A few weeks ago I wrote a piece on the New Jersey rapper The Buttress. Since then, I got a low-key interview with her, and asked her some questions pertaining to her music, sexuality, her beginnings, and her inspiration for her films that she creates. What I received in return was a masterpiece of thoughts and answers pretty deep that I didn't even expect. Come with me on this ridiculously awesome journey into the mind of The Buttress.

In "Miracle Gro" you talk a lot about, from my interpretation, using men to your liking and not being afraid that your friend found your nudes on the internet. Do you think this song is an anthem to a new generation of women finding their new sexual voice?

"This question is kind of tricky. I've actually been thinking about this a lot, and my thoughts on the subject are still divided, but where I'm at right now, I believe that first and foremost, women's sexuality is way too taboo. So yes, of course I think that women should be able to boast of their sexual exploits the same way men do without consequence, which is what I'm doing in the song. Too often females are labeled 'hoes' for engaging in the same behaviors our male peers are praised for. This is no secret.

On the other hand though, and this is where my thoughts begin to get murky... I feel like this whole movement of empowering females via their sexuality empowers the individual more than it empowers women as a whole. If I look at myself for instance... I spent years as a stripper, and I used my sexuality to manipulate men and get what I wanted from them. And I see a lot of women out here praising that sort of behavior as empowering. But personally... I think it empowered myself.. cause I was able to exploit a system and get money, but do I think being a stripper empowered women as a whole? Honestly...no. I feel like the sex industry totally exploits women, and the men that go to those establishments are some of the most misogynistic creatures you will EVER meet. And I was there, working for that system and pandering to them.

In the same way, I feel like telling women to embrace their sexuality as a means of empowerment can possibly be detrimental. Like... clearly we should be afforded the same rights and freedoms as men to do whatever we want, and have as many partners as we want, and all that, but should we put forth our sexuality as our most powerful asset? I don't think so.

I feel like we're already seen solely by the world as objects of sexual desire, so I don't really want to continue to push that agenda. Cause it also raises the question of what we want... do we want to just be puppet-masters to men, manipulating them and bending their will by using our sexual prowess on them, or do we want to hold the same power that they do?

That's what I want. I want men to see me and my art and not even think about how hot I am, or what I'm like in bed or any of that s***. You know what I mean? I'm rambling. When it comes to female sexuality, women face unfair criticism, so yes I do think we should be more outspoken and give less f***s when it comes to what we want and what we do, but at the same time, I don't think sexuality should be our primary means of empowering ourselves, cause it relies on our relationship with men. I want autonomous power. I want to be a force to be reckoned with regardless of whether or not there's any men in the picture. I feel like I answered way more than you were looking for, but it's been on my mind, so there you have it."

What was the inspiration for the themes to your videos and songs (i.e. Brutus, Funeral)?

"Well I mean… each one has a different inspiration, so I'm not totally sure how to answer that. I guess there is an overarching theme in all my videos/songs of like a certain brand of 'cinematic violence,' and I'm not sure why that is to be honest. I think a lot of humans are just intrigued by violence. I'm kind of an emotion w***e. So i guess i am always trying to do some grandiose shit, and I do that by emulating the kinds of things that move me, which historically have mostly been films, and more specifically, films that depict violence."

What mainly got you into rapping? What brought you to your "popularity"?

"I am just always making stuff all the time... it's how I've always been. I've never been content to just be a fan of anything. If i like something I try to do it myself. I love movies so I learned how to make them. When I was obsessed with classical music I took cello lessons. When I was obsessed with noise music I made a noise album. So when I became obsessed with rap I started rapping."

What brought you to your "popularity"?

"My popularity honestly all came from "Miracle Gro". The Vine of me saying "don't be mad that I f***ed your dad" blew up on the internet. Before that happened, I was about ready to move on to be honest. My numbers were seriously dwindling. And even though i pulled the video, I'm doing better than ever.

Even though I hate that "Miracle Gro" is what boosted my popularity, since it's so different from all my other stuff, and cause it was just sort of a joke for the few fans I did have at the time, I'm grateful that it blew up at the same time. At the end of the day though I'm still not all that popular. I got a long way to go. But I think I'll make it... maybe. Who knows. I'm just glad i have an audience now, even if it's a modest one. I'm very grateful anyone f***s with me and that I can make some modest earnings with my music."

I read around and saw that you like to try new things. What’s your latest project/hobby you're getting into?

"Well I taught myself how to screen print last year and got pretty good at it. But honestly I don't love doing it. It's kind of boring, making prints. I much prefer to draw or paint instead of duplicating an image a thousand times. But it's cool cause I can make all my own merchandise by hand, which is much cheaper, and I've been making some money producing merchandise for other people as well, all from the comfort of my own home. My most recent project is my new album, which is being all produced by myself. I've been teaching myself how to make beats over the past year, and I finally got to a point where I'm confident in my skills. So this new album is going to show off all that I've learned. And the aesthetic is much more 'me' than my last one, since I am in total control.

How do you feel about the view of white female rappers in the game? Where do you see yourself going in the next 5 years?

"I don't know. I don't really keep up with the game honestly. I can't really think of any white female rappers that haven't already bit the dust. In my opinion the whole white rapper thing is for the most part kinda lame. That's part of why I think I'm straying a little bit from what's typically considered rap.

Like I said in a previous question, I have a history in noise music. I'm trying to retreat to that aesthetic a lil bit. Not cause I'm feeling forced to or anything but.. I think in general the most interesting things happening in rap right now are in trap music, and you'll never catch me making that kind of stuff. Not because I don't appreciate it, but because my white ass chipmunk voice would never compliment that style. And I'm not about to put on a blaccent either. That shit is lame as hell. I really bored myself to death with all the old school kinda rap stuff i was doing on my first album. So I'm trying to go in a new direction that is more interesting to me.

Also, I think that doing something a little less 'rap' is going to serve my interests better in the long run. I don't know what it is about the genre, but it really values youth. I assume because rap is often characterized by energy and aggression, which are definitely characteristics I feel the youth embodies more. And I'm not old, but I will be one day, and I desire longevity. I'm not trying to blow for a year and then disappear like everyone else.

So when you ask where I'll be in 5 years, I'm hoping I'll be doing the same thing - making music and profiting off of it. Hopefully more than I am now, cause at the moment the music is not really self-sustainable for me. I'm hoping that it will be in 5 years. That's all i want... to be my own boss. And to make enough money to fund all of the films I plan on making. My one goal in life is to make beautiful films. I have one short film out already, "Visitor 420," and I'm currently editing another that's already been shot, and also writing a new one that I plan on shooting before the year is out. But these are all shorts and I really wanna make features. Hopefully I'll be working on one in 5 years."

What got you into films?

"Honestly... just watching them. They move me. They are my favorite form of art making, and like I said, I'm never content to be a fan. So now I make them.

When can we expect new music from you?

I'm trying to release my new album in September, on 9/11 to be precise, but in the interim ill be dropping some new tracks and videos, including one very soon.

Any comment to the kids who want to start rapping ?

Rap has undergone many movements and it seems most have already been perfected. If you want to get into rap, make sure you are trying to bring something new to the scene. Because the goal of art isn't only to make enjoyable things, but to spark inspiration and new ideas. That is how as humans we progress - in music, in art, in anything."

Make sure to keep an eye out for The Buttress's album dropping in September, for her films and to check out her music and channel on YouTube.

To check out my previous article on The Buttress, click this link: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/why-the-buttress-is-rapper-to-watch