Out Artists on the Rise
Team Gina’s expressive brand of rap combines their shared experience as children of the ’80s, and their love of all things pop.
The Seattle-based duo of Gina Genius, 27, and Gina Bling, 26, audaciously sample Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” simultaneously referencing My Little Pony, and themes from the queer rights movement.
“We’re synthesizing all the elements of pop culture that we grew up with and mashing them up to create something new,” Genius. “We’re also trying to bring a perspective that’s kind of utopian—we want to represent the perfect queer paradise that doesn’t exist yet, that maybe exists at our shows.” Components? “Well, there’d be really great outfits,” muses Genius, giggling. “And really great dance moves.”
While Gina Bling is a Seattle-born former “musical theatre junkie,” Genius, who hails from D.C. via Brooklyn, is a former folk singer. The beat-heavy duo, who met in 2006 at a Scream Club show, sport matching attire (think booty shorts, wristbands) when they break it down every first Friday at Seattle’s Wild Rose bar. Their debut CD, gina gina revolution, was released this year by Crunks Not Dead and Don’t Stop Believin’ Records.
The two giggly femmes, who just finished touring with MondoHomo Dirty South, share one other love: butch girls. Hence these memorable lyrics from their Sir Mix-sampled track “Butch/Femme”: “I like butch girls and I cannot lie/You other femmes can’t deny/When a butch walks in all the femmes wanna fuss/’Cause it’s like one of them and thirty of us.”
For more on Team Gina, visit myspace.com/teamgina. –Melody Wells
Hip-hoppers to country crooners, this year’s up-and-comers are here, queer and ready to entertain
Skim
L.A.-based artist Skim, a self-proclaimed “child of hip-hop,” has always fostered a deeply creative and curious spirit. The Queens native remembers sitting in friends’ doorways at parties observing the music, and learning that “it’s about speaking your mind, scratching up a record, and taking a chance.”
This same curiosity is evident on her self-released 2006 debut For Every Tear. Skim’s lyrical themes of sexuality, spirituality and community juxtapose favorably against hiccupping beats, string-laden samples, and her fragile vocal stylings. In her live act, Skim commands her audience by deploying traditional Korean hand-drumming and guitars with unrivaled skill.
Skim, who is a Korean-American lesbian, was no stranger to judgments or “the disapproving eye” after coming out. Still, she continued to garner support among a growing fanbase and local music collectives.
“Either people will like me right away or they won’t,” she says. “I don’t have time to think about it. I have to keep moving and pushing.”
When she’s not on the mic, Skim dedicates her time to community organizing efforts such as Tribe of the Diasporas, a non-profit organization geared towards “queer womyn of color and working class communities.” She also conducts performance workshops for A.I.M. (Assemblies in Motion), an artist collective that uses art to address social issues relevant to their daily lives. Skim looks forward to planning an upcoming national tour, including the Michigan Womyn’s Festival, and a new album set to be released in 2008.
For more of Skim, visit myspace.com/skim-music. –PC
