Rituals of Mine is the project of LA-based Terra Lopez, who will be releasing her new album HYPE NOSTALGIA on September 25 through Carpark. Following “Come Around Me”, this week she’s shared “Free Throw”, in which she teams up with KRIS (King Woman, Miserable, NGHTCRWLR) to discuss the position of women of colour in the music industry. Lopez says:
“Kris and I talk a lot about our experiences being women of color in the music industry and how time and time again, we’ve been fucked over by either white women musicians or white guys and that shit takes a toll on you. It takes a toll on your mental health, your confidence, your perseverance. It also limits your access to opportunities within the industry in a very real way. We wanted to address how we were feeling and have been feeling for years in ‘Free Throw’ by airing it all out, putting it all out there because at this point this needs to be addressed. These disparities within the industry have to be examined and ultimately broken down. Kris and I want to help change the industry and music is just going to be one of the ways in which we shed light on issues. We have a lot of things in the works to help even the playing field when it comes to BIPOC artists. ‘Free Throw’ is just the introduction to that.“
Unsurprisingly, given the amount of frustration the two collaborators feel, “Free Throw” is intense and uncompromising. Working with a trap beat and atmospheric production, Rituals of Mine is commanding and poised in her verses, staring down anyone who would try to dismiss her due to her gender or the colour of her skin, letting them know that she will not be waylaid by their prejudice. KRIS hops in and continues the message in no uncertain terms, contrasting the crunching production with a loquacious style that doesn’t spare on pointed messaging.
Rituals of Mine’s new album HYPE NOSTALGIA is coming out through Carpark on September 25. Find her on Facebook and Twitter.
