Poetic Pilgrimage on Star Women and the Femcee Perspective
February 2, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Written By Amanda Macchia
True to their moniker, hip hop duo Poetic Pilgrimage pays homage to the spoken soul of poetry and its journey through the power and tribulations of long-awaited social liberation. The women behind the group are fueled by much more than creative rhymes and story telling. Their newest endeavor, mix tape Star Women is a tribute to the light every person has within them. Using their own experiences as activists, minorities, and women, they channel their perspective to shed light where there has always been darkness. Poetic Pilgrimage has conceptualized the prospects of social acceptance and freedom into Star Women, with an energy that can only be described as determination.
Activist and sociologist, W.E.B. DuBois, was known in his critical theory of race for the concept of a “double-consciousness”. Later adapted by the feminist Dorothy Smith as the “bifurcated consciousness”, the idea refers to a sense of awareness that those who aren’t in a position of power are advantaged to understanding. The repressed, the subordinated, or the minority, have a heightened sense of what society looks like; with only one foot in the door, they have the opportunity to experience a duality of self. Capable of looking in from the outside, a repressed member of society understands what it is to be a part of the mainstream social order, while they simultaneously can see the world from the perspective of someone with a limited sense of social amenities. They have a sense of “otherness” that in it’s most bare state is, itself, repression. Yet something positive can come from being the “other”, because a dual perspective is far more valuable than a single provincial understanding of our world. For DuBois, this repressive state can be turned into a celebration of variety, and an intellectual pilgrimage toward equality. Integration for DuBois was a unity of difference, and of the solid fact that we can all relate as human beings. Just as DuBois didn’t extract theory without emphasizing the end goal of political change and the importance of activism within the social world, Poetic Pilgrimage uses Star Women to catalyze the audience into their worlds and their experiences, in the hopes that something important might come out of it.
Sukina and Muneera of Poetic Pilgrimage explain their efforts brilliantly: “Within our music we try to give an alternative perspective, the voice of those who tend not to be heard… As individuals we realized that in many ways we sometimes fail to see the greatness that is inside of us, not just musically but in our personal lives. We spent a lot of time reminding ourselves of our achievements, and then it dawned on us that in general as human beings sometimes we don’t see the beauty, the potential the power, and tenacity that is dormant within our cells. This in itself is an inhibition, and can be oppression to ourselves. So in this project we are reintroduced to messages of freedom and change.”
The free download they have available online is a prelude to their actual mix tape project. It speaks of the beauty inside that we naturally, and unknowingly, tend to neglect. Pulling from a massive volume of styles, decades, and cultures, Poetic Pilgrimage has accumulated an album where every song is different and yet universal in meaning. They combine aggressive, funky beats with a cool, hip and organic orientation. There are glimpses of jazz, vestiges of electronica, intergalactic excursions into R&B, and a percussive tunnel into afrobeat, all of which serve to frame the gentle, persistent rapping of Poetic Pilgrimage’s natural lyrical affinity. The download is as exciting as any mix tape could hope to be, so one can only wonder what surprises their real project has in store.
In general, nothing they do is without purpose. Considering that the marriage of hip hop to social or political activism is a growing trend in subcultures throughout the globe, there is something to be said for progressive and active music that stands out above the rest. Artists and hip hoppers are pooling together their resources, and their natural affinity toward a two-fold perspective to create music of the sort most people have never been exposed to. Star Women is a shining example of an artistry that is full of messages without the sacrifice of the immense integrity it takes to be a truly talented hip hop pioneer.
What I love about hip hop,” says Muneera, “is that it is a tool that has given many people the opportunity to express themselves in a direct and creative manner. Art in general surpasses layers and aims straight for the heart. Hip hop, in particular, is the only form of music in the western hemisphere that was born out of oppression. This music has given those with no way to express their social conditions a means to speak and be noted…. it is something that is accessible to all people regardless of class or financial status. It gave life to a new type creativity, and has provided opportunity for growth and business… now that hip hop has gone international, this has only added texture to the many layers with in it.”
The ladies have a lot going on aside from the release of their mix tape. “We recently came back from a mini European tour where we performed at the 5-year anniversary party of the World Culture Museum in Sweden. We did an event called ‘The Night The Songbirds Are Set Free’ in Berlin that focused on liberating women’s voices, and we performed at a World Music Festival on the German/Polish border too. We are also currently working towards an album that will be ready before autumn. This will be coming out on a Californian based label called Remarkable Current. Most of the production will be by an amazing producer and arranger called Fair Grime. We are also looking at other forms of writing.”
Muneera and Sukina met young, and were both united by one thing. “We first became close friends because of music,” says Sukina. “Muneera used to be a DJ and would always get early releases from Sony and other record companies. I remember hearing Jill Scott for the first time and Amel Larrieux, whilst also being in love with people like Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, Mos Def, Kweli and Common. We were so inspired by this music and the message and spirituality that existed in it. We wanted to create for others what this music had meant for us. We decided to come together to inspire and uplift people, and represent a voice for some of the voiceless people around the world.”
It’s safe to say that Poetic Pilgrimage as a concept accomplishes these goals entirely.
It is refreshing to see a piece of artwork so honest and bare bones. With songs off the download like “Beautiful”, we are reminded that in most cultures women only know themselves in relation to men. The song is infused with the hope that we can keep shining, and recognize how to allow ourselves to measure up in the face of social norms and cultural gender roles.
“Aborted Daughters (Live)”, addresses the politics that fuel Poetic Pilgrimage, while taking the concept of the mix tape and giving it the integrated identity of a multi-media approach. It starts with a short speech and launches directly into the spoken word format, giving the free download a boost of texture and allowing the messages of liberation and faith more power.
Poetic Pilgrimage uses their own identities, as well as those of other women to forage an image of the universality of the female and human experience. They translate into music the socially constructed domination and internal subordination that we all suffer. On top of it all, Poetic Pilgrimage has created timeless music and poetry that honors the power and prowess of women in hip hop.
“We feel strongly about justice, love, and peace for all,” says Muneera. “Being from different community groups we see how people can get caught up with just themselves, and obviously we all have to make sure that the home is straight, but oppression is a disease and once we allow it to breed we can all be susceptible to it.”
To download a free prelude of Star Women visit http://www.starwomenmixtape.com/.
