"Honey, now it's the women's turn" She is the new star in the rap sky - and divides opinion

With her debut album "Fotze", rapper Ikkimel fights against patriarchal structures and polarizes at the same time. Her music and performances divide opinion: Is this still feminism or mere provocation?

"A man remains a man and a dog remains a dog," raps German rapper Ikkimel in her song "Böser Junge". She locks a male fan in a cage at her live show in Vienna, puts a dog's head on him and whips him. "Shut up, leash on, honey, now it's the women's turn," she continues.

A woman who raps is still a provocation in German hip-hop today. Why else are there so few? But a woman who raps bluntly, crudely and successfully about sex is a scandal. What her male colleagues do as a matter of course polarizes women almost every time.

At the moment, Ikkimel in particular is causing a stir. She is currently on tour with her debut album "Fotze". She has also sold out two concerts in Switzerland in recent weeks.

But who is Ikkimel, currently the most talked about female rapper in the German hip-hop scene?

Drugs, sex, parties and the "Atzentum"

Ikkimel's real name is Melina Gaby Strauss. It is not known how old she is. But she is estimated to be in her early 20s. She grew up in Berlin-Tempelhof.

Before conquering the stage, she completed a combined bachelor's degree in German philology and social and cultural anthropology with a focus on linguistics at the Free University of Berlin. Her training is evident in her clever wordplay and skillful use of language.

Her lyrics are known for their directness and provocation. She raps openly about topics such as drugs, sex, parties and "being a bitch". She uses highly sexualized language. But she also breaks social taboos with her music, because she wants to provoke and question the status quo. She criticizes the male-dominated rap scene by picking up on its clichés and exaggerating them. Ikkimel's style exposes the absurdities of the music industry and at the same time parodies the traditional masculinity in rap.

In her songs, men are told to "shut up" and "lick heels". She herself deliberately calls her music vulgar "cunt style". Her stage program includes not only provocative lyrics, but also alcohol, dildos and snogging on stage.

An explosive mixture

Her musical style can best be described as an explosive mix of hip-hop, techno and hyperpop. Since the beginning of 2022, she has been experimenting with this cross-genre sound, which combines elements from the Berlin rap school with influences from the techno and psytrance scene.

With her lyrics and music, Ikkimel wants to fight against the patriarchy. She has made this clear in several interviews, telling ZDF that she has "declared war on the patriarchy" and "against everything that wants to oppress women".

"Basically, the criticism is against the patriarchy, which is male-dominated and made by men," says Ikkimel. "So I can understand when some women say: 'Yes, well, the more you deal with it, the more I hate it too'. Basically, I think we should work together and see where we actually want to go and where we're heading."

Internalized misogyny as criticism

And the rapper is successful. She came from nowhere, her career is taking off. She has millions of streams on Spotify and fills concert venues. Her feminist art is celebrated by her fans. Her music is particularly popular on platforms such as Tiktok. She has over 237,000 followers there. Excerpts of her songs regularly go viral and spark debates.

Despite her success, Ikkimel also faces criticism. Some critics accuse her of internalized misogyny, meaning that she unintentionally internalizes and reproduces sexist views or behaviours. "Some also think that it can't possibly be feminist to call a record 'cuntish'," she confronts the ZDF journalist. "Yes, but they can also shut up sometimes," Ikkimel counters with a grin.

She didn't want to reclaim the word - i.e. reclaim or regain something positive - but somehow it was her way. "I just think to myself: I'm a horny cunt. What am I supposed to do?"

Reversing traditional power relations

And this is exactly the kind of thing her supporters celebrate. They see their texts as a form of empowerment. A reversal of traditional power relations and an empowerment of female sexuality.

Before Ikkimel, several female artists in German-speaking countries had already addressed similar provocative and sexually explicit content in their music. A direct predecessor was the rap group SXTN, consisting of Juju and Nura, who caused a stir with their revealing lyrics and controversial performances. SXTN also dealt with topics such as parties, drugs and sex from a female perspective in their songs.

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