Krudas

Krudas explores the lives and work of a Cuban lesbian couple who are hip hop singers and performers. The duo Krudas addresses issues such as women’s liberation, lesbian rights, female solidarity, and racism. Their work is deeply engaged with feminism and strong ties to their African roots.

Their songs represent an effort to upset semantics and syntax. Krudas conceive language itself as the root of female exclusion and thus summons men to engage in dialogue refusing to engage in any hierarchical structures. Krudas emphasize the use of the first person—one will hear the repetition of the first person “yo” (I) often followed by their own names to further personalize their discourse. Krudas’ first person extends beyond mere autobiographical narrative; their “I” is an attempt to formulate a double subjectivity, what philosopher Luce Irigaray “I-she” (”Je-elle”) and “I-he” (”Je-lui”). In addition to leading the hip hop duo and the street performance group Tropazancos, Krudas have also organized a network of female hip hop artists, Omega, to unite women in the hip hop and alternative music scenes. Omega's goal is to join forces in order to generate larger projects, including all-female collective performances, recordings, and workshops.