Support the Colored Girls Hustle Hard mixtape!

Are you interested in supporting women of color making dope and affirming music? OF COURSE YOU ARE! Colored Girls Hustle is Taja Lindley and Jess Valoris, and they create handmade adornments, invigorate and nurture creative practice and self-expression, and amplify women of color artists.

Lately, they’ve been making music, and a couple weeks ago put out their video for AFRO ALIENS, a queer-tastic, afro-futuristic Drake remix/re-write. As if that’s not enough, they’re trying to raise money to make a whole mixtape.

*Transcript available at end of post

These ladies are coming to their craft from a place of deep love for hip hop and queer folks of color. Full disclosure: Taja and I know each other from when we were young & ambitious reproductive justice interns at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and the director for the AFRO ALIENS music video is a dear friend who I met doing queer & trans people of color organizing work in Texas. But personal connections aside, these folks are the real deal. From the Colored Girls Hustle Hard Indie-Go-Go campaign page:

The Colored Girls Hustle Hard Mixtape is an adventure in creating movements — in our bodies, in our spirits, with our voices. By using powerful beats and powerful words, we’re inspiring audacious self-expression, authentic living and bold movements in the world. We combine our lived experiences as Black women with the bravado, swag, and pride of hip-hop to honor who we are and who we’re becoming. We tell our own stories, making songs about courage, health and wellness, community building, living outside of a box, and integrity. We’re making music that celebrates our funky-fresh boldness! Who else is rapping about Black women’s self-love over a Rick Ross beat?!

Wanna hear more? Go give to their campaign!

Transcript:

*we come in peace*

[CHORUS]
Afro Aliens call us weird
Traveled through the galaxy and we landed here. Xigga. (2Xs)

[VERSE]
[TAJA]
I like to date girls
You can call me queer
Femme and fabulous
is the new frontier

Nails did, hair did, everything did
Na-Na-Nails did, hair did, everything did

Closets ain’t for me
So I’m proudly here
No hiding, no shame, won’t disappear
Told the fam, mama shed some tears
Challenged religious beliefs that they hold dear
Always been a rebel, call me pioneer
But I operate from heart. I’m so sincere

[JESSICA]
We aint never made it, always living in the moment
Staying present in our lives, like god we omniponent
As a little girl I was mad softspoken
Now I’m living loud and my passion is awoken
Yea I said it
Awoke
I make words make sense no joke
If words sound power then I spoke
Read reality, write the future. End quote

Lift as we climb
Future undefined
All one people
Cuz our Spirits intertwined
Now is our time make the movements we desire
Travel around the sun, light a universal fire
Life’s a process, not a project
So I express and I connect
Finding god through self exploration
I’m a butterfly body, know thy self — transformation

[TAJA]
If you’ve been to the bottom, don’t be ashamed
Don’t wallow in regret and self-blame
Every moment of your life has a lesson
That you learned through the struggle and grow through pain (hey!)

We not coming up, we coming out
Becoming full self is what life’s about
When we grow, our people are growing too
We expand together, come enjoy the view

[CHORUS]
Afro Aliens call us weird
Traveled through the galaxy and we landed here. Xigga. (2Xs)

[BRIDGE]
Futuristic sistas got your back
Love and abundance is what we attract
We not here just for entertainment
Our boldness is making a statement

 Luminary sol sistas got your back
Love and abundance is what we attract
We not here just for entertainment
Lookin brand new, this shit is oh so ancient RAAAAHHH!

[AD LIBS]
ET phone home
Colored Girls Hustle Hard is a movement (yup)
We ain’t never been on bottom (nope)
We started from the top
We created this
Coming from the galaxy we all made from stardust
(North. South. East. West. All directions. Omnipresent. SAT words Xigga)

Verónica is an immigrant queer writer, domestic artist, and music video enthusiast.