"Djoen it": Sampling Hip Hop Feminism in the Dutch Context

Day and time: Saturday (March 21) · 13:00–14:15
Location: Coop Himmelb(l)au
Format: Panel

"Djoen it": Sampling Hip Hop Feminism in the Dutch Context

Presented by: Isabella Hall Allen, Kim Dankoor, Sisa Uma Kente & Aruna Vermeulen

With the rise in academic interest in Dutch Hip Hop, accounts of the history and evolution of the culture and its musical expressions have tended to omit the important role women have played in shaping these creative practices. In many ways, this omission is symptomatic of the field more broadly, as Hip Hop Studies in the United States have followed a similar pattern. In our book chapter, we intervened in two Hip Hop feminist ways: first, by tracing the histories of women pioneers in Dutch Hip Hop culture; and second, by analyzing the lyrics of Dutch women rappers through a Hip Hop feminist lens, understood as a subset of Black feminist thought. During our panel, we will first present the five feminist themes identified in the analyzed songs (Reclaiming that Thang, Getting to the Bag,That Bitch, Dissin’, and Riding for my People). Thereafter, we will engage in a conversation with MC Cheryl Lee (Sisa Uma) and Aruna Vermeulen, breaker and director of Hiphophuis, about the history of Dutch (women’s) Hip Hop, as well as their careers and experiences within the culture.