S03E06 | Mighty Morphing: Interview with Sammus

PhDivas

Hip hop artist and producer, video game heroine, PhD candidate -- how cool and brilliant can one person be? We talk to Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo who performs under the stage name Sammus, a reference to Samus Aran of Metroid who is the first woman game protagonist. She studies gender and music production through Science and Technology Studies and is also a noted nerdcore rapper who has performed at SXSW, Geek Girl Con, PAX East. We talk about Kanye West, Nintendo, questions of representation, in geekdom and the intersection of humanities and STEM. Sammus has also been a great champion for Black Lives Matter in Ithaca and an advocate for mental health. Pieces in Space, her new album is out October 28! "I’m kind of scared of the academy/ I think my parents are proud of me/ I just wish I knew how to be comfortable here/ I never feel like I’m allowed to breathe/Rubbing shoulders with these old nerds/ Rockin’ sweater vests in they office hours/ Eating hors d’oeuvres while I soul search/ Tryna make some sense of the ivory tower" Sammus, "1080p" Order: http://dongiovannirecords.11spot.com/sammus-pieces-in-space-pre-order.html Sammus's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sammusmusic/?fref=ts L.J. Alonge's Blacktop series: https://www.amazon.ca/Justin-1-Blacktop-LJ-Alonge-ebook/dp/B015DLURQC/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1476986820&sr=1-3