A glance back at our interview with rap duo Aint Afraid, in which the identical twins open up about (rightfully) embracing their identity as Muslim women.
“A blessing.” That’s how musical duo Aint Afraid refer to quarantine. Not many have kind words to spare for this pandemic period of ours, but then again, it seems that a not-many mentality is right up Aint Afraid’s alley. In case you haven’t heard of the up-and-coming musicians, they’re the Michigan-raised, young, female Black Muslim twins who are making music to dance and think to. And according to the sisters, who prefer to be called by their stage names Straingth and Wizdumb, a pandemic is no match for Aint Afraid.
“It’s really not hard to get that creative juice flowing,” Straingth says. “There’s always something going on, always something to talk about, always something to get inspired by.”
And they certainly seem to be in the inspiration business. Though the duo only officially began pursuing a professional music career just over two years ago, they have since amassed 155,000 followers on Instagram and more than 500,000 views on YouTube. But as with many musically gifted duos, song was always a part of their lives. Their mother, who played at small clubs and did some DJing before raising the girls, injected their lives with a heavy dose of vibrato. “She’s an artist herself,” says Straingth. “So when she saw it within her kids, she made sure she cultivated that.”
Community-based performances and local advocacy started the snowball effect, and when that snowball turned into an avalanche of support—“People were telling us, ‘Get on social media! Get on social media!’” Wizdumb says—the girls had to come up with an official name. So they asked themselves what would define exactly what they wanted people to know about them when they see them. That definition is Aint Afraid. “Despite people maybe having good views about us, negative views about us, unsure views about us, we wanted to let them know that we’re sure in ourselves,” Wizdumb continues. “Not that we’re fearless, but we’re very courageous.”
And their (still relatively small) body of work reflects that perspective. Their lyrics express feminist rebellion (Want a pretty little toy/ something to boss around/ hoping that it don’t make noise/ but boy/ that ain’t never been me) and calls for racial justice (We will breathe/ By any means). And they’re accompanied by equally striking visuals, as well as a surprising tone of joy, when you consider the hardships that often accompany juggling various identities. And that juggle is no light task: in the US, Black Muslim women often experience discrimination at work and in the course of daily life. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, these injustices range from being fired for wearing a headscarf to being harassed and even assaulted. And yet Aint Afraid continues its fight for joie de vivre. “Why does it always have to be so hard?” the duo say with a singsong tone, practically in unison. “I love being a Black Muslim woman,” Wizdumb adds.
The music, it seems, is never that hard for them either. The songwriting process can take one hour to four months, they say, but either way it seemingly comes as second nature. “Sometimes a song will start as a joke and we’ll be like, ‘Wait a minute,’” says Straingth. “We bounce off each other.”
Likewise, the twins’ propensity for fashion seems to be a natural extension of themselves. As we speak over Zoom, they’re clad in matching blue tie-dye hoodies and their Instagram is flush with striking coordinated ensembles, ranging from bubblegum-pink padded jackets covered in 3D butterflies to chic Ivy Park streetwear, melting away the perceived restrictions of a hijabi wardrobe. And that’s exactly what they hope to accomplish. “People see our hijab and they allow that to make the statement for us. We want it to be beyond that,” says Straingth. Like many sartorial savants, the girls spent ample time in the hallowed halls of thrift stores while finding out about style. “Growing up, we weren’t well off enough to explore style like other people. But we were able to go to thrift shops,” says Wizdumb. “Even though we weren’t always able to afford the best of things, style was important to us.” Now in a more financially stable position, the girls are freer to experiment and express style as they see fit. “It just feels like home,” she says.
In their perfect world, differences would be celebrated and a love for learning would permeate society. “[When we were young] we watched documentaries all the time where we’d get to see glow-in-the-dark fish, and we were like, if this is just the animal spectrum, imagine what kind of human you could meet,” says Wizdumb. “Imagine what kind of story you could learn.” Until that day arrives, however, the girls just want to be an example. “We make it a point to show you can do it,” says Straingth.
So what’s next? That’s always the big question for budding talent such as Aint Afraid, and although they don’t give me anything concrete when asked, the answers range from being able to “grow in great ways” to making sure that their message stands for more than just the two girls, while of course producing new music along the way. And if any of that sounds difficult, given the state of the world or the challenge of navigating that state being Black, Muslim, and women, one would be well advised to remember their moniker. “It’s in our name,” Straingth says. “We’re not afraid to be.”
Images courtesy of Sajjad-Uddin Muhammed
