image credit: Zoloo Brown.
By Latonya Pennington
With her newest EP Infusion, Ithaca-based rapper Sammus has shown she can tackle personal and serious subjects while still being a fly nerd. In time crisis “Time Crisis,” she discusses her experiences with ageism.
“The song was inspired the interactions I started having a few years ago when I entered into my late twenties.” she stated via email. “I recall people acting shocked when I told them my age, and feeling compelled to tell me that I don’t ‘look old’.”
“I didn’t like the implication that turning 30 somehow means being decrepit, but more so I didn’t like the implication that I should be proud because I didn’t have lines on my face. Should I have been ashamed if I did have wrinkles and creases on my face? It happened so frequently that I really began feeling self-conscious about being a woman pursuing a rap career at 30. I decided to make the song as a way to remind myself that the prescriptions people have for our lives are meaningless.”
Check out “Time Crisis” below.
About the Author.
Latonya Pennington is a freelance writer and rising poet from Alabama. As a freelance writer, she has written for places such as Atlanta Blackstar and The Mary Sue. She is also a proud black girl nerd who loves fantasy and sci-fi, American and Japanese animation, reading books, and learning about black music history.
