How Did Tokischa Become a Dominican Feminist Icon?

Soy Demasiado, a special issue of Juntos, celebrates Latinos reclaiming what it means to be “too much.” Read the stories here.

When it comes to where we are feminism and sexual empowerment, society still has a long way to go in addressing purity culture and slut shaming. This is especially obvious when it comes to music: While most male musical artists in genres like hip-hop and reggaetón generally avoid using suggestive lyrics, female artists still find themselves having to do so. defending their sexuality. This is the case for Dominican dembow star Tokischa (birth name: Tokischa Altagracia Peralta), who nevertheless speaks her truth.

TokischaMaking a name for herself in the male-dominated field of dembow and música urbano since 2018, she is known for her wildly suggestive lyrics, in which she raps about everything from her genuine sexual pleasures to her bisexuality and years of sex worker in the Dominican Republic. The 28-year-old has always been the target of criticism, and being told he is “too much” is something the rapper has experienced since a young age.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve heard: ‘You are too much. Tu si jodes. Que tú quiere?’ I think one of the first times I heard about it was when I was a little girl and didn’t want to wear a bra,” says Tokischa. “You know, when you grow up in the hood, you don’t have access to anything, well-made clothes. I mean, the bras that people used to buy for me were these bras: they had that crazy underwire under their breasts.”

Even at age 13 or 14, Tokischa couldn’t understand why she had to put aside her comfort to become less sexually attractive to men. “When I went outside the house, grown men standing in the corners were saying, ‘Look at those little tits, you’re going to put my eyes out.’ That’s a lot of pressure for a little girl.” And those memories stayed with him: “These little things started to create a rebellious energy in me,” he says.

This is how Tokischa’s story began machismo disappointmentmisogyny and the double standards women face regarding their bodies and sexuality – especially in the Dominican Republic. This also sparked her journey of finding the courage to speak her truth and present herself and her body on her own terms, regardless of what anyone said about it.

“That’s why my mother always told me to learn English. Learn the language so you can get a good job when you turn 18, so you can work and be independent,” she says. “That’s a word my mother and one of my aunts taught me. They would tell me: ‘Be independent so you don’t have to depend on your father. Have your own space and live in your own world.’

But Tokischa realized that even after learning English and earning her own money, people would still find her “too much” wherever she went. “I was still too much because (now) I was dreaming big. Even in relationships, I was loving too much because I loved so deeply, so dramatically and emotionally,” she says. “Of course I’m a Pisces. I’ll always be too much.”

Creating “Women’s Power”

Even before he started pursuing music, Tokischa knew deep down that he was different and that he should live life his way instead of following the rules. This was something he was constantly reminded of by his mother, who lived in New York and worked as a housekeeper for most of Tokischa’s childhood in search of a better life. Tokischa’s mother moved to the United States when the artist was only 3 years old. However, they remained close and constantly communicated by phone. Her mother mailed her fashion magazines as well as English books, telling her how different and freer life was in the states compared to life on the tiny island of the Dominican Republic.

“She always told me: ‘I gave you this name Tokischa. No one else has this name… I gave you this name because you are unique. You are not like others, you are very special. ‘ My mother telling me this really made me believe this,” he says.

Years later, Tokischa has become a feminist icon, especially for Latina and Dominican women. He has collaborated with numerous artists including. J Balvin, Rosalia, Young Miko, Villano Antillanoand Marshmellow recently collaborated with Venezuelan singer and superstar Arca on the track “Chama” and a music video in which both artists appear pregnant.

Songs such as “Tukuntazo” and the anthem “Yo No Me Voy Acostar” highlighted his bisexuality, while tracks such as the popular “Delinquente” and his viral remix track with Madonna “Hung Up On Tokischa” sparked backlash and controversy: Dominican conservatives On the one hand, due to his sexual openness In criticizing him, young progressives accused him of perpetuating misogyny and self-exploitation. In 2022, a court in the Dominican Republic ruled that Tokischa issue a public apology the city will also pay a fine for publishing suggestive photos of Our Lady of Altagracia posing in front of a religious mural in La Vega.

“It was supposed to be a message – a spiritual message. The message behind it was: Even though I’m a whore – I come from the streets, I’m ghetto, I’m dirty – I still pray. I still pray. Have faith,” she says. “That was the message. That was the intention. That was the message behind it, and it became an offensive thing all over the country, and that wasn’t even the point. You all made it offensive, but that’s usually what they do. “They turned positive things into something negative, and every time I go down that road I say, ‘Yes, I did that.'”

That same fall, Tokischa attended the Billboard Latin Music Awards wearing a full-size vagina costume and referred to herself as La Santa Popola (Saint Vagina). Popola, which means vagina in Dominican slang and is considered vulgar by many, is a word that Tokischa has reclaimed and made part of her brand. The 2022-2023 tour was referred to as the Popola USA tour, and at one point she was rocking a small popola in the middle of her grid. It’s a word she wants Dominican women to feel less embarrassed about when it’s around.

“It’s a feminine energy. Like Perra. It’s a feminine energy, a strong woman… we all come from a bottom, you know? If you see it from a first-person perspective, you sexualize it. It’s the cat. You’ll be like, ‘Oh, it’s the cat,'” she says. “But if you step back and actually look at the context and depth behind it, you see that it’s an energy. It’s an expression. It’s an emotion.”

The word perra literally means female dog, but is used in slang as the English word “bitch”. Tokischa has faced a lot of backlash for himself in 2021 Controversial “Perra” music video with J Balvinit finally happened removed from YouTube.

“Popola and perra are two words that I use a lot in my music and branding because they are interconnected,” he says. “This is feminine power. This is feminine energy. This is mother energy.”

Looking Forward and Giving Back

Tokischa started doing sex work to make a living when she was 18 years old. She was open about forming “sugar daddy” relationships with older men to make ends meet before working with photographer and director Raymi Paulus, who helped pave the way for her music career (eventually allowing her to leave sex work and drugs behind). . He was also unapologetic about how he survived the coronavirus pandemic with the income he earned from his OnlyFans page, where he shared his explicit content.

“I will be forever grateful to OnlyFans. Before I had OnlyFans, I had a sugar daddy and I had to be with this man that I didn’t like, that I didn’t want to touch. But I still needed bread so I could live and invest in my career,” she says. “And when I started doing OnlyFans, I didn’t have to touch anyone. I didn’t have to see who was watching my videos. I didn’t care about that. I was just taking my money and investing my money into being a fan, my dreams or my reality.”

That’s why Tokischa wants to support other women who may find themselves in similar situations, “when you’re just trying to figure out life and you need money,” as she puts it. “I want to help women who are incarcerated. I want to support this marginalized and forgotten community.”

Among several other projects, he is starting a new foundation called Sol, which shares the same name as his new record label. Tokischa was inspired to start it after meeting a Dominican woman who she learned had mistakenly gone to prison. Even though the woman claimed she was innocent of the crime for which she was convicted, she still had to serve two years in prison. The artist found her on Instagram and recently took her to a fashion show in the Dominican Republic as his plus one. He also supports a non-profit organization. Hogar Crea At DR, dedicated to preventing and treating people struggling with substance abuse.

“I want to reach out and help these communities because these are forgotten communities. Nobody cares about these communities and these people, and it’s the people who need help the most,” he says. “I come from prostitution, I come from drug addiction, I come from the streets; if I had the knowledge, support and care about it at the time, maybe I would have gone a different way.”

Also supported by Tokischa Fundación Diversidad Dominicaa non-profit organization supporting Dominican LGBTQ+ communities. Faces of Casas de AcogidaA non-profit organization that provides support to women who have recently undergone breast cancer surgery.

Trying to release her first full-length album, Tokischa wants people to see her as more than her lyrics and fearless personality. She says: “There’s so much more that people don’t know about me… I’m a very empathetic person, you know? I care a lot about different communities. I care about my environment.”

“I’m growing into a careful woman, and the way I’ve worked throughout my career over the last few years has turned me into this wild girl, this crazy badass,” Tokischa continues. “And I think that’s the image the world has of me right now. . . . My first album will show another side of me, but in depth, with a lot more emotion and a lot more emotion. ‘Cause people are talking about Tokischa, they’re talking about this wild rebel But there’s a lot more emotion.”

Johanna Ferreira He is the content director of PS Juntos. With over 10 years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central part of Latino culture. She previously worked as an assistant editor at HipLatina for nearly three years and has freelanced for numerous publications, including Refinery29, Oprah magazine, Allure, InStyle, and Well+Good. He has also moderated and spoken on numerous panels on Latino identity.