2023-08-19 06:09:04
80 percent of the program on Frequency is male. One of the few women invited is rapper Verified.
For a long time, the typical content of German rap was sexist. Misogyny and drug glorification still find a large audience here. In the meantime, however, a bubble has formed in this biotope: More and more young rappers are addressing social grievances, feminism and mental illnesses. Something is definitely moving in the industry. Nevertheless, it is not easy for women to assert themselves in the German rap scene.
Viennese musician Verena, known as Verified, is one of the few who made it. In her lyrics, she likes to romanticize everyday situations, musically she distances herself from the mainstream. So far she has produced her songs with friends. It’s only since gaining wider notoriety that she’s been confronted with sexism in the music industry, she says.
She can think of enough examples. “As a woman, you have to be much more careful regarding what you do,” she says. “For example, one thing that upsets me a lot is that I’ve been accused of only writing and producing my album with men. My only answer was, have you ever asked a man that? After all, the majority of male artists only work with men. And it’s just never an issue. No man has to justify it. Apparently women do.”
McDonalds and the “woke” rapper
Other female rappers get slammed for their collaborators, says Verified. For example, Shirin David with McDonalds – a “woke” rapper does not fit into a fast food chain that is known for capitalist exploitation, they say. The collaboration of rapper Raf Camora with the same group, on the other hand, is regularly celebrated.
Verified also disturbs something else: how you are treated as a female rapper at festivals, from disparaging comments to intrusive photographers – that is far removed from the reality of life of male colleagues. And the reason why many of her colleagues write regarding empowerment and feminism. Not So Verified: “Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I have to be a women’s ambassador”. She has an empowering effect just by being in the male-dominated industry. The best thing for her is to see how many girls and women are inspired to make music themselves.
That’s what Verified is all regarding: having fun making music. And at the same time addressing the issues that are close to her heart. This goes down well with the younger generation. On Saturday she can be seen at the Frequency Festival with her new single Stadtlabyrinth. “I also invite three friends to play songs. I want to show that there are more female musicians than the few who make up the line-up.” Because women are still underrepresented on festival stages: around 80 percent of this year’s Frequency program was filled by men.
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