Music

South Indian rapper hits big with "Anaconda" parody

by Jesse Locke

Straight outta Chennai (the capital city of the Tamil Nadu state, known as the “Detroit of India” due to its automobile industry, for the less geographically savvy), here’s 28-year-old hip-hop firebrand Sofia Ashraf!

The artist once dubbed “the burqa rapper” is now making global headlines for her song protesting the pollution from a thermometer factory (owned by consumer goods megacorp Unilever) in the Southern India hill town of Kodaikanal. This corporate crime has allegedly caused mercury poisoning in 1,000+ factory workers, leading to scary-sounding side effects such as skin problems, sensory impairment, and a lack of coordination. Ashraf lashed back in the best way possible, with a song and video parodying Nicki Minaj’s awe-inspiringly irritating “Anaconda”. Watch it below:

“After working in an ad agency, I developed a better understanding of how to use popular culture to reach a wider audience,” Ashraf told The Guardian. “So for ‘Kodaikanal Won’t’ I decided to piggyback on a popular song like ‘Anaconda.’ It would attract Nicki Minaj fans, but also get the attention of those who hate her song. Unilever has a squeaky-clean image on social media. We decided to hit them where it hurts most.”

Ashraf’s plea to clean up this “toxic shit” went viral (as the kids say) and eventually prompted Unilever CEO Paul Polman to respond. His defence of the company is pretty thin and it’s yet to be seen what he means by “Determined to solve.”

From “Baby Got Back” to “Anaconda” to “Kodaikanal Won’t”, Sir Mix-a-Lot never could have expected where the source material from his ode to butts would end up.

[h/t The Guardian]