GOD-DES (of GOD-DES AND SHEReaching Out to You
by Sue Barrett
 I’m sick of being complacent/
’Cause I really want to change shit/
I hold the lock and the key to change humanity/
But the fact is that I can’t do it single-handedly/
So I’m reaching out to you so maybe you can join me
(God-des — ‘Complacent’)
God-des and She are a hip hop duo — God-des rhyming and She singing — who moved from Madison, Wisconsin to Brooklyn, New York in 2004. God-des grew up in the Ann Arbor area of Michigan; is the daughter of classical musicians; and played cello, violin and percussion, before beginning rapping as God-des in 1996. She grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and has been singing all her life, including in a rock band. God-des and She began working together in Madison in 2001; performed their song, ‘Lick It’, in The L Word’s 3rd season finale (March 2006); and have a new CD, Stand Up.
How did you become a performer?
I’ve always been a performer, in a way. It was just a natural thing. I started playing cello at three, violin at seven and percussion at ten. Then I became a drummer in a band, several bands actually. I always loved hip hop and so when I started writing poetry, the rhythm came naturally.
How did She and you come to perform together?
Originally, I had a male opera singer for God-des. Then he got caught up with college and things. She was in a rock band, fronting the band. And I asked her if we could do some things on the side. The musical chemistry was great, it was magic. Three and a half years ago, we decided to pack up and move to New York.
When did you become aware of performers singing songs about lesbian lives?
I used to think that I was the only out lesbian rapper. But I came across Rainbow Flava and others. In New York, there are so many lesbian rappers — it’s not so scary for the girls, although it’s different for gay boys.
How you go about writing/arranging your songs?
We really work as a collective. She and I come up with concepts. DJ Pain 1 sends us beats. I write my verses — it’s hard to do that before you’ve got the music. She writes her verses and hooks. I’ve also mixed the new CD, Stand Up, so I can work on that side too.
Why do you write about lesbian lives?
Hip hop is about telling your story. Gay people are invisible in our society. Lesbians don’t have a voice. With hip hop, I’m saying what’s on my mind. And writing about one’s life can change other people’s life.
Can you tell us a bit about some of your songs that tell of lesbian lives?
‘Attention Mr President’, which is on the new CD, is about President Bush and his government. And the last verse is about what we could ACTUALLY be doing with our money. It says, “You care more about preventing gays from being married than you do about your soldiers from being buried”.
And ‘Stand Up’, the title track from the CD, is a general statement about how our generation doesn’t stand up when we think things aren’t right. It’s about the need for people to stand up.
What makes people more receptive, or less receptive, to songs about lesbians?
When people listen to music, they want to be able to relate to the songs. So She and I try to make music that is universal — even though it’s out and very political. If it’s great music, then people will listen!
As a performer, what has been your experience of homophobia?
I’ve actually had no more problems in the music business than in the every day walking down the street. It’s hard looking masculine, being butch — hip hop is so feminized, so sexualized. But it also sets me apart.
In New York, life is actually a lot harder than Wisconsin. I mean, I’ve experienced homophobia in both places, but New York is not nearly as open as people think. There are so many people in New York, that it’s hard to pay proper attention to ANYONE.
What advice do you have for emerging performers?
I think that, for anything, you have to love what you’re doing. You need to have a passion to do music seriously. You need to put your heart out there. And you need to work hard. When I started doing music seven or eight years ago, I made a commitment to working hard. Every day I’m doing something related to my music — whether it’s emails, researching venues, writing. In the end, the important thing is that the music is really good.
What are some of the other issues faced by performers, particularly performers who don’t hear their voices represented in mainstream culture?
In the past, the music business has really been a gentleman’s club. And there are many people, many musical styles, that are not represented in mainstream music. I think that the music business would sell poop, if it would sell! It’s called the “music business” because it is a business and people want to make money. The advantage now is that the major labels are basically collapsing and that is opening the door for independent artists, including through the Internet, myspace, YouTube and videos. We’ve had a lot of coverage through Logo, the gay music channel, with our video of ‘Love You Better’ [the song that was on the Music with a Twist compilation CD, Revolutions].
What has been the impact of ‘Lick It’ being used in The L Word?
It was the perfect song for us to have! It’s opened up many doors and given us new opportunities. There actually are colleges that are using it as part of their sex education classes and discussions. We’ve got a video of ‘Lick It’ coming out, with all the right moves!
Can you tell us what’s coming up in the next year? And can you tell us about your new CD, Stand Up?
We’ve had a crazy year, including playing at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. We were actually the first hip hop group to play Michigan.
And over the coming year, we’re going to be doing a lot of touring — we’ve got a mid west tour coming up in November — and we’re also looking to tour overseas. We’d love to play the Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia. We have a range of God-des and She merchandise, including ‘Lick It’ panties. We always sign after shows — I think the longest was four hours before everything was signed!
The new CD, Stand Up, is available through our website (www.god-des.com) and myspace (www.myspace.com/goddes) — the first thousand CDs are signed. And we really did sign them — we spent HOURS signing in a beer garden in Queens! We’re looking to get a major distribution deal for the CD — so that it’s available everywhere and available as a CD, ring tones, MP3. And there is also the video of ‘Lick It’ coming.
And so how important is it for performers to sing about lesbian lives?
Everyone has been too scared to do it — so they deny it. If it was more visible, it would become more normal. I don’t blame people for not having the courage to be open. But I am committed to being open — it’s my duty. The reality is that lesbians are everywhere, doing everything!
Discography
- Reality (2004)
- Awesome (EP) (2005)
- Stand Up (2007)
More Info
www.god-des.com
www.myspace.com/goddes
GOD-DES was interviewed as part of the article, ‘Out There, Every Day: Singing of the Lives of Lesbians, Dykes, Queers, Gay Women…’. Read the article and other interviews (Madeline Davis, Skim, Gretchen Phillips (Girls in the Nose; Two Nice Girls), Ripley Caine, Nedra Johnson, Bernie Bankrupt (Lesbians on Ecstasy), Ferron and June Millington).
SUE BARRETT is an Australian music writer, with a special interest in women in music. She witnessed “the incident” at a Cris Williamson/Tret Fure/Judy Small concert that prompted Judy to write a coda for the song, ‘Lesbian Chic’.
© 2008
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