Hot Takes: Protecting women means more than a hashtag
Black women are tired of being unfairly treated
TW: This post contains details of assault and physical violence against Black women.
As you could probably have already guessed from the featured image and title of this post, the gravity of today’s Hot Takes is not one to be taken lightly. Black women are angry at becoming the punchline, endlessly on the receiving end of harassment, violence, vitriol, assault, and physical and sexual abuse. It’s become increasingly clear that men don’t care about us, neither do they care about our experiences, so what better way to vent than to do things differently this week and address the concerns that many Black women, like myself, share.
This week we’re dedicating our weekly Hot Takes column to all the Black women within the NATIVE community around the world, we see you and we stand with you. Pop culture and its woes can stay on pause for the rest of the week, while we address pressing issues that continue to plague and frustrate the lives of many women in today’s misogynistic world. The constant ways our stories are belittled and lambasted have thrown the frequent disregard of women into centre stage and it will not go unaddressed any longer.
Megan, Tory Lanez and the Vilification of Black Women.
By Vanessa Iloenyosi and Tami Makinde
This year has been an insanely terrifying year for a number of reasons. For us as people, we are trying to survive a global health pandemic that has disproportionately affected the economy and life as we knew it. For us as a Black community, we are trying to survive a pandemic that is affecting our community at disproportionate rates, while escaping death at the hand of white supremacist police officers because of the colour of our skin. But most importantly, for us as WOMEN who are from black communities, as we are trying to survive a pandemic, being targeted for our skin colour, all while trying to protect each other from sexual and gender-based violence, responsibilities placed solely on our shoulders because the world has shown that it is not looking out for us.
Back in July, Tory Lanez allegedly fired four bullets at Megan thee Stallion after the pair attended a party in Hollywood, with two of the bullets injuring her feet, requiring surgery. At the time of this news, social media was awash with memes on what had supposedly gone down, many making Megan thee Stallion the butt of several distasteful misogynistic and transphobic jokes. After weeks of speculation, Megan shared the name of her shooter as Tory Lanez who remained quiet during the whole spectacle and didn’t respond until a few days ago where he had to audacity to capitalise off her pain.
On September 25th, the rapper shared a surprise full-length album titled Daystar, focused around clearing his name, gaslighting his victim, and gaslighting the female artists, who stood in support of his victim; all without a single shred of proof. This album shot up to number 1 on the Apple Music chart – a ranking he would never have achieved if not for the incident and the notoriety of his victim. The album sent social media into a frenzy. In the most unfortunate and pathetic turn of events, we witnessed a wave of people rise and attack the Megan, the victim of Tory Lanez, inexcusable and unfounded violence. These attacks came predominantly from the African American community, many of the men (and some women) who wished to hear Tory’s ‘side’ of that night. This mob of misogynistic enablers; without any legal, medical or forensic investigation experience, ran to Meg’s Instagram comments to accuse her of lying, being in the Illuminati and my personal favourite, trying to bring a successful Black man down. LOL.
In 2020, I was reminded that the greatest crime one can commit in life, is to be born a Black woman. The ruling from the very unfortunate murder of Breonna Taylor; who like me, was a Black woman just trying to make it in life, showed White America charging her killer, Myles Cosgrove not for ending her life unfairly but for making the mistake of letting one of the bullets meant for her, fly into her neighbour’s home. For months, Black people all over the world protested Taylor’s killing; black people demanded justice and cried out in pain when the ruling was finally passed. So how was it, that the very next day, these same members of the Black community, saw a victim, who looked like them, talked like them, and has similar experiences to them but decided the best bet was to side with the abuser and attempted murder because he released a music album, without any single iota of proof to back up his noise. Why is it that these people, more, unfortunately, these fellow Black women, felt more comfortable accepting the story of the accused and ignoring all the evidence from the victim.
Tory Lanez’s behaviour, and the lack of real consequences so far, fits into a wider pattern of abuse against Black women in the world and particularly within the hip-hop community. Lanez chose to capitalise on a Black woman’s pain while placing his own struggles at the forefront, allowing his fans to endlessly berate thee Stallion and dehumanise her further, following months of targeted vitriol on social media. On the project, all implications are considered except the ones which might imply wrongdoing on the part of the man – Lanez plays on society’s constant disregard for black women. Men like Tory Lanez know that they will never be held accountable and they can escape any blame by playing the misogyny card and frankly, it is getting tired. And phrases like “protect black women“, “believe black women” or “black women are powerful” are doing little to help women if they are nothing but buzzwords to attract engagement on social media. Protecting black women is more than a hashtag and goes far beyond the confines of social media. Protecting black women means all black women, regardless of who is related to you and regardless of who their assaulters or perpetrators are.
Lil Frosh deserves to be in jail
By Tami Makinde
Yesterday, it was reported that a model and influencer by the name of Gift Camille had been suffering assault at the hands of her boyfriend of 10 months, the latest DMW signee, Lil Frosh. Shared via the Instagram account of her brother and manager, Michael, details of the months of assault were divulged which included details of how Lil Frosh’s tyrannical and cowardly outbursts on his girlfriend, Gift developed over time including reports of the rapper filming her naked and threatening to share these images if she were to step out of line.
In his account, Michael shared that he came to find out about the assault on the 22nd of June when Gift was booked to attend a video shoot for Lyta but turned it down because Lil Frosh would have not liked her appearing in the video, allegedly claiming it was unknown to him that the real reason she was reluctant to attend was because she had been physically assaulted by the now ex-DMW signee. On another occasion, Michael received a call from the rapper begging him for several hours to be reconciled with his sister after claiming he would not physically harm her any longer. Lil Frosh went as far as alienating Gift from all her friends and holding her back further from other work opportunities, damaging her belongings, and threatening to post videos of her online. Let’s not even get into the fact that her brother was aware of this and didn’t throw hands with this guy because no amount of begging can make me let anyone get away with harming my siblings.
And then on social media, the disregard for women continues. Despite the fact that Lil Frosh repeatedly perpetuated crimes that should be treated with the highest matter of priority and empathy for the victim, it was incredibly sickening to find that people online still found ways to make light of the gravity of the harm that has been caused to a woman. You need only look at the comment section on any of the vile gossip sites and even on the victim’s page as well, where people have made insinuations that she was looking for trouble by dating a rapper or justifying the harm because of how provocative women can be. Not only is this victim-blaming, but it is also entirely reductive from the matter at hand and it shows just how little Nigerians care about harm against women, especially when it’s at the hands of men they’ve trusted.
— Davido (@davido) October 6, 2020
In this current social climate, domestic abuse and physical violence against women is not to be tolerated and should be more than enough grounds to call for an official arrest of Lil Frosh. Today, Davido also shared that his label, DMW would be terminating their relationship with the rapper as domestic violence would not be condoned within their camps. I believe that further than terminating his contractual career, he needs to be publicly denounced, and further, he should be behind bars. We don’t want the music anymore or his name on any concert lineups, Lil Frosh needs to be in jail.
Beyond this, this is the second time this year that a member of the DMW crew is being caught in disturbing news concerning harm against women. Earlier in January, Peruzzi was accused of defrauding Daffy Blanco of 15 million naira and also trying to force himself on her. Months later, in a now-deleted Twitter thread, she went into great detail on how Peruzzi forced himself on her even after she rejected his advances. The singer has repeatedly denied these claims but around the same period, a string of older tweets detailing how if a woman did not accept his sexual advances, he would forcibly have sex with them surfaced. Rape jokes are not funny and they will never be, they are an act of violence against women and a further way to propagate rape culture in our society. I’ve come to the understanding that men simply do not protect women, as we have seen on numerous occasions where women (and the LGBTQ community) are the only individuals backing women on social media and in real life, against the harm and abuse caused to them by men.
We all have a social responsibility to not only be decent human beings but to make our homes, offices, social and online spaces safer for women and not just the ones that we have a close familial, platonic, or romantic relations to. Anything less than this should be treated with utmost haste and attract zero acceptance for such egregious acts.
Featured image credits: NATIVE
ICYMI: Examining the societal structures which enable sexual assault
NATIVE PREMIERE: Rigo Kamp Runs Ahead Of The Pack With The Visuals For “Marathon”
Rigo Kamp’s Marathon video is an intimate Afro-juju revival that pays homage to Sir Shina Peters and stamps...
Last Friday, Rigo Kamp, a NATIVE uNder alum and one of the architects of an equal parts nostalgic and refreshing sound released his self-titled debut EP, delivering a propulsive fusion of Alte, R&B, Funk, and Soul-infused rhythms.
Featuring previously released singles “Morning Sun” and “Summer”, the six-track eponymous EP executively produced by Odunsi The Engine sees Rigo lean heavily into his element as a sonic alchemist, jumping from silky falsettos to gritty grooves without losing an ounce of cohesion, and ultimately stamping the Abuja-born, Lagos-based singer-songwriter as a mad scientist of sound.
Just last November, Apple Music named Rigo Kamp as its Up Next artist, an acknowledgment that underscored his potential and confirmed what the tastemakers and underground scene already knew. Weeks later, he delivered an exhilarating live set for Spotify Fresh Finds in Lagos, proving he’s just as compelling live as he is in the studio.
On “Marathon”, the refreshing opener to the Rigo Kamp EP, Rigo borrows the bounce and swagger of Afro-Juju legend, Sir Shina Peters’ golden-era, fusing nostalgia with re-imagination to birth a vintage performance that feels like a private party for two, where it’s just Rigo, and you.
Get an exclusive first look at the video for Marathon here:
Listen to the Rigo Kamp EP:
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Togo YEYE & VLISCO’s new collaboration is a celebration of Lomé’s thriving creative scene
Togo YEYE is a community we are building for us by
Togo YEYE, a creative duo formed by Lomé-based creative director Malaika Nabillatou and London-based photographer Delali Ayivi, is a conceptual publication that was created to empower and champion Togo’s young fashion creatives. Since its inception in 2021, Togo YEYE has released several personal projects and has also partnered with a number of brands to further its hugely imaginative aesthetic mandate. For their latest collaboration, Togo YEYE teamed up with textile printing company VLISCO to present Blossoming Beauty. Tagged as a love letter to Togo’s creative community, the campaign captures Lomé’s scenic beauty alongside VLISCO’s vibrant prints with the aim of connecting the feminine grace of nature with identity and artistry.
What does Togo YEYE mean?
Malaika Nabilatou: My name is Malaika Nabilatou, I’m the creative director of Togo YEYE. I’m Togolese and I was born and grew up in Lomé. I see myself as a West African creative director and I’m working to be the best in a few years. Togo YEYE means new Togo in Ewe, one of the most popular languages spoken in the South of Togo.
What inspired you to create Togo YEYE?
Malaika Nabilatou: We started this project, my friend Delali and I, 5 years ago. We just wanted to show that Togolese youth are also creative. Togo YEYE is a community we are building for us by us. It wasn’t just a project for Delali and I. It’s become something for the creative scene of Lomé. Lomé is like our studio.
What role does Togolese culture play in your creative process?
Maryline Bolognima: For me, Togolese culture comes first. For example, in the South, there are the people of Anero. If you come, you can go to Anero. In the North, there are the Evals, so if you come to Togo, you’ll learn a lot.
What’s the most exciting part of working as a team on projects like this?
Malaika Nabilatou: I need to tell the truth, we dreamt about this campaign before [it happened]. When VLISCO contacted us, we were like wow. I can’t really explain how thankful we are to VLISCO for trusting us. Because it’s a risk that they took by trusting us, making that campaign here with our team and honestly we are going to keep it in our hearts for the rest of our lives.
Claudia Sodogbe: For me, it is the first big contract of my life that I had with Togo YEYE. I still remember, on the last day of the shoot, I was feeling nostalgic about separating from the teams and the others. It went well in any case, and I’m very grateful to have been on this project.
What has been your proudest moment as part of Togo YEYE?
Malaika Nabilatou: I think the proudest moment I had with this campaign was when I saw the result first on the website. When I saw the story, I was like “wow, we finally made it.”
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Inside The Parties Breathing New Life Into Lagos’ Nightlife Scene
No matter who you, these parties provide a safe space to let loose without fear of objectification or...
The crowd marches along on the dancefloor, vibrating to a pulse that is both familiar and electrifying. It takes a second to identify Grammy nominee, Rema’s “Ozeba,” pouring out of the speakers and whipping the crowd into a frenzy as it takes on new life as a turbulent EDM track. The crowd growls and screams in approval of the DJ’s remix, yet another banger in a night filled with back-to-back hits. Hands in the air, sweat dripping from glistening bodies, smoke floating around the dancefloor and young people gyrating with reckless abandon, Element House provides the people with the release they deserve and they reward it with an undying loyalty to its rhythm and raves as they keep coming back.
Party culture has taken on new dimensions in Nigeria over the last two decades as a reaction to economic, social and cultural progressions. This evolution of the way we party is significant considering that Nigeria is a society that lays heavy emphasis on certain accepted standards of moral behavior, rooted in culture and tradition. But that has never once stopped a good time from happening. Millennials and older gen-z will remember the street parties and carnivals of old, usually held at the end of summer holidays or in December, where music by TuFace, Mo’Hits, Akon, Shakira, Lady Gaga and 50 Cent were the staple, among others. There were certain songs automatically expected from any DJ worth his salt otherwise it was not too far-fetched to see a DJ, with his equipment on his head, fleeing for his safety while being chased by an irate mob of partygoers.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. These carnivals and street parties might have been phased out but the idea remains the same while the power and influence of communities powering party culture in Lagos and Nigeria at large has only gotten stronger, especially with the advent of social media. The Block Party series–started in Lagos, Nigeria as the Mainland Block Party–has become the go-to event to celebrate youth culture and foster connections that cut across multiple African cities and walks of life. Today, with curated events in Ibadan, Abuja, Lagos, Accra and others, a community of partygoers is assured maximum enjoyment whenever the Block Party organisers announce an event in their city of the month. The people will always return to where their tastes are catered to, bringing along friends, family and newbies eager to bask in the atmosphere of loud music and togetherness.
In 2012, Warner Bros. Pictures released Project X–a film that follows three friends and high-school students who attempt to gain popularity by throwing a party which ends up escalating out of their control and reaching epic proportions. This idea propagated by Hollywood would go on to influence several house parties thrown in Lagos during the mid to late 2010s. The idea that with the right DJ/music playing at the right venue and with just the right crowd, then immortality was possible–a party so grand that it would be spoken about in glowing terms for years to come until it became lore. Today, house parties are more intimate and controlled, the degrees of separation between attendees reduced by a mutual friend or WhatsApp group they all have in common. From game nights to karaoke sessions to kinky sex parties, whether it’s at Balloons & Cups, a Vogue Boys pool party, or a get-together by the ‘Lagos on a Budget’ IG Community, the role house parties play in the ever evolving party culture is not insignificant, creating a pipeline that feeds into the much larger raves which weekends in Lagos are becoming synonymous with.
Whether it’s Element House today, Mainland House tomorrow, Group Therapy next weekend, WIRED or a host of other house and EDM inspired movements, partygoers are spoiled for choice when it comes to where to indulge their fundamental music tastes in a secure and controlled environment. Nothing is off the menu and a good time is the only badge of honor worth collecting. The increasing popularity of the rave movement in recent years is testament to the fact that it works for both organizers and attendees. The Covid-19 lockdowns changed the way Nigerians party; after months of being isolated from their communities and having to socialize in more intimate and private spaces, it’s no surprise that raves, with their underground nature, became the outlet of choice for several young people as soon as the world opened back up. According to Tonia, a medical doctor and frequent raver living in Lagos, her first few times at parties following the end of the lockdowns were not fun. “I was partying with caution, wearing face masks constantly and carrying hand sanitizer around. It became a much better experience subsequently when everything relaxed and soon enough, I was back enjoying the time of my life at Lagos parties.”
Unburdened from the heavy spending, bottle-popping culture that characterizes Lagos nightlife and cloaked in the embrace of judgment-free anonymity and numbers, raves have become a safe haven for a community of partygoers determined to turn up in the midst of the sheer craziness of living in this day and age. For Michael-Peace, a brand & creative assistant and frequent raver, the appeal goes beyond a need to unwind and the feelings of peace he experiences at raves. “Whether I’m listening to the DJ or just watching the crowd move to the music, it’s a very mindful experience for me,” he says.“I’m grateful to just be there and appreciative of how we can all be one community or family for that period of time.”
The appeal of the rave scene is its inclusivity and it’s a common theme for the new wave of parties exploding in Lagos and environs. No matter who you are or what you stand for, these parties provide a safe space to let loose without fear of objectification or discrimination resulting from socio-economic and political differences, misogyny and other less elegant occurrences which are part of mainstream Nigerian nightlife. This is important to Tonia who, on multiple occasions, has been prevented by bouncers from entering clubs without a male companion. “I’ll always prefer raves, they are much freer and nobody is performing here. There’s no need to show off the number of bottles you bought like there is in a club. Everyone just wants to turn the fuck up and have the time of their lives.”
For five or six hours, the disco lights, turbulent music and fellow ravers provide solace from the outside world. “Dancing the night away” is not merely a suggestion but a divine mandate from the gods of the rave. It is almost impossible to emerge after such an experience and not want to do it again. The music beckons all and sundry to come out, purge yourself of all inhibitions on the dancefloor, then return home and spread the gospel of the electronic music scene to all who might listen. In Michael-Peace’s own words: “There are people I’ve put onto raves and who loved the experience and constantly thank me for introducing them to it. Once you get hooked on it, you’ll never want to let go.”
Party culture in Nigeria continues to evolve as the new wave of parties mark their time and place in history. But the street parties and carnivals of yesteryears are not to be forgotten. The power of community continues to connect the old wave with the new wave, ensuring that actual people remain the focal point of these events, and party goers can enjoy nightlife experiences uniquely tailored to their ever changing wants and needs.
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