Twice a month, audiofemme profiles artists both emerging and established, who, in this industry, must rebel against misogynist cultural mores. Through their music\u00a0 they express the attendant hurdles and adversities (vis-a-vis the entertainment industry and beyond) propagated by those mores. For our third installment, Rebecca Kunin profiles Hand Job Academy, a Brooklyn based rap trio that illuminates the hypocrisies and injustices in pop culture, and has fun while doing it. \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

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Artist Profile: Hand Job Academy<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cCatchier than cobwebs in a Crown Heights crawl space\u201d (Their words, not mine), Brooklyn based rap trio Hand Job Academy<\/a><\/strong> are making a splash and fighting back against misogyny and heteronormative culture by (literally) shoving their bloody tampons in your face. Consisting of Ash Wednesday, Clara Bizna$$ and Lil\u2019 T, Hand Job Academy<\/a><\/strong> rap about pop culture, queerness, relationships and of course, periods. \u00a0Founded in 2012, Hand Job Academy has released only a handful of singles, leaving me salivating for more.<\/p>\n

The groupe possesses the rare ability to sound sexy, clever, hilarious and vulgar all in one line. Whether they are rapping about math (the quadratic formula tatted on my inner thigh \/\/ I\u2019ll measure your circumference, diameter times pi), <\/i>or Stephen King novels (my bed looks like the elevator from The Shining), <\/i>Ash Wednesday, Clara Bizna$$ and Lil\u2019 T manage sound funny, creative and sexy. They don’t just rely on pithy lyrics, either: Hand Job Academy\u2019s songs thus far have been accompanied by driving, catchy beats and dynamic music videos directed by Meg Skaff (aka Lil\u2019T).<\/p>\n

The trio’s punchline-derived and parody-infused rap style often causes them to be called a comedy-rap group, but Ash Wednesday, Clara Bizna$$ and Lil\u2019T maintain that they are a rap group first, and making people laugh is just a happy byproduct.<\/p>\n

“Pop (Tumblr Bitches)<\/a>” is a satirical rap about the need for people to objectify and parade their bodies on social media sites for attention and cyber friends.<\/p>\n

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I resolve to not put down other women to alleviate my insecurities..\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Fuck you ho, I saw your beef curtains that shit was nasty<\/i><\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

Like I\u2019m a princess and you\u2019re a siren I hear your titties out and I see you crying \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

“Pu$$y Chicken<\/a><\/strong>” is a song that everyone can relate to, about getting drunk and calling your ex. Apparently, the voicemail that you hear at the end of the song is a real voicemail from one of the band member’s ex-lover\u2019s phone (Number one reason I would never date a musician, I don\u2019t want to be featured on their next track).<\/p>\n

Hand Job Academy gives absolutely no fucks. They rap about pretty much everything under the sun, and they do it with immaculate flow and constant creativity.<\/p>\n

Shark Week\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Most people believe that periods should be hidden. Blood gushing out of our lady parts? Gross.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

I got my first period at a very young age, before the sexual health talk in middle school, and I remember being absolutely terrified, confused and embarrassed. I was terrified at the exorbitant amount of blood loss that I was experiencing, confused about how to control the situation, and embarrassed to tell my parents. We celebrate all of our other major milestones in life, 16, 18, 21, yet when we experience probably the most important physical milestone in our life, most of us are too ashamed to even tell our parents? \u00a0We should be celebrating it right?<\/p>\n

I mean, don\u2019t get me wrong, periods are irksome. I\u2019ve probably spent a years’ rent in tampons this past decade, and it\u2019s always awkward when it sneaks up on you at the most in-opportune time. Still, isn\u2019t it literally, biologically what makes us women? Our periods are the physical manifestation of our femininity, right? So why is the world so embarrassed by them?<\/p>\n

Well, Hand Job Academy is equally frustrated by this, and unlike my babbling rant above, they strung together a rap about it. \u201cShark Week\u201d blatantly points out everything that is wrong with the way that society views our monthly flow. \u00a0Most importantly, \u201cShark Week\u201d is a celebration of our bodies, our sexual health, and our femininity.
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