Dua Saleh - ROSETTA (Cover Artwork)

Dua Saleh

ROSETTA (2020)


Punk rock and hip-hop are two genres that have always been about community. The similarities in their spirit and outside-the-mainstream ethos have provided generations of kids and young adults a space they could be carefree and visible in. One not available in society. It’s almost impossible to untangle the community from the music at this point, nor would you want to. With the rise of the Afropunk movement, a recognition of how much the Black experience informed punk rock, we have seen how these genres and guiding philosophies have melded into an entire scene of inspirational artists making music on their terms and blurring previous boundaries.

ROSETTA exemplifies that. Named after the queer Black godmother of rock ‘n’ roll Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the second release from Minneapolis’ Dua Saleh has punk rock attitude laced through the rock inflected trap beats, hip hop, and R&B. As they sing “Hellbound / Bitch, you want my dick / You must be spellbound,” it opens a fuzzed-out and wobbly bass driven breakdown that might be one of the heaviest put to record in 2020. Playing with imagery of the gender spectrum, Dua Saleh, who is non-binary, brings the pointed and sharp tongued societal commentary of punk rock to a song touting the id driven beats of trap. 

With production from previous collaborator Psymun, ROSETTA is maximalist in scope and knows how to integrate Saleh’s voice as its own instrument. “smut” is a good example of this using auto-tune and vocal distortions to underpin the falsettos that punctuate it. Even when the ‘80s synths of “umbrellar” are at the forefront throughout the song, the production elements provide background atmospherics giving it new layers. If you were to turn those synths into power chords, “umbrellar” could be the pop punk anthem of leftover roaches numbing heartbreak for Generation Z.

ROSETTA is uncompromising as a release, but it’s also one of duality. It feels like a constant tug of war between vulnerability and a caustic tough as fuckness. References to Lucifer Labelle abound on ROSETTA who Saleh has described as a bit of an alter-ego. Closer “bankrupt” captures that tension perfectly. A haunting R&B track showcasing vulnerability with bars about racking two brains, but masking it with a blunt to others. It’s that type of intentionality that welcomes all communities in even if the personal guarding is warranted.