Asanni Armon

Asanni Armon is an Atlanta-born, Brooklyn-based rapper who’s demolishing the confines regarding what it means to be a femcee. Being Black, unabashedly transgender and queer, she enters hip hop with a worldview unlike many of her contemporaries. And with her fiery, cunning lyrics, bodacious flows, and strong southern accent, she brings an allure and tenacity to the game that pays homage to all hip hop’s foremothers — but with an interesting twist. 

She’s inspired by the audacious, explosive, sharp lyricism that rappers such as Nicki Minaj, Foxy Brown, Lil Wayne, Eve, Lil Kim, Trina, and Jay-Z have always brought to rap. Her love for Southern (especially Atlanta) and Northeastern (especially New York) hip hop is abundantly obvious in both her freestyle choices and in her original work. Her image marries the grit and flashiness characteristic of hip-hop icons with the vivacity and showiness of standout disco femmes like Sylvester, Diana Ross, and Donna Summer. 

Her end goal: obliterate all obstacles that have been erected to keep out Black trans femme musicians because of who they are. She’s the proof that Black trans musicians have always far-exceeded expectations and the limits projected onto them by the world. And with a vision so pioneering that it forces everyone to collapse the limits of their own imaginations, you have no choice but to watch.

The short of it: She is a breathtaking twist on what it means to be a femme in hip hop, and she’s here to stay.