Rina Sawayama is tired of the RGB (255, 255, 255) and would like them to "STFU!" or catch these Nu Metal hands

Rina Sawayama is back and she's tired of white people y'all.

Gurl. Same.

I say 'white people'. Because they're usually the culprits. But I know there be black people doing the same thing.

'I watch Naruto'.

Bitch. I-

"STFU!" is not what I was expecting. I don't think it's what anybody was expecting. I've made absolutely no secret of "Alterlife" being my favourite song from Rina's EP, so I'm all for the deeper dive into Rock and Metal - it perfectly matches the subject of the song. I'm unsure of the song structure though, as it's pretty repetitive. It could have done with a Middle-8. Also, the sound overpowers Rina a lot, so the verses get a little lost.

Rina's music has always been about the early 2000s. So going Nu metal isn't some hard left turn, as it was a prominent sound at the time. Pop and R&B were killing it on the charts, but so was Nu Metal. The genre enjoyed a resurgence on the Pop charts with acts such as Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and Evanescence all having huge success and being responsible for some of the biggest hits of that decade.

I'm now intrigued at what sounds her upcoming album will have, as "STFU!" widens the scope far beyond what we may have expected it to be, going on her EP and songs like "Cherry" and "Flicker".

Whilst the video places the song in the context of Rina having to deal with constant microaggressions and flat out racism, the song itself generalises the situation which allows for it to be opened up in an [insert fuckery] here type fashion. Whether it's being Black, a person of colour, being Queer, being Trans, being anything that is considered 'other'. Or just dealing with people falling ass first into your mentions and DM's.

I have no idea what it's like to be a UK born Japanese woman on a date with a white guy. I can only imagine. But I can draw on my experience of what it's like being black and being tokenised.

'Is it true what they say about black guys?' *Gestures towards my crotch*
'Can you grow an afro?'
'Are you African?'
'Yo, yo, YO!'
'Do you like Bob Marley?'

Yep. So, I felt this song deep in my ungrown afro.

I wonder what Hikaru Utada thinks of the song.

📝 Random J Pop review: Rina's debut EP
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