Tommy Genesis, The Founder of Fetish Rap
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Rap music is an ever evolving scene. The past few years have seen fresh faces begin to emerge, supplying unique takes on hip-hop. This new generation of rappers has seen a plethora of female voices come forward to showcase their talents, arguably breaking barriers in what rap can be. Amongst this slew of gifted game changers that began emerging from the depths of underground rap, came Tommy Genesis.
Since arriving on the scene in 2015 with mixtape World Vision, Tommy has become a trailblazer in the genre of “Fetish Rap”, a subsection of rap music she herself introduced. Utilising her talent for writing lyrics alongside seductive visuals and aesthetics, Tommy unapologetically celebrates themes of sexuality.
“I'm the bitch that makes fetish rap, I talk a lot of weird shit and they copycat.” Tommy raps in the second verse of single ‘peppermint’, the lead cut on her recent record goldilocks x. This bar speaks to the defying nature of fetish rap and how Tommy has no interest in censoring herself when it comes to rapping about her sexuality, which others seem to have mimicked.
Tommy returned with goldilocks x in September after a three-year break from putting out music. The record, led by contagious singles “peppermint” and “a woman is a god” amongst other delicious tracks, encapsulates the essence of Tommy’s artistry. Speaking of the reaction following the record's release, Tommy tells me she felt “nervous but excited to finally have it out”.
The last time our ears were blessed with Tommy Genesis’s artistry was when the pandemic was merely a twinkle in our eyes. For Tommy, she was eager to get back in the booth and finally release some new music. “It had been a minute since I had put out a project” she says, “So it was really nice to put something out again”.
Tommy’s emergence several years ago catapulted her into the spotlight and scored her acclaim from fans and critics all eager to know; what exactly is fetish rap? Investigating the origins of this genre is enlightening. But Tommy says that to understand the true definition, it's best to turn to the music.
“I feel like I’ve beat that horse and talked about it so much. To be honest, I don’t like to talk about that part of the music anymore…” Tommy admits, “I think if you listen to it, it will hit you pretty hard. I have always just been myself and my identity is my identity, and my sexuality is my sexuality.”
“I call it Fetish Rap because I feel like I am my own muse, but I also feel like I stick pretty close to an underground, DIY, raw vibe. Even if I were to be mainstream, I would want to keep that underground side to my music”.
This genre conceived out of Tommy’s desire to stick true to herself is bound to impact others. Music, specifically rap music, has long been a tool used to unleash parts of ourselves we didn’t even know were there. Remember Nicki Minaj’s Roman era?
“It feels amazing to think that my music could liberate others” Tommy continues, “I don’t really think about it too much when I am making music, because the music is liberating me also. I’m making music and art all the time, so for it to come out and affect someone like that – I kind of feel two ways about it. I feel like it’s none of my business, but I do feel proud that it can do that for someone. Like if someone tells me my music makes them feel liberated then honestly, that’s fucking cool.”
The new album deep dives into different aspects of Tommy’s identity. The record is dotted with themes that celebrate her heritage as well as the expected delectable nods to sex, lust, pleasure, and gender.
“I took a beat when the pandemic hit.” Tommy laughs, “I didn’t get into it right away. But then after a few months, I began seeing other people making these projects and I was like ‘maybe I should get back into it’.” She considers, “For me, this project is special because I tried something new. I went from really hard rap music to experimenting with house and pop music. I guess I kind of did that with my last self-titled album? But for me, this one felt really raw.
“I had more time which in a way made it more fine-tuned. It’s definitely a product of the extra time I had. There was no rush and I had hours to work on it so there were no expectations for me to push it out quickly and I think that made it what it is. Once the music is out, it’s alive. Hearing people come up to me and tell me they loved it was so exciting. It’s always the highest compliment when someone tells me they listened to it front to back.”
Ensuring she had a large amount of creative control on this record was important for the rap star. Amongst providing her signature bars, Tommy was at the complete centre of the production side of goldilocks x.
“I A&R’ed the project, I picked my own beats, worked with people I felt really comfortable with like Lil Rich who executive produced the record. It was me and him in the studio every day and we had a great creative collaboration. I feel like you can hear the sound I was attracted to throughout.” Tommy enthuses, “I like the idea of the album flowing. Like the idea of someone listening to it in their car and having an emotional experience with it is exciting to me”
Of all the musical highlights featured on goldilocks x - “a woman is a god” is a leading force. Stylistically, this bop is infectious from the get-go – utilising a sonically composed blend of sounds that complement the empowering lyrics she repeats, reinforcing the statement centred in the chorus; “if a man is a man, then a woman is a god”.
“As an artist you get asked questions that you're expected to have these big answers for, but I feel like my answer for this one is in the song.”
The title of the track would allude to it being a feminist anthem - which TikTok definitely thinks it is - but the pressure of digging into the lyrical meaning of this bop is not something that Tommy thinks about too much.
“As an artist you get asked questions that you're expected to have these big answers for, but I feel like my answer for this one is in the song,” Tommy says of the tune. “We just kind of made the track. I got in the booth, and I started rapping. The hook kind of just came to me. I mean obviously I am a girl’s girl and I love women and I love to uplift them, but if I’m being honest, I literally wrote that track in 10 minutes!”
Just last month, a new mix of the single was released again featuring another luminary within the hip-hop scene. The Perico Princess herself, Bia.
“Bia is amazing, she is such a sweetheart and so talented.” Tommy gushes. When asked about the surge of female rappers in 2022, she continued: “I love it when I find a new female rapper. I freak out, honestly, hearing a new artist and how fire they are. Not even just rappers, like female artists in general. Art can come from literally anywhere but it is so exciting to me when it’s a celebration of someone’s identity”.
Before the hip-hop fantasy that is “a woman is a god”, Tommy dropped another single, the lead cut on goldilocks x - “peppermint”. Another sexy offering, this tune is sprinkled with lyrical gems that not only articulate Tommy’s own genre of fetish rap, but also dives deep into her cultural identity.
“I walk away but can’t escape my shoes, I can bleach my hair but can’t escape my roots” Tommy raps in the second verse of the banging tune. In the visuals for goldilocks x, Tommy proudly dons luscious blonde locks that bleed away from her darker roots. Although the dark roots trend is one many have embraced, Tommy utilises it as a means to express her South Indian background.
“For me, those lyrics are a way for me to talk about my personal identity. It’s about how I can change myself, but I can’t escape my DNA. It’s a comment on accepting who you are and where you came from,” Tommy expresses.
The turbulent couple of years we have all collectively experienced has had uncontrollable repercussions on the music scene, but Tommy has proved that she will not allow her art to be compromised, even if it means touring has been put on hold and waiting years to release new music.
“I first started touring Europe when I was really young. It’s where I started and who first accepted me. The pandemic really did take a hit on me but now I feel like I’m in a space where I can give so much back. I’m working on some new projects which I am so excited to release.”
She considers, “I guess what the pandemic did was take away a lot of pressure. I used to feel like there was a lot of pressure to pick the right songs and do the right thing and be on time with everything. But I realised that the only pressure is the pressure I put on myself: I have started to trust my intuition and going with what feels right to me. Honestly, the past couple years have been an awakening.”
Words: Isabella Miller | Photographer & Creative Director: Carianne Older | Producer: Paulina Older | Makeup: Valerie Vonprisk | Hair: Gabriella Mancha | Set Design: Diana Kwiatkowski, Patricia Kwiatkowski, Matt Haines @dripdome | Videographer: Miranda Harrison | Styling: Claire Bishara | Lighting Design: Cristian Diaz | Photographer’s Assistant: Robyn Gudgell
