinks Bex Reflects on the fact that she was the first person to take her grandmother on a plane – she flips through photos of them together in Berlin and pauses at a particularly precious image of her grandmother on that first flight in watching the sunset. Bex fetched this woman from her small village in Pongau and took her with her on her journey. Your connection is the foundation for many of Bex‘ Relationships with the women around them, women who continue to stand up for their names in a world that seems full of opportunity.
Another such opportunity arose recently when Bex – almost four years following her arrival in Vienna – on the main stage of the Pop Festival Vienna performed, which is often the stepping stone to the next stage of young artists’ careers. Along with their new EP, out on August 11th, the future is looking bright indeed.
But Bex take it all calmly and see where it leads. She has created a life for herself that, she says, goes far beyond the hardships of her childhood. As an artist, she defies an environment that has tried to tell her otherwise, and she stands behind her image and persona wholeheartedly. And now we know where this conviction, this self-confidence comes from: from their grandmothers and the women around them. And it’s deep.
Tonica Hunter (translated by Itta Francesca Ivellio-Vellin from the English original)
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Links:
Bex (instagram)
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#Bex #matriarchy #runs #deep #mica
