GIRLSofGRIME release Crop Tops & Hoodies track supporting IWD #EmbraceEquity theme
January 24, 2023
GIRLSofGRIME are delighted to announce the release of an International Women’s Day collaborative record, Crop Tops & Hoodies - which officially goes live March 8th 2023.
With this year's International Women’s Day campaign theme being #EmbraceEquity, GIRLSofGRIME swiftly set out to create a project where the usual male-to-female ratio scale was tipped in the other direction, with women dominating.
And the result? A massive collaboration spearheaded by Shakira Walters, GIRLSofGRIME founder - in collaboration with five incredible female artists, a female producer, four female managers, a female videographer, and a female photographer.
Artists Ariez Baby, Cassie Rytz, Frizz Price and duo AE were brought together by GIRLSofGRIME, and have together delivered a scorching, empowering new record.
The track aims to highlight the often silenced female voices and to encourage community and corporations into action supporting their mission to advocate for better gender equality for the next generation.
GIRLSofGRIME challenges the status quo
Did you know that only 3 per cent of music played on radio is produced by a woman? And, at a push, 15 per cent of songs are attributed to female songwriters?
Crop Tops & Hoodies challenges these statistics and paints a picture of each individual artist's perspective on what it is like being a woman in this day and age, telling the story of many unheard female voices.
The recording presents original compositions by Producer Paks and co-production by female producer and engineer Ronavella.
In the music industry more resources and opportunities are required for women who are artists, producers, DJ’s, videographers, presenters, managers and business executives to reach their full potential - all of whom have been integral parts of bringing this, and further collaborative projects, to life.
Inspiring women to write and record their creations
Crop Tops & Hoodies goes live on International Women’s Day 2023, a day that sees a key global moment to celebrate women worldwide and call for greater action. At the same time, the instrumental to the track will also be made available for download.
Release of the catchy Crop Tops & Hoodies track aims to inspire and encourage further women to write and record their own freestyles and versions of the track, sharing what womanhood means to them and offering an opportunity to display their differing truths.
Responses are welcome not only female artists, but from girls and women across all areas of industry and different walks of life from around the world.
Join the journey and upload your creation to your favorite video platform and social media feeds, using the hashtag #IWDrap.
And feel free to reach out to GIRLSofGRIME directly.
Raising up future female talent
"This is more than just music, it's our culture," says GIRLSofGRIME founder Shakira Walters. "For too long women have played small, whilst contributing on a massive scale to society... It's a call-to-action to everybody to help raise up our future females together. The music industry is the soundtrack of our everyday lives, and it's an ongoing conversation about male-dominated spaces and the gender disparities. All the equality signal posts are great, but real life equitable action is what we need right now. I'm Shakira Waters, the founding director of GIRLSofGRIME and this International Women's Day I embrace equity."
A dynamic female collective
This GIRLSofGRIME project was made possible by an incredible team of women creatives including, producer & engineer Ronavella, videographer Louisa Wilkie, and Executive Producer & GIRLSofGRIME Founding Director Shakira Walters.
This project was initiated by advocacy organization Janet Tarasofsky of Speaking Rights, challenging the norm through strategic conversations, and a collaborator on International Women’s Day projects for a number of years.
In addition to all the above-mentioned people, here are further contributors to the project:
About GIRLSofGRIME
GIRLSofGRIME was launched it in 2017 by Shakira Walters to help women rise in the music industry.
With the UK music industry at an all-time high, there was a disappointing lack of female representation. From artists to DJ’s to managers and executives, women were underrepresented and under-promoted across the board.
GIRLSofGRIME is a platform committed to raising and supporting the voices of women in the music scene along their journeys.
Shakira was raised in East London and grew up on grime and UK garage, but always felt it was a very male-dominated field. As a woman, Shakira felt it was hard to be accepted as part of the scene.
Women in the UK rap scene have not always had an easy ride. Despite some success in the USA States for female rappers, the rest of the world continues to struggle. Little Simz is a perfect case study. Cited as a 'grime music veteran' by MixMag in 2022, Little Simz worked tirelessly to gain national recognition for over a decade. Finally, she won a BRIT Award in 2022 as ‘Best New Artist’ which could be considered ironic, as MixMag points out, it was her 4th album. Her talent is extraordinary, but her drive and persistence can not be taken for granted.
Little Simz's journey is a familiar plight for many female artists, particularly in the rap world. In a 2022 article, MixMag pays tribute to GIRLSofGRIME who are working to encourage and support female talent in the hope they will not be overlooked as female artists and music professionals. As the world changes, more female MCs are making a name for themselves, but there's still lots of room for women to build their art.
Shakira recognizes the impact that music has in shaping society, particularly with regard to representation of the Black British. GIRLSofGRIME's strap line says: ‘It’s not Just Music, It’s Our Culture’. GIRLSofGRIME is a collective of women, passionate about creating space and representation for girls in rap music. Their founding ethos is based around the idea that “women in UK rap should go where they’re celebrated, not merely tolerated” - so join them in their mission.
So get involved
This is your chance to showcase your talent to the world through creating a unique song supporting the IWD 2023 campaign theme #EmbraceEquity.
Together, let's showcase and celebrate women in the music industry - and not only artists, but producers, executives, and leaders.
- Choose your genre.
- Write your lyrics.
- Video your song being performed, even via phone is fine.
- Publish it on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook or further platforms using #IWD2023 #IWDsing #EmbraceEquity
- Feel free to email through your creation, or the weblink where you've published or promoted it.
We'll be looking for you!