Miss Eaves — the “femcee” persona of hip-hop/electronic artist Shanthony Exum — is stopping at the North Street Cabaret on April 14 on her “Unapologetic AF Tour.”
The Brooklyn-based multimedia artist creates smart, catchy feminist club bangers, which play well on Madison’s increasingly inclusive dance floors.
“I love that her music is so much about her taking control of her own image, sexuality and just about being a boss. Her humor is amazing,” says DJ Boyfrrriend, who will join Miss Eaves, along with Los Angeles rapper Anna Diorio. The Madison DJ has been spinning Miss Eaves since the 2017 summer hit “Thunder Thighs” dropped. In Eaves’ self-directed video, a mixed-age crew of confident women saunters city streets, inspiring like-minded women to join their thick-legged girl gang. “Thick thighs, they defy these tights, man,” Eaves sings. The track has become an unofficial roller derby club anthem.
Eaves dishes generously on topics that might make others squirm, like the shocked older white people watching big-legged women strut their stuff in “Thunder Thighs.”
“Hump Day,” which aired during season two of Issa Rae’s Insecure on HBO, is a detailed ode to masturbation. In “Santa Please,” she asks St. Nick for President Trump’s impeachment before requesting the same gift for Hanukkah, solstice and Kwanzaa. In “Food Porn,” she expresses the sensuality of the experience of eating. In other songs, she tells off trolls and disrespectful lovers.
“All of the songs are written because they contain messages I need to hear,” Eaves says in an email. “If I am not feeling confident in my body, I will write a body-positive song, or if I had an encounter with street harassment, I will write about that.”
DJ Boyfrrriend’s sets include samples from tracks like Eaves’ “Bush for the Push,” which begins, “What should I do with my hair down there?” before listing options for grooming pubic hair. In the video, dancers wearing felt and yarn merkins and hot pants shimmy around a salon.
“I feel making videos is a form of self-care. I self-fund all of my work, so that is such a powerful message to myself to say ‘you are worth it,’ and then invest deeply into bringing my creative vision to life,” Eaves says. In another standout track, “Paper Mache (Single AF),” she professes self-love, preferring crafting at home to attending parties where friends try to set her up.
DIY to the core, Eaves makes costumes and props (even sock puppets!), and books her own interviews. This artist’s lifestyle is also song fodder. A recent single from her fourth EP, Sad, released April 5, decries being offered exposure in lieu of pay. “Do I live off good vibes?” she asks. “No, I don’t.”
“I think it is important for people to be tuned into who they are and also pay attention to what they need,” Eaves says. “There is so much noise in the world and if you do not have a strong sense of self, you can believe damaging ideas that are not even yours.”
Eaves’ message will hit home for many Madisonians who are seeking more inclusive and safe spaces. “There’s a lot of people in Madison who are focused on making space on the dance floor and spaces in the music industry for people who get left out otherwise,” DJ Boyfrrriend says. [Miss Eaves’] body positivity — everyone needs that.”
[Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect the fact that Miss Eaves does some, but not all, of her own publicity. She also works with the firm Wolfie Vibes Publicity.]
