Antifuchs talks battle rap ahead of Berlin gig

Kazakh-born Berlin-based rapper Antifuchs talks masks and middle fingers.

“When I started rapping, it was about the challenge. Fifteen years ago, as a woman in the battle rap scene in northern Germany, the only thing people cared about was the way I looked. They didn’t listen to my music, and at the time, I tried to steer myself away from everything that I had been told was ‘girly’ to make them listen. Later, when I became more known, people tried to say to me that since I am a woman, I should only make nice music because it would be good for my career. I had to laugh. I mean, no way. I love battle rap, why should I stop? I started with the mask about five years ago as a way for me to underline my message. At first, that was about rejecting people who wanted to put limits on me. Now, it’s more being exactly who I want to be because I guess I always felt like an outsider. I was never the typical girl, but the more people I reach, I realise that there is no such thing as typical. Actually, there are a lot more people like me out there. I’m talking about women who don’t want to listen to people telling us about the way we have to act. Antifuchs is part of that, I feel free to express myself. It’s weird because I wear a mask, but I never changed, and I look at others who might have changed for the industry, and I wonder if they wear more masks than I do. I will be myself no matter how much you criticise me. A strong middle-finger attitude is better than being depressed or feeling alone, and everyone who thinks that the middle finger is only a negative thing should come to the show, and I’ll show you how to use it the right way.”