Born in Cape Town to parents who were community workers, Catherine St Jude Pretorius developed an interest in hip-hop around the age of 12. This came around the same time she discovered the poetry of Maya Angelou and learned to play guitar. She references the influence of leaders like Steve Biko and Shaka Zulu, as well as hip-hop artists such as Lauryn Hill and Tracy Chapman. When asked about the presence of identity politics in her music, she states “I purposefully talk about it in my music, because my music feels pointless to me if I don’t talk about the things that are important to me.”
In Brown Baas, Dope Saint Jude, addresses sexism and racism. Mixing the appeal of a trap influenced beat and identity conscious lyrics, the rapper uses hip-hop as a vehicle for social change.
Lines like “I’m representing the voiceless and don’t you ever forget it. I’ve got power and passion and I don’t need to defend it” affirm her power as a queer coloured woman, and therefore affirms the power of queer black women everywhere.
Sources:
http://www.bruinou.com/aweh/the-archives/164-entertainment/2287-brown-baas-dope-saint-jude