London-based rapper Ashnikko's new track “Blow” is the first single off her forthcoming EP Unlikeable, out this summer on Parlophone Records. Ashnikko wrote the track within a single session, with production from Culture x Tones. She explains the track’s strong message of female empowerment: “‘Blow” starts with ‘Take it off and show them how much you want it,’ which is poking fun at the culture of women being exploited in music. I’m tired of being brainwashed that my body is my biggest asset. And it’s me saying to myself that I will never exploit myself in a way that doesn’t empower me.”
The accompanying video was directed by Can Evgin and shot on 16mm film, featuring a range of costumes with nods to Ashnikko’s love for fantasy and sci-fi as well as cameos from her friends; Greatness co-host Emerald Lewis and singer-songwriter Etta Bond. Unlikeable is Ashnikko’s second EP; it follows her debut, Sass Pancakes, which features Avelino and production by Raf Riley, who has also collaborated with Diplo, Labrinth, Skepta and Professor Green. She is working with CallMeTheKidd on additional songs for the forthcoming EP, with lyrics throughout that explore themes of misogyny, consent and equality.
Ashnikko was born in North Carolina but relocated with her family to Estonia and then to Latvia in her early teens. She entered public high school as the only American student in the entire Latvian school system, taking courses entirely in Latvian. Isolated in the classroom, she began flying to London on the weekends to pursue music, beginning with small open mic nights. She eventually established a home for herself within the OddChild community, where she’s spent the last four years focused on developing her music.
She also participated in the Kyra TV series Greatness alongside her friend Emerald Lewis, with the mission of understanding “greatness” by spending time with, and learning from, the most inspiring and extraordinary people in the world. The pair did everything from exploring a floating island built by two artists in Canada to spending a night in an incredible glacial ice cave in Iceland.
