Producer Spotlight: Dope Saint Jude

Dope Saint Jude is an artist, producer, writer, advocate, and podcaster who was born in Cape Town, South Africa.  Through a blend of British, American, and African hip-hop elements, she uses her music to not only express herself, but also to uplift the voices of other marginalized people.  Her music often addresses social justice issues, touching on themes relating to feminism, social class, race and sexuality.  Dope Saint Jude believes strongly in living your truth, which she showcases musically as well as in her life outside the studio.

Dope Saint Jude dabbled in music during her teenage years, but officially started her music career in 2016 with the EP Reimagine. The EP consists of six tracks with Dope Saint Jude’s powerful vocals over hip-hop grooves, orchestral trap and experimental beats. Two years later, she followed up with her second release, Resilient. The EP features 5 tracks, including ‘Like Grrrl’, the hit single of the album. 

Aside from being an outstanding artist and producer, Dope Saint Jude also loves to connect with her fans and fight for others.  She is deeply involved in activism relating to queer causes, feminism and global current events. Additionally, she runs a podcast called Figured It Out, where she interviews inspiring people to learn about their stories. She even started an Instagram video series conveying her lockdown thoughts and feelings over an instrumental called power poetry. Dope Saint Jude is quickly proving herself as a force to be reckoned with, and her cultural reach and relevance is only growing.  Her tracks have been featured on the soundtracks of multiple films and television shows, including Netflix’s Blood and Water and Kipo and the Age of Wonder Beasts, HBO’s Between the World and Me, BET’s Twenties and Amazon’s The Wilds. She has also graced a few magazine covers, including Club X, and one of her songs has become the sound for the “XQ Misty Challenge” on TikTok.  We can’t wait to see what she does next!