inthemix | International News | Santogold shuns hip hop tag as “racist”

Philadelphia ‘It’ girl Santogold has earned widespread attention for her fiercely original self-titled debut album. However, she’s fed up with her music being classified ‘hip hop’, decrying the pigeonholing as “racist”.

The former frontwoman of punk outfit Stiffed is understandably miffed that online retail sites have labeled the LP ‘hip hop’, ‘R&B’ or ‘rap’, despite its obvious punk, pop and new-wave leaning. “It’s racist. It’s totally racist,” she declared in a recent interview with The Lipster. “Everyone is just so shocked that I don’t like R&B. Why does R&B keep coming into my interviews? It’s pissing me off.”

In her recent chat with ITM, Santogold recalled her surprise when collaborators Switch and Freq Nasty asked her to rap on a track. She’s also dismissed easy comparisons with M.I.A.

“I didn’t grow up as a big fan of R&B and, like, what is the big shocker? It’s stupid,” she told the Lipster. “In the beginning I thought that was funny. I’m an ‘MC’, I’m a ‘soul singer’, I’m a ‘dance hybrid artist’. And some guy said I looked like Kelly Rowland!”