By Yasmine Shemesh
A peer review featuring contributions from Cancer Bats, The OBGMs, Bif Naked, Comeback Kid, and Fefe Dobson.
Sinzere Steps Into Her Power on “Tricky”
The Calgary rapper’s educational bars about Black history offer an incendiary burst of social commentary.
by Ben Boddez
Photo by Esther Cho
- Published on May 17, 2022
Calgary rapper Sinzere has always regarded herself as a truth-teller, often integrating eye-opening and sometimes shocking social commentary into her tracks without disguising a single word in metaphor. Her latest single, “Tricky,” finds her speaking directly to her audience and giving the advice they need to hear, imploring Black listeners to harness and hang onto their ancestral power while offering some detailed historical wake-up calls as she recounts some of the greatest injustices time is trying to erase.
“Black people have been tricked out of their place in this world. We’ve been made to feel less than,” she says about the track’s inspiration. “They say money is the root of all evil but it’s not, it’s the nature of the man with the money. Politicians, police officers, judges, all of these levels of government are infected by all of these layers of racism and greed.”
Lyrically touching on topics like the origins of slavery, church bombings and the media’s propagation of messages that create self-hatred and infighting within her community, Sinzere’s lyrics are visceral and affecting, delivered through gritted teeth over a trap beat and an eerie, plucked guitar loop. Wanting to prioritize a message of internal strength, Sinzere achieves that goal while simultaneously mobilizing listeners to take action.
Sinzere will be releasing her debut album, Tabula Rasa, on August 5, 2022.
By Ben Boddez
One of the past decade’s most prolific songwriters is stepping out from behind the pen with a new name and persona.
By Fraser Hamilton
With her third album, the singer-songwriter captures a sense of dread and makes it her own.
