ZAPPER & DATGIRL, Bang Bang, Bitches! | Track Review 🎵

ZAPPER and DATGIRL collaborate to create an eccentric, ambitious, politically-charged song and music video, “Bang Bang, Bitches!”

Conformity is alive and well in the music industry.  Sigh, that’s not a good thing. Thankfully, there are many artists – many of which that aren’t ‘household names’ – who keep nonconformity alive and well.  It’s the brave nonconformists who tend to push the musical envelope and keep things interesting.  That’s the case with electronic music DJ, producer, and rapper DATGIRL and Bay Area artist Zapper. Based upon their latest collaborative video, “Bang Bang, Bitches!” conformity is NOT in their blood.

First, simply address the title of the song: “Bang Bang Bitches!” The title is unapologetic and explicitly ear-catching.  Simply put, it’s conformist in the sense that societally, we’ve grown accustomed to shock value. Still, “Bang Bang, Bitches!” has more going for it than a risqué title that’s every parent’s worst nightmare. ZAPPER and DATGIRL provide sufficient oomph behind the title, delivering a song and accompanying music video that’s unlike anything we’ve ever heard. Isn’t that what true artistry and true are supposed to be about? To quote Beck, “Hell Yes.”

The premise of “Bang Bang, Bitches!” is politically and socially-charged. To the uninformed ear, the song may sound chaotic.  Honestly, even the informed ear might be caught off guard. Regardless, there is a purpose behind the chaos. The description captioning the video appearing on datgirlTV’s YouTube channel, states as follows:

“Inspired by so many recent attacks on specifically targeted groups, we aimed to create a video that reflects how the world is dividing itself into a movie-like narrative of good guys versus bad guys. We need to create new stories where people are more than just black and white, cops and robbers, liberals and conservatives, heroes and villains.

We need to defuse the current explosive climate with a dialogue that values listening more than shouting, debating rather than hating, and solutions over sabotage.”

After reading and analyzing the rationale, the chaos seems logical, at least contextually. Clearly, these two GET IT.  ZAPPER and DATGIRL even link the press release, further educating the potential listener and attempting to coalesce said broken society.  Nothing left to do but to partake of the eccentric, purposeful, brilliance that is “Bang Bang, Bitches!”

If it weren’t already crystal clear, “Bang Bang, Bitches!” is polarizing through and through. That said, don’t we live in hyper-polarizing times? That’s the point, even if deciphering every rhyme and every character gets crazy.  Give the song/video a couple of listens/views, and things start to make more and more sense.  True art takes time.

Hopefully, “Bang Bang, Bitches!” is a truly representative preview of what is to come from the duo’s forthcoming album. It’s sure to be a trip.

Photo credit: DATGIRL & ZAPPER