Feminist Sounds: "Tommy Genesis" by Tommy Genesis

Welcome to another installment of our Feminist Sounds blog series. As always, the point of this series is to highlight feminist music made by artists who speak truth to power through their songs, albums, and music videos. Next up is Tamil-Canadian rapper and performance artist Tommy Genesis’ first full-length studio album, Tommy Genesis! As the creator and artistic embodiment of “fetish rap,” Tommy Genesis captivates fans with her unique sound, claiming “if you do like it, it’s kind of your fetish — you like it because it’s like that.” Most of Tommy’s songs are sexually explicit, leaning into and reclaiming heterosexual, misogynist fantasies. From her position as a queer/bi woman of color, Tommy absorbs, rather than deflects, objectifying discourses and infuses them with her desires until they are entirely her own. Her musical repertoire is anthem after anthem of unwavering sexual agency and exploration in the face of heteronormative misogyny. In short, Tommy Genesis positions the male gaze (and its accompanying fantasies) as a point of departure for the exploration of her own sexual fulfillment.

After self-producing her first album and then working closely with Awful Records, Tommy Genesis marks Tommy’s first project after signing with Downtown Records. The 12 track, 31 minute album is approximately 80% bangers. The fast pace and unapologetic lyrics make Tommy Genesis the ultimate ‘Fuck You, Male Gaze’ dance party queue. A big reason for this is Tommy’s alpha personality and overtly sexual narratives. In this post, I will cover the feminist themes and musical joys of Tommy Genesis, highlighting 5 songs from the album. Press PLAY on the album and keep reading.

Watch her short film that includes songs from the album.

“Daddy”, released as a single shortly before the whole album dropped, appears as the 5th album track and the singularly most queer. The song opens on an R-rated, melodic sample of Tommy’s sexually climactic breathing. Then the pounding, dark melody comes crashing in with Tommy’s opening line: “He like me better with no makeup.” In “Daddy,” Tommy rewrites the roles of dominant/submissive, of Daddy/Baby Girl, maintaining control and inviting her sexual partner to dominate her on her own terms. Ultimately, “Daddy” highlights the power held by the Baby Girl/sub and reminds listeners of the terms of consent in BDSM relationships. Tommy has publicly claimed that “Daddy” was written for the queer community. Queer dom/sub relationships generate more room for power play as they detach from heterosexual, patriarchal scripts.

By leaning into the ultra-feminized role of the Baby Girl (constructed entirely by the male gaze) and claiming queer space there, “Daddy” skillfully considers feminists discussions of objectification, sexual agency, desire, and pleasure. “Daddy” begs the question: who really is the alpha? If the patriarchy/nation-state is the ultimate disciplinary paternalist Daddy, Tommy’s “Daddy” might be the anthem to feminist liberation. “I do what I want.”

Tommy Genesis for Playboy

“Play With It” immediately follows “Daddy,” directly challenging any listener’s assumption that “Daddy” would be Tommy’s most sexually explicit song on the album. Almost immediately, Tommy elucidates that “it” is, in fact, her “pussy.” The song is a demand, an articulation of Tommy’s own fantasy. As with “Daddy,” Tommy’s synthesized and chopped up orgasm sounds make up an important part of the melody. In her bridge, Tommy sings “you want me, you want me/ you want a better pussy.” The song focuses on both the power of Tommy’s seduction and her ability to self-determine sexual encounters. Most lines start with a permission: “you can,” “come,” “I want,” etc. In a 2016 interview with Highsnobiety, Tommy Genesis described her desire to make herself into sexual agent who authors her own fantasies (in terms that might read to some as embodying a non-agential sexual object):

“my schoolgirl attire is my own personal drag. I dress up to crossover to another world, I have a masculine and feminine duality (we all do). The male gaze is like Mordor… the great eye is ever watchful, but I’m on the outside completely. I’m just watching the movie.”

Tommy’s sexuality directs her creative projects; it is her musical superpower. “Play With It” demonstrates Tommy’s interest in centering her own pleasure as it simultaneously reproduces and contradicts heteronormative, misogynist scripts of sexual desire. In short, “Play With It” tells listeners: 1) Tommy has sexually-explicit desires that she embraces unapologetically and, 2) consent and self-determination are fundamental to these desires.

“You Know Me” breaks the streak of bangers on the album, appearing directly after “Play With It.” Tommy’s cool attitude amplifies her lyrical narrative of disaffection. “You Know Me” shores up Tommy’s untouchable, cool girl persona and the self-determination she exercises in relationships. “I got needs, so many boys textin’.” Tommy is unfazed by her ability to draw people to her. Instead, she is selective and cautious about who she lets in. “I don’t know what I would do without my best friends.” “You Know Me” conveys a casual confidence; Tommy knows who she is. The self-awareness and reflection in the song represents the larger project in Tommy Genesis. Of the album, Tommy said: “I’ve done this album pretty solo; it’s just been me and me, you know what I mean?” “You Know Me” reads as a love letter to herself. For evidence of this album theme, simply revisit the cover art.

“Naughty” slows the pace of the album. Featuring the dreamy vocals of Empress Of, the song feels much more vulnerable than Tommy’s bangers and alpha rapper persona. The title suggests another sexually-explicit anthem, but Tommy thwarts that. Instead, she sensitively handles the romantic woes of falling for a fuckboy. This conflict is interrogated in the opening line: “I like this boy/ He’s full of shit.” Naughty adopts two meanings. “It’s not e-, it’s not enough.” Naughty becomes the chopped up beginning of the phrase “not enough.” Ultimately, “Naughty” tells the story of an unfulfilling but naughty relationship that both partners knows will end. The song is mature, upbeat, and will make you throw your hands up in accepted defeat & sing along.

“Tommy” might be Tommy’s most seductive song yet. If “You Know Me” was a self-addressed love letter, “Tommy” is a self-addressed sext. Tommy repeats her name over and over to a deep bass melody that keeps the listener on edge. “Tommy” is insatiable. “I don’t need you, nah/ This is my song, Tommy.” In “Tommy,” Tommy presents her sexuality as irresistible and not for you. “Tommy” enacts its own gaze -- one that celebrates her own agency, her own desires, and her own body. “Why do you think I’m weak?” The chorus involves an ambient chant of her name intermixed with deep breaths. Finally, the climax of the song features Tommy screaming her name on repeat in high-pitched, breathy notes in a crescendo that clearly emulates an orgasm. “But, boy, can you swallow me?”

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Check out the full album below and don’t forget to watch her short film “God Is Wild” that accompanies the album!

Tommy Genesis, an album by Tommy Genesis on Spotify