Screen Shot 2020 12 23 at 3.41.56 PM 6cb7a

Rapper Jesswar Celebrates Female Empowerment With New Music Video

by Sylvie Baggett

Jesswar says it best herself: “Got venom in my lyrics/Bodies drop when I spit it.” In her latest music video release for “Venom”, the Fijian rapper cycles through intense, neon-lit scenes with the self-assurance and expansive energy of 90s New York City emcees. 

Surrounded by a cohort of powerful women dressed in black, Jessswar oozes confidence as she is escorted to her throne where she studies an underground M.M.A. fight between two women with the nonchalance of a Roman emperor. There is a fervor unfolding as slow-motion shots of the fight alternate with images of the crowd shouting with glee as each blow lands. There’s something delightfully cathartic about watching women indulge in a form of aggression typically reserved for men and backed by Jesswar’s no-fucks-given attitude. 

“And you can tell by the way that I lean/That I do this with ease and it ain’t a damn thing/Off the stage, I still hear ‘em scream.” The taking of the throne is more than just a cinematic strategy — it’s a metaphor for Jesswar’s comeuppance as a woman of color in the male-dominated hip hop industry. 

There’s something unapologetic in the way she carries herself throughout the video. Whether she’s clad in black leather, spitting bars in front of a Mercedes G-Wagon, or surrounded by her troop of badass women, Jesswar makes sure you know to watch out for her as she ascends.

  

 More from BUST

Queens Rapper Dai Burger Models Looks Inspired By Our Times

21 Female and Femme Musical Artists To Listen To Immediately 

Erykah Badu On Aging, Motherhood And Living “One Breath At A Time”

You may also like

Get the print magazine.

The best of BUST in your inbox!

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

About Us

Founded in 1993, BUST is the inclusive feminist lifestyle trailblazer offering a unique mix of humor, female-focused entertainment, uncensored personal stories, and candid reporting that tells the truth about women’s lives.

©2023 Street Media LLC.  All Right Reserved.