Madame Gandhi – “Top Knot Turn Up”
Madame Gandhi, who first gained recognition as the former drummer for M.I.A and Kehlani and for running the 2015 London Marathon while free-bleeding, is an outspoken feminist. Her newly released single “Top Knot Turn Up” is an anthem about women with buns getting shit done.
Made in collaboration with Brazilian artist Ruxell, the track is urgent and aggressive in its attack on misogyny and American corruption. Her lyrics are deceptively pointed and cerebral amid the song’s heavy beat. It’s a call to action but at the same time a celebration of the bun as a new symbol of female power.
Women’s hair has always been charged with a projected performance of femininity, the idea that women are here to look pretty. A top knot is Madame Gandhi’s rebellion against this oppression. It’s a signal of hard working women, and it carries with it just as much femininity. Listen to “Top Knot Turn Up” below.