Inklings #6: Flip The Script - Arusa Qureshi
Hip hop is an art form that originated in the margins, and can be simultaneously devastating and celebratory; an expression of pain, love and desire or an ode to the other, the underdog and the underground. For Arusa Qureshi, it became a safe haven, the genre she turned to in highs and lows. In particular, it was the women to whom she owes her thanks.
Flip The Script explores many of the phenomenal women who have paved the way in UK hip hop both at the forefront and behind the scenes, through interviews, research and Qureshi's lifelong love of the form. From the influence of the genre's beginnings in the Bronx to formation of distinctive regional scenes across the country, the barriers women faced to the magazines and club nights that fostered thriving hip hop communities, readers get to know the women who led the charge in one of the country's most innovative and exciting music scenes, and those picking up the torch today.
This is a love letter to UK hip hop, and to the women changing the game.
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Arusa Qureshi is a writer and editor based in Edinburgh, with a particular focus on music, diversity and accessibility within arts and culture. She was formerly the Editor of UK entertainment and events guide The List, and her work has appeared in Bella Caledonia, gal-dem, the Guardian, GoldFlakePaint and more. She is also on the board of the Scottish Music Centre and in the Scottish Music Industry Association’s Advisory Group. @arusaqureshi
