BmoreArt

“Producing taught me how to communicate better and let go of insecurities. It just opened the world to me more,” says Couture. “It feels really good to work with people who you admire, who believe in the music that you’re doing, but also to see everybody’s growth from where we started to where we are now.”

Couture’s music has notably always had a political urgency, speaking truth as a Black trans woman working in Baltimore hip-hop, and as an artist whose political awareness is deeply in sync with the city’s landscape.

“I have this song called ‘Robots Have Hearts,’ that came out in 2022 and it’s kind of about being disposable as a trans person, and I’m talking about living in Baltimore City and seeing dirty water in neighborhoods and housing projects abandoned and turned into parking,” she says. “I think it’s important to notice how it helps kind of break down barriers and open communication because Baltimore is still a very class segregated city.”

While Prototype’s introspective turn may seem less overt, the new work takes to heart the feminist political slogan, “the personal is political.”

“I think a lot of times, especially as trans women, we always have to carry the weight of everything. We have to be the educators. And I want to use the platforms I’m given for education, but I also want escapism because our lives are inherently political,” she says. “I want something relatable, that we’re able to just dance to and get away from it for a little bit. But even saying that it is, in a sense, political.”

With a political perspective informed by her arrival in Baltimore in 2015—concurrent with the Baltimore Uprising—Couture focuses on joyously transforming the cultural landscape of the city and sharing that labor with similarly-minded cultural workers.

“Baltimore is forever changing. I think Baltimore is a beautiful and very intelligent city and I’ve seen a great shift. I like how informed the art world is with what goes on directly in the community,” she says. “What I love about Baltimore is the art scene is run mostly by queer individuals, and every year the parties and events are growing more inclusive. You’re seeing a lot more people party together and discussing politics and how the world moves. I like how politically charged artists are and how much we stand for what we really believe in.”

Couture is clear that with these changes comes the awareness that she’s part of a longer history, and she’s adamant that foundational figures like K-Swift and Miss Tony remain in Baltimore’s cultural consciousness.

“I came up on 92Q and remember listening to K-Swift, seeing her at Artscape the day before she passed away,” says Couture. “I’m thankful for individuals like Miss Tony as a radio personality because she really paved the way for me to be able to move freely in these spaces, and I see more openness from the hip-hop community when it comes to respecting queer artists as artists.”

And despite the changes Couture has fostered, she is hopeful that there is still room for growth.

“I’m always just trying to break down barriers and open communication, because as crazy as it sounds, a straight guy from over west can come to a party and be like, ‘Oh, she’s trans and she’s hosting this party. Well, the shit is rocking. Maybe I can calm down like when I see other trans people and I don’t have to be as hateful,’” Couture says.

“I believe we have to keep pushing, and I think now’s the time, when people are open and receptive to it, so I’ll carry it on my back as long as I can. I’m for the community first and that’s never gonna change. That’s Baltimore. That’s Black and that’s trans. That’s the community, and I’m always going to be at the forefront.”

You can catch Kotic Couture live this weekend at Current Space’s 20th Anniversary Festival. She’ll be performing Friday, August 23rd and DJing Sunday, August 25th.