Move over Nicki Minaj, meet the women making queer hip hop their own

Forget homohop, meet lesbo hop. Originally published at the New Statesman. 

God Des and She holding non-suggestive objects

You haven't lived until you've seen a lesbian hip hop duo rap about best pussy eating technique to three hundred excited women. Best known for their appearance on lesbo-drama TV series The L Word, hip hop act God Des and She enchanted the crowd at long-standing London queer night Bar Wotever last week. Bringing a signature mix of rapped swagger and ovaries-busting soul - “You and me together we got that vibe/Plus I'm a ten and your girl is a five” -  they ensured there wasn't a dry seat in the house. 

Yet despite being regarded as queer hip hop “pioneers” by EvOn, another lesbian rapper and writer of the LGBT Underground blog, many in the audience of dykes, queers and assorted misfits had only vaguely heard of them before the show. Read More. 

The graduate without a future: British creativity has not gone quiet, its just struggling to be heard

An artist who I think is really really good 

Here's a new piece I wrote for a Guardian Comment is free series, (ironically?) named "The graduate without a future": British creativity has not gone quiet, it's just struggling to be heard. 

If you fancy a brief meditation on the sheer wretchedness of humanity (or that represented below-the-line on Cif, at least), have a look at the comments. Suffice it to say that my choices of interesting young artists were, according to one delightful commentator, examples of:

"No skill, artless, derivative nonsense. Dishonest"

In any case, I totally rose above it by lying on my bed for much of the day feeling sorry for myself, resolving never to step outside the comfortable territory of gender related sarcasm ever again.

But then the next day I took part in a really fun live Q&A session with great and goods Paul Mason, Shiv Malik, Ed Howker and Oliver Laughland. You can find it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/06/graduate-without-future-q-and-a

Sadler's Wells: Sampled

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's Faun

I wrote a review for BELLYFLOP Magazine. CLICK HERE.