Stash Crew celebrate queer identities with new video & EP

The South African gender-bending futuristic electro rap duo Stash Crew are celebrating queer identities and promoting sex positivity with their new music video and EP.

The group, consisting of Whyt Lyon and Phaya Fly, say that their 8-track EP, titled genderfluidz, “pushes queer politics through provocative cutting edge lyrics and alluring psychoneurotic dance beats.”

Genderfluidz was released on 17 May to honour the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. As queer artists, Stash Crew are committed to creating content that includes and cultivates queer culture.

Genderfluidz also features South African artists Umlilo, Hlasko and Schall Regall. To celebrate the EP’s release, the group unveiled a new video for the bonus track, Mad as Hell, co-written with Umlilo.

The track was produced as part of the groundbreaking The Rainbow Riots album which featured many LGBT artists around the world. The Mad as Hell music video documents a ‘queer walk’ through Johannesburg. The footage was shot alongside ID magazine’s collaboration with Mykki Blanco, Umlilo and Stash Crew, during which the artists visited a number of historical queer sites in Johannesburg. This culminated in the ID film, Out of This World.

“The realities of living as a queer person in South Africa are brutal,” said Stash Crew in a statement. “We are inspired by the transformative and inclusive possibilities of queer culture and how we can counteract the challenges and violence that queer people face on a daily basis.”

They added: “We want more queer positive, sex positive people celebrating themselves and their wants and desires – and dancing every damn day.”

In 2017, Stash Crew enjoyed successful international tours in Brazil and Germany with the ‘Queer Intergalatic Alliance’ – a collaborative project between Whyt Lyon, Phayafly and Umlilo. The tours created cross­continental conversations and explorations of queer identity and music expression and Stash Crew’s live act was received with excitement and curiosity. They continue to push boundaries and place South African queer acts on the world map.

You can listen to genderfluidz on Soundcloud (first 100 downloads free) or buy or stream it on Itunes. Watch the video for Mad as Hell below.