DIDIHOOD ~ Issue 21

Somehow November creeped up on us and we are one step closer to saying goodbye to 2019. At Didihood, we have been focused on our mentorship program which wraps up in December. For anyone in this year's cohort, let us know how it's been going!

For Toronto Didis, we have one more event in partnership with the Regent Park Film Festival. On Nov. 23, there will be a free screening of the film, Under Construction: a Bengali movie about a Muslim theatre actress who is trying to balance both her passion and traditional home life. Didis can RSVP here. 

Meet the Didis: 

These two have been on our radar and probably on your social media feeds in the last few months. Meet Eboshi and Contra: the Chennai born, Calgary raised and Toronto-based duo behind Cartel Madras. The hip hop group is currently on a Canada-wide winter 2019 tour.

Eboshi (left) and Contra (right) of Cartel Madras. Credit: Asim Overstands

Tell me more about the beginning, how did you two start this journey in music?  

Contra: We’ve been making music and performing since we were really young. Having vocal, dance (in both western and Indian style), and piano lessons from a very young age allowed us to create our own music. We’ve always explored our creativity through the arts and had been independently exploring rap and hip hop in our teens. In 2012 to 2014, we focused on writing hip hop, but it was still separately and very tucked away at this time. Around 2016 we came back to writing hip hop and showing each other our work. In 2017, we created Cartel Madras and began writing tracks together.

Eboshi: We began very amateurishly recording tracks to more lo-fi beats we liked in 2017 and putting them on our SoundCloud. These songs were much more lyrically dense and introspective than the more anthemic, party-driven music we are crafting now. In 2018, we began performing as Cartel Madras in Calgary and it all kind of snowballed from there. The on-stage aspect of being artists was really the big piece in making this all come together.

So much of your music and art is rooted in your identity as queer women and WOC, why is this important for you both?

Eboshi: A very integral part of this project is authentic representation. We grew up seeing barely any people that looked like us or told our stories in an accurate way. This is still very true in media, music, and in hip hop. The amount of influence artists such as M.I.A., Das Racist, and Princess Nokia have had in making music feel like a place we belong in is unquantifiable. 

Contra: Seeing people you can identify with; that are speaking about you, people you know, and speaking to you is such a legitimate form of encouragement to pursue the arts. Being a part of these marginalized communities has taught us how to unapologetically create and take up space in music and encourage our peers to do the same. 

Cartel Madras. Photo Oliver Banyard

As WOC, what are the barriers you still see in the music industry?

Contra: There is still a lot of explaining and proving we have to do. As female rappers, we have to constantly prove our skill and demonstrate that we are highly competent before we can move into some more laid-back or tongue-in-cheek work. 

Eboshi: Because people aren’t used to seeing young, brown, queer artists who are very vocal, we’ve seen people in this industry mistake our enthusiasm for naiveté. Because of our position in society and our previous roles, we developed a thick skin and a healthy sense of cynicism before we became full time artists. It has definitely helped us avoid some of the pitfalls common to young, eager artists. 

You also work a lot with other WOC, why is this important to you?

Contra: There is such a powerful community of women of colour working towards similar goals. We have seen so many of our talented peers be overlooked in fields like make-up artistry, styling, and photography because they are not seen as the traditional fit for that role. Elevating the voices of artists and professionals from differing backgrounds is important to us because we want to bring the attention and spotlight back to them.

What would be your advice to young South Asian women interested in a career in music?

Eboshi: Know who you are and why you are doing this. This is a tough industry and you need to have your wits about you constantly. There is a lot of planning, self-management and responsibility that go hand in hand with your talents and developing them. 

What is next for Cartel Madras? 

Our debut Sub Pop EP, Age Of The Goonda, came out on Nov. 1. In 2020, we’ll release our second EP (the third in the Project Goonda series) and likely tour the United States. 

Photo Yung Kamaji 

What we're reading: 

First, this piece in Vice about how some Indian women are afraid of cutting their "matted hair, even if lice-infested."

In Refinery 29, one writer spoke with five Muslim women on how they navigate makeup and modesty.

Here's an issue many of us can relate to: Brown Girl magazine takes a look at fat shaming in South Asian communities. 

And in Brampton, this Biji & Me program is helping South Asian grandmothers build relationships with their granddaughters. 
 

Didis, check this out: 

Become a RISE ambassador: The RISE program is designed for young people with little or no previous experience in volunteering. Over 22 weeks, RISE Ambassadors will build skills and collaborate with others to build a community project in their city. RISE is offered in Montreal, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Halifax.

-- Arti Patel

Issue 21
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