Backxwash

Ashanti Mutinta, known professionally as Backxwash, is a Zambian-Canadian rapper and record producer based in Montreal, Quebec.^[2] She is most noted for her 2020 album God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It, which won the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.^[3][4]

Backxwash
Backxwash 2021 press photo
Background information
Born	(1991-10-04) October 4, 1991 (age 33) Lusaka, Zambia
Origin	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres	Horrorcore trap metal industrial hip hop alternative hip hop conscious hip hop rap metal[1]
Occupations	Rapper songwriter producer
Years active	2018–present
Labels	Ugly Hag (current) Grimalkin (former)
Website	backxwash.bandcamp.com

Biography

Born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia, Mutinta began rapping and producing music in FL Studio before moving to British Columbia, Canada at age 17 to attend university for computer science.^[5][4]

After completing her degree she moved to Montreal, where she began performing at jam nights and released her debut extended play (EP) F.R.E.A.K.S. in 2018.^[5] She followed up later the same year with the EP Black Sailor Moon.^[6] Around the same time, she came out as transgender.^[7]

God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It, her second full-length album, was released in May 2020.^[8] Her musical style blends hip hop with heavy metal and post-rock, including Black Sabbath samples and instrumental interludes influenced by Godspeed You! Black Emperor.^[9] However, the album featured numerous uncleared samples, which have forced its removal from online music stores and streaming services, meaning that it is now available solely as a free download from Backxwash's Bandcamp page.^[10]

She would then release her third full-length album, I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses,^[11] on June 20, 2021, to generally positive reviews. I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses was longlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize.^[12]

Backxwash's "Don't Come to the Woods" and "Devil in a Moshpit" appeared in Season 1, Episode 2 of the Showtime series, Work in Progress.^[13]

Her fourth full-length album, Only Dust Remains, launched on March 28, 2025, was also longlisted for the 2025 Polaris Music Prize.^[14]

Discography

Studio albums

• Deviancy (2019)
• God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It (2020)
• I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses (2021)
• His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering (2022)
• Only Dust Remains (2025)

Extended plays

• F.R.E.A.K.S (2018)
• Black Sailor Moon (2018)
• Stigmata (2020)