Updated: March 31, 2022, 11:00 A.M
Updated: March 29, 2022, 12:36 P.M.
Vancouver, B.C.
“Excited and so honoured”
Teodoro Alcuitas
Editor, Philippine Canadian News.Com (PCN.Com)
A Vancouver hip hop artist is “excited and so honoured” after getting a big shout-out from U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez this week.
Kimmortal, a non-binary and queer rapper could not believe at first that the self-identified Democratic socialist congresswoman resonated with her song “Sad Femme Club” which she wrote back in 2017 when ” I was actually supporting a queer BIPOC friend of mine … taking on a racist incident,” K!mmortal told CBC.
Ocasio-Ortiz was reacting to the ongoing U.S. Senate confirmation hearing ongoing confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson, AOC likened the potential Supreme Court Justice’s calm demeanour when faced with a series of personal attacks, dog whistles, and unrelated unprofessional lines of questioning from Republican senators to Kimmortal’s refrain: “If I lose my shit right now / will I just be dismissed right now?”
Ocasio-Cortez, a self-identified democratic socialist congresswoman, made a post to TikTok and Instagram Thursday, soundtracked by K!mmortal’s 2017 song. Posting a series of videos that featured her rapping along to their 2019 single “Sad Femme Club” in response to the ongoing confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson, AOC likened the potential Supreme Court Justice’s calm demeanour when faced with a series of personal attacks, dog whistles, and unrelated unprofessional lines of questioning from Republican senators to Kimmortal’s refrain: “If I lose my shit right now / will I just be dismissed right now?”
A non-binary and queer rapper, Kimmortal’s track, which AOC dubbed her “anthem this week,” sees them speaking about having “zero tolerance” for systemic discrimination against anyone not from traditional power structures, sections of the track that AOC played underneath some of her own words – “Our hearts are breaking the entire time because she’s smiling through it with grace even though she shouldn’t have to EVER accept this disgusting behaviour.”
Vancouver hip hop artist K!mmortal reacts in a social media post after U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rapped along to their 2017 song ‘Sad Femme Club’ on Thursday, March 24, 2022. (K!mmortal/Instagram)
In the post, the Bronx politician described the song as: “My anthem this week for watching one of the most qualified SCOTUS nominees in U.S. history be treated with extra disrespect as a Black woman.”
The nominee faced days of questioning from Republicans, who oppose her joining the Supreme Court, and focused on her anti-racism views, her thoughts on children’s books by authors of colour, and her sentencing record as a judge in child exploitation cases.
“They’re intentionally trying to break her emotionally to have something to disqualify her,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in her post.
K!mmortal said although they are not closely following U.S. judicial hearings, the politician and activist is someone they respect and admire for her advocacy.
“She’s always pushing for the rights of marginalized people,” they told CBC News in an interview. “The fact that it’s resonating with her was mind-blowing; it’s such an honour to see that.”
Sad Femme Club was originally composed in support of Black, Indigenous and people of colour fighting against oppression, K!mmortal explained.
My first reaction video to @aoc singing to my song #sadfemmeclub !!! Ah i’m so happy the community is feeling this! So many shares and reposts and i’m stoked this is making people feel seen!
“I wrote it back in 2017 when I was actually supporting a queer BIPOC friend of mine … taking on a racist incident,” K!mmortal said.
“I wrote Sad Femme Club in witness particularly to Black and Indigenous femmes of colour who deal with micro-aggressions — and what I deal with as a queer Filipinx non-binary artist,” she told CBC News.