I have a fairly serious girl crush on Chilean rapper, Ana Tijoux. I just thought I’d let ya’ll know. I don’t know much about rapping or hip hop in general but from what I can tell, men are still dominating the game.  So, it’s nice to know that there are some really boss women making their mark globally.  In fact, that’s just about the only thing that could make me genuinely interested in the genre. It’s also worth noting that she’s Chile’s first Grammy nominated artist.

Tijoux spent her youngest years in France, where her activist parents went after being exiled in ’76 due to the political coup in Chile. Tijoux started rhyming at the age of 14 in both Spanish and French and it was around this time that she joined the Chilean group Makiza. After years of collaborating with others, she released her first solo album, Kaos, in 2007. In 2009, she followed-up with, 1977 – which was, personally, my first encounter with her work. The title song, “1977″,  has a way of working into your head and making you want to sing along, even if your Spanish is rusty or non-existent. Mil novecientos setenta y shh

Ana Tijoux // 1977

Ana Tijoux // Friends We Love – 120 Seconds Spot

Ana Tijoux // Tiny Desk Concert Series on NPR

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If you want more, you can stream or download Ana Tijoux’s mixtape, Elefant, on her website. I can’t get enough.