It’s fair to say that Backxwash’s music doesn’t pander to the mainstream crowd. The Montreal-based independent hip-hop artist, born Ashanti Mutinta, built her name on slow, distorted beats and lyrics about faith, addiction, and identity. Her biggest win came without a major label, and her recent work suggests she has no interest in repeating herself.
From Lusaka to Montreal
Born on October 4, 1991, in Lusaka, Zambia, to a family of Tumbuka and Chewa ancestry, Backxwash began rapping and producing in FL Studio. After moving to British Columbia and graduating in computer science, she settled in Montreal, played jam nights, and released the EPs F.R.E.A.K.S. and Black Sailor Moon in 2018, which was also around the time she came out as transgender. This, along with her strict Christian upbringing and her later turn toward Tumbuka and Chewa spiritual practice, formed the backbone of her writing.
The Polaris Win and Its Complication
God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It arrived in May 2020. It fused hip-hop with Black Sabbath samples and post-rock interludes, and it won the Polaris Music Prize that October. The album wasn’t without complications. Numerous uncleared samples led to its removal from streaming services, which left it, at last report, available only as a free Bandcamp download. Even so, the release and subsequent accolades demonstrated both the reach and the limits of working outside the system.
Completing the Trilogy
Backxwash followed her debut in June 2021 with I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses, which reached the 2022 Polaris longlist. The trilogy came to a close on Halloween 2022 with His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering, which featured guest spots from Sadistik, Ghais Guevara and Pupil Slicer. A quiet stretch followed, broken in April 2024 by the single “Wake Up.”
Taking a Different Approach With Only Dust Remains
Released on her own Ugly Hag label on March 28, 2025, Only Dust Remains is Backxwash’s first album of the post-trilogy era. Featuring guests such as Ora Cogan, Chloe Hotline and Fernie, the ten tracks eschewed her former industrial abrasion for choral arrangements, live-band instrumentation and trap sampling. In an interview with Also Cool Mag, she stated her desire to “concentrate on composition, melody”, citing Tyler, the Creator and Björk as models for constantly changing course.
Despite the noticeably smoother veneer, Backxwash seems committed to her thought-provoking ethos. Her Bandcamp notes describe her as “haunted by death itself,” and a Kerrang! interview prominently featured her line “Death just exists. It’s not malicious, it’s not comforting, it’s just there.”
The sonic shift divided opinion. While some lauded the cleaner production for sharpening the artist’s message, others pined for her older, harsher material. Nevertheless, the album earned the artist a second Polaris longlist spot.
What’s Next for Backxwash?
After a spring 2025 European festival run and a hometown release show at Montreal’s SAT, Backxwash played Vancouver’s SHAME Fest that August. In May 2026, she released an instrumental version of the album, showcasing her capable and self-assured production work.
As of late October 2026, major concert listings for the remainder of the year have yet to be announced. We, for one, consider this gap as part of what it means to be a truly independent artist. Although Backxwash’s ownership of her label, masters, and sound gives her the freedom to pivot without permission, it also often means long silences between releases. In any case, the next chapter for such an intriguing and compelling artist is one to watch.
Mikey’s Gyros — Moscow, ID
Thursday, October 29, 2026
7PM
Taste Nate
DJ Dave
6PM
$10 SUGGESTED • ALL AGES
Doors 7PM • Show 8PM
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The Grouch & Eligh bring the How The Grouch Stole Christmas Tour to Treefort Music Hall 12/3 Ft. AmpLive with Special Guests Brother Ali and Lyrics Born
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