Who is Tommy Genesis? Indian-origin rapper slammed for dressing as Goddess Kali
Canadian rapper and model Tommy Genesis, of Indian-origin, recently faced backlash for portraying Goddess Kali in a music video. The visuals of her new track 'True Blue', shared by Genesis on social media, sparked widespread outrage for hurting religious sentiments.The rapper, also known as Genesis Yasmine Mohanraj, is linked to Malayali, Tamil and Swedish descent. Her music is often labelled as provocative since the theme of the lyrics is associated with sex and gender.advertisementGenesis, while justifying her choices in an interview with Office Magazine, mentioned that 'True Blue' is not meant for those who link it to their beliefs. She also clarified that she is not bothered by any mixed sentiments or criticism over the new music video.
Tommy Genesis' musical career and fameThe Indian-origin rapper was born in Vancouver, Canada. She graduated from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, where she studied film and sculpture before commencing her musical career.Genesis began creating music in the early 2010s and started recording rap in 2013 for a project called 'G3NESIS'. She later signed with Awful Records and released her debut mixtape, World Vision.Her collaborations were later followed by Downtown Records/Universal and Abra (an artist from Awful Records, on the track 'Hair Like Water Wavy Like the Sea' from Genesis's debut mixtape 'World Vision'). advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tommy Genesis (@tommygenesis)On July 28, 2018, the rapper dropped the single '100 Bad'. This track marked the second time she teamed up with music producer Charlie Heat, following their earlier collaboration on the 2017 song 'Tommy'.Her professional associations also include popular musicians like Charli XCX, Austin Millz, Lana Del Ray and Nessa Barrett.Modelling collaborationsThe 34-year-old artiste also made a career in modelling alongside her music. Calvin Klein hired her for their Fall 2016 campaign along with other musical artists. She also collaborated with rapper M.I.A. at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (a series of international fashion weeks sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, a brand of Daimler AG). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tommy Genesis (@tommygenesis)Tommy Genesis' True Blue controversyIn 2016, Dazed Magazine described Genesis as "the internet's most rebellious underground rap queen." The rapper, who studied gender politics, film, and sculpture at college, is known for bringing similar themes in her music videos.The recent video sparked outrage as it depicts her as Goddess Kali wearing a gold bikini and stilettos, adorned with gold jewellery. 'True Blue' also shows the rapper licking a crucifix and performing a 'namaste' gesture with folded hands. The imagery led to criticism for disrespecting both Hindu and Catholic faith.advertisementWhile speaking about 'True Blue' with Office Magazine, she said, "If you like it, you like it, and if you don't, you don't. We don't care. It's not for you. It could be not for you for a lot of reasons—where you are in your life or your beliefs."Recently, Indian rapper and lyricist Raftaar slammed Genesis for the controversial music video. While expressing his outrage on his Instagram story, Raftaar wrote, "This is a mockery of my religion. This shouldn't exist (sic)."Watch the video here: Tommy Genesis on explicit contentGenesis, who identifies as bisexual, has often been vocal about her thoughts on gender and sexuality. In an interaction with W Magazine, she said, "I am a very sexual person, and it's something that has always been a con in my life because it's something that I have always had to defend. I'm not unaware of what I'm saying, but I don't realise it's so explicit until it comes out. Even if you say I'm hip-hop, I'm not hip-hop. I make sex-talk art weirdness."Genesis has not yet responded to the controversy about hurting religious sentiments.
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