Posted by If you’re in desperate need of a solid pick-me-up, then look no further than Ashnikko’s mixtape ‘Demidevil’ – unless you are a cisgender heterosexual man with a particularly fragile ego and penchant for misogyny, then this probably isn’t for you…
Ashnikko’s ‘Demidevil’ brings a certain comedic flair to the table of sassy songs surfacing, tailor made to empower womxn and poke fun at the kind of men who live for toxic masculinity. Never one to half-arse anything, the North Carolina rapper went full ham on this meaty mixtape, offering listeners an array of tasty tracks to satiate even the biggest of appetites – potentially more than some can stomach. ‘Demidevil’ is not one for the faint of heart. Bold and brazen in her approach, Ashnikko leads a mission to champion the strong independent womxn who prioritises their own pleasure over being a slave to a soul sucking relationship.
Continuing her charge towards decimating the patriarchy, Ashnikko enlists a few artists within a similar realm to join her video game style quest for sex positivity. An artist averse to the idea of subtlety or nuance, her self-proclaimed brand of “cuntry music” says it like it is and refuses to recoil from pretty much anything. Ashnikko rides in with a distinct distain for men, particularly of the fuckboy or softboi variety, to show us how not to settle for less or give any fucks, except to ourselves maybe.
It’s not a secret how little she cares for men or how much she endorses self-pleasure and ferocious womxn standing up for themselves. Ashnikko plays on lesbian fantasy in ‘Slumber Party’ with Princess Nokia and retires the idea of needing a man at all in ‘Deal With It’ with Kelis, as she makes declarations like “I don’t need a man, I need a rabbit” followed by the buzz of a vibrator.
Pure brilliance exudes in ‘L8r Boi’ where Ashnikko updates cult classic ‘Sk8er Boi’ by Avril Lavigne with her own personal brand of narrative, “he didn’t try to make her cum, on top of that he was a little dumb.” Culminating in ‘Clitoris! The Musical’, a pithy piano number with lines like “cisgender heterosexual men, I’m bored of your fumbling hands, it’s not hard.”
Ashnikko uses cogent and wisecracking lyrics thrown in to a vat of saccharine pop, punk, rap and trap as her weapon of choice. She promotes her sex positive ideals with genuine laugh out loud humour as she explores the movement throughout the mixtape. Hilarity and anime aesthetics aside, Ashnikko maintains a consistency in the serious subject matter of the effects of toxic masculinity on womxn, particularly in the context of sex and relationships.
As much fun as ‘Demidevil’ and the Ashnikko archetype is, don’t let it distract from the gravity of some of the content. Instead of shying away from addressing issues of sex shaming, emotional abuse and mistreatment in relationships, Ashnikko unapologetically exposes the toxic traits and actions of some men whilst serving their balls on a silver platter with a devilish grin.
8/10
Words: Yasmin Cowan
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