Backxwash (AKA Ashanti Mutinta) is a powerful new voice in music. Born in Zambia and now living in Montreal, Canada, she creates unique music that mixes hip-hop with heavy metal and horror themes. As a rapper and music producer, she tells personal stories about finding herself, overcoming challenges, and being proud of who she is. Through her music, she unites African musical traditions with stories from her life as a member of the LGBTQ+ community to create groundbreaking rap music.
Backxwash’s Early Life and Cultural Roots
Zambian-Canadian Rapper? From Zambia to Montreal
Backxwash was born on October 4, 199, in Lusaka, Zambia before she moved to a conservative Christian upbringing which influenced her early development. As a member of the Tumbuka tribe, she experienced a rich cultural tapestry that would later influence her artistic vision. Her childhood merged traditional African spirituality with Western religious practices, creating a unique perspective that defines her music today.
The beginning of her musical career started with R&B when she listened to Boyz II Men and other similar groups. At age 13, discovering Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems” ignited her passion for hip-hop, beatmaking, and lyricism. This led her to explore various hip-hop styles, particularly gravitating toward conscious rap artists like Lupe Fiasco and early Kanye West.
When Backxwash turned 17 she moved to British Columbia, Canada to pursue her computer science studies. This transition allowed her to reunite with siblings and explore her identity more freely. After completing her degree, she settled in Montreal, where the city’s creative energy and DIY scene reignited her musical ambitions. At the age of 25, she accepted her identity as a Canadian transgender woman while living in Montreal.
Breaking Into Horrorcore as a Canadian rapper
Industrial Metal Meets Hip-Hop
Backxwash creates music using confrontational lyrics strung together with distorted beats while incorporating metal music samples. Drawing from Black Sabbath’s doom-laden riffs and Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s post-rock textures, she crafts tracks that evoke horror-film intensity. Her 2020 album God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It became a manifesto of rebellion against religious dogma and societal rejection. This industrial-rap hybrid, dubbed “productive rage,” channels her struggles with mental health and addiction into a cathartic auditory assault.
Albums and Releases
Breakthrough Projects
Backxwash released a lot of gems. Her discography showcases a powerful evolution:
- God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It (2020), Winner of the Polaris Music Prize, merging metal samples with harrowing narratives of queerness and religious trauma.
- I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses (2021), a scorching critique of police brutality and transphobia, features collaborations with Ada Rook and Clipping.
- His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering (2022), the finale of her trilogy, reflecting on childhood trauma through operatic samples and industrial grit.
DIY Ethos & Canada’s Music Industry Challenges
Backxwash’s success represents the long path that independent artists face within Canada’s decentralized music industry. Navigating Montreal’s insular francophone hip-hop landscape, she carved space in DIY hubs like La Plante and Le Cypher, rejecting mainstream tokenization of trans artists. Her reliance on Bandcamp for releasing music—due to uncleared metal and film samples—highlights the barriers faced by sample-driven creators in streaming-dominated markets.
“I think that sometimes the publicist comes off as mechanical […] the benefit of doing it yourself is having your personality show and being authentic,” she told Exclaim! in a 2020 interview. This DIY ethos extends to her production: using FL Studio, she layers Tumbuka chants with Black Sabbath loops, creating a musical project that CBN Music called “unlike almost anything else in the Canadian music industry.”
Zambian Musical Style and Production?
Through her work, Backxwash mixes elements of her Zambian heritage including Tumbuka tribal spiritual traditions and analysis of colonial suppression. Her self-produced tracks weave African chants with Christian metal loops, creating a sound she describes as “traditional witchcraft meets digital rebellion.”
Cultural Impact
Redefining the Metal and Rap Boundaries
By merging hip-hop’s urgency with metal’s nihilism, Backxwash creates a unique sound that transcends categories. Her collaborations with artists across genres, from screamo to experimental electronic, showcase her versatility and innovation.
LGBTQ+ Representation in Hip-Hop
As a Black Canadian trans artist in a historically heteronormative genre, Backxwash’s visibility is revolutionary. She confronts hip-hop’s machismo while using platforms like Massimadi Festival to highlight queer resilience.
Awards & Critical Legacy
Backxwash’s 2020 Polaris Prize win for God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It marked the first time a horrorcore album received Canada’s top music honor. Critics globally have hailed her as crafting a “harrowing hybrid of hip-hop and industrial-metal” (Revolver), while The Georgia Straight praised the album as “gloriously leftfield”. Her work has inspired collaborations with experimental artists like Black Dresses and Ada Rook, cementing her role in Montreal’s avant-garde scene.
Upcoming Album: Only Dust Remains
The upcoming release of Backxwash’s Only Dust Remains will arrive on March 28, 2025 and it aims to take the artist’s horrorcore and industrial hip-hop combination to fresh musical heights. The album explores themes of “mourning, self-reflection, and mortality,” continuing Backxwash’s tradition of confronting deep personal and societal issues through her music.
The upcoming release of Only Dust Remains lacks concrete information about guest collaborations but previous album work by Backxwash has included artists Ada Rook (Black Dresses), Ghais Guevara, and Pupil Slicer suggesting new possible musical collaborations for the album.
The album’s production is described as a “new direction” on Backxwash’s official site, hinting at the potential incorporation of West African folk elements alongside her signature doom-laden beats. This evolution in sound reflects Backxwash’s ongoing exploration of her Zambian heritage within her music.
Live Performances and Tours
Fans can look forward to seeing Backxwash perform live in 2025, with festival dates already confirmed in France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Vancouver. As the release date approaches, more tour dates across North America and Europe are likely to be announced.Secure tickets for her upcoming concerts via TicketX. For promo codes and artist insights, explore TicketX Magazine. Follow them for the latest news and tour info.