{"id":105065,"date":"2022-04-22T12:25:44","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T10:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=105065"},"modified":"2022-04-22T12:56:15","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T10:56:15","slug":"dope-saint-jude-higher-self","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/dope-saint-jude-higher-self\/","title":{"rendered":"Dope Saint Jude showcases her Higher Self"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Catherine Saint Jude Pretorius aka Dope Saint Jude<\/a> is one of those special artists that manages to create a world entirely of her own. In fact, it was the absence of images and themes that DSJ wished to see in the mainstream that pushed her to manifest those creatively. Hailing from Cape Town in South Africa, Dope Saint Jude came onto the scene with \u201cGrrrl Like\u201d, a single that channels a badass sort of feminism that\u2019s endearing and personal. \u201cI\u2019m like my mama. Sometimes it\u2019s drama. Forget the karma. Might hear me holla,<\/em>\u201d she sings on the single. The track got a lot of attention, getting picked up for a Netflix series and major ad campaigns and has laid the foundation for Dope Saint Jude to continue unfolding her musical universe. Though worth noting is Dope Saint Jude had also been busy as a poet, Drag King with her troupe BrosB4Hoes, and student of political science before plunging head first into the world of hip-hop. Now with her second EP on the horizon, Higher Self<\/em>, Dope Saint Jude is again confronting limits and moving the issues that matter to her into the light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a9 Lou Rolley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI’m pushing the boundaries of my sound and not trying to limit myself,\u201d <\/em>she said during our meeting on the foothills of Sacre Coeur in Paris, France. \u201cI’ve become a lot more comfortable in my voice and in myself that I’m comfortable to make what I want to make without thinking, \u2018is this going to be well received or not?\u201d <\/em>The six tracks in Higher Self<\/em> is a step up from the alternative r&b undertone of her last EP Resilient<\/em>. On this latest project the epic ambition is clear, tapping into auto-tune laced vocals and classical synths that are reminiscent of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy<\/em>, an inspiration Dope Saint Jude gave a nod to during our talk. \u201cI was trying to innovate the sound because I really love epic cinematic sounds and I wanted to explore that ’cause I think that they lend themselves to emotion really well.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opener \u201cFor You\u201d hits the mark. The opening chorus, \u201cI go to war for you. For all the things they put you through, I go to war,<\/em>\u201d feels epic and important. Dope Saint Jude clarifies the meaning behind the track: \u201cThe song is for my mom and my grandmother. Basically, I’ve been thinking about this idea of women being given their value based on suffering. Often it’s like, \u2018Oh, she’s been through so much. She’s a strong woman.\u2019 And I think it’s time to break that cycle. So when I say \u2018I go to war for you\u2019 it’s about; I’m done with the life of suffering. I’m done \u2018cause I come from generations of women who have been through the most and I don’t think thatwhat validates us as people, is the amount of pain we’ve had to endure.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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