On The Anniversary Of White Women’s Suffrage, Listen To Our Mixtape of History-Making WOC

One hundred years ago today, the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote, was ratified. As a professional DJ and music historian who studied political science in college, it was an honor to assemble this exclusive mixtape for Supermajority as a tribute to this milestone. I hope you enjoy the surprises I’ve included, like the inspirational and topical remixes I created featuring the voices of Kamala Harris, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Cardi B! 

Learn more about the mixtape’s lineup in the liner notes below:

Queen Latifah and Monie Love — “Ladies First” (Tamara’s Kamala Dub)

Kamala Harris and I are both from the Bay Area, so it felt natural to begin this set by mixing in some uplifting words she shared onstage at the Supermajority Tour Finale last summer with an instrumental version of Queen Latifah and Monie Love’s 1989 rap anthem.

“I’ve been talking recently about what it means to break barriers,” Harris said at the event (and in the mix). “‘Cause it occurred to me with some of the people that I mentor that maybe it’s important to explain exactly what’s involved. And so I’ve said, ‘It just occurred to me that you may think breaking barriers means that you start out on one side of the barrier and just show up on the other side of the barrier.’ And I said, ‘No, there’s breaking involved. And when you break things, it can be painful. And when you break things, you might get cut and you might bleed. It will be worth it every single time, but it is not without pain, hard work and great effort. Because it is about asking people to imagine what they’ve never seen before and to believe it’s possible and to know their own agency to make it possible.”

Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston — “I’m Every Woman” (The Teemoney AOC Remix)

Chaka Khan released “I’m Every Woman” in 1978 and Whitney Houston dropped her reverent cover of the song in 1992 — when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was just three-years-old. It seemed fitting to use excerpts of both versions to showcase AOC’s fierce July 24 speech on the floor of the House of Representatives that responded to a particularly inelegant verbal attack by GOP Representative Ted Yoho.

“I took a few steps ahead and I walked inside and cast my vote,” Ocasio-Cortez recalled in the speech. “Because my constituents send me here each and every day to fight for them, and to make sure that they are able to keep a roof over their head. That they are able to feed their families. And that they are able to carry their lives with dignity.”

“I walked back out and there were reporters in the front of the Capitol, and in front of reporters, Representative Yoho called me, and I quote, ‘a fucking bitch,’” she continued. “These are the words Representative Yoho levied against a congresswoman. A congresswoman that not only represents New York’s 14th district, but every congresswoman and every woman in this country. Because all of us have had to deal with this in some form, some way, some shape at some point in our lives… and that is the problem.”

Adeva — “Independent Woman” (12-Inch Smack Mix)

The stage name of Paterson, New Jersey’s Patricia Daniels, Adeva is an unsung heroine of early house music who had top 40 hits in England, Germany, and Australia in the late eighties, but remained a relatively underground secret in the United States. The role of strong Black women as architects of the enduring world of house should be in the forefront of any authentic account of the genre going forward.

Lizzo — “Water Me”

If you’re not already dancing by now, here’s your permission to get up and give it all you got! Lizzo represents everything good about body positivity and inner fire, and her anthems always electrify a mix.

Megan Thee Stallion — “Girls in the Hood”

Texas’ finest and the new face of Revlon flips the mean beats from Eazy-E’s “Boyz N the Hood” (1987) and makes them hers forever. All Stallion Everything.

Saweetie — “Tap In”

“Tap In” builds off the irresistible beats and bassline from Too $hort’s 2006 hyphy hit “Blow the Whistle” and blows them up for the ladies of today. Her favorite word isn’t exactly the same as his, but we’ll let you listen to that part yourself in the song. We also love how Saweetie’s “Tap In” video ends with a message to “tap in and register to vote!”

Rocky Rivera — “Brown Babies”

After winning a contributing editor position on the MTV 2007 docu-series I’m From Rolling Stone, Krishtine de Leon has since made waves as a youth educator and as rapper Rocky Rivera. “Brown Babies” (2013) is just one dope slice of her work.

Ruby Ibarra — “Brown Out”

The rapper and scientist (who is working on a COVID-19 vaccine!) describes the pain and struggle of assimilation on the emotional “Brown Out” (2017). Look for a new album soon.

Gina Madrid — “Dame la Mano”

The Oakland artist and activist (formerly known as Raw-G) saved her most impactful, unifying work for her own name in 2020.

Madame Gandhi — “The Future Is Female”

Going to go ahead and guarantee that no other Harvard MBA makes such powerful and prescient beats and lyrics. 

Mona Haydar — “Hijabi”

Like “The Future Is Female,” Mona Haydar’s groundbreaking 2017 song “Hijabi” is one of the many sparkling gems to discover in the epic six-plus hour We Are Supermajority playlist on Spotify. 

Cardi B + Megan Thee Stallion — “WAP” (Teemoney’s Dry Ass Mix)

I seized the chance to showcase Cardi B’s political savvy by sampling her thoughts on the power of voting over the instrumental version of this song.

“When I say voting, I’m not only talking about the president,” she said on Instagram Live on May 29. “We can vote for mayors, we can vote for judges, and we can also vote for DAs — district attorneys. We can vote for these people in our counties, we sure can!” 

Beyoncé — “Black Parade”

This mix needed Bey and the boom of her big bass, and “Black Parade” (taken from her recent album The Lion King: The Gift) more than delivers in its Afrocentric beauty.

Rapsody + Queen Latifah — “Hatshepsut”

If you haven’t heard this royally tight 2019 collaboration between North Carolina rapper Rapsody and the almighty Queen, it’s time to put it up on several pedestals.

Ruthie Foster — “Phenomenal Woman”

American blues legend Ruthie Foster sets Maya Angelou’s 1978 poem to music, and it makes the heart sing.

Normani — “Motivation”

This 2019 single remains a teaser for Normani’s upcoming, hotly-anticipated debut album, which we hope drops as a surprise midnight release some time in 2020. We are getting the vibe that it should be more than worth the wait.

Roxanne Shanté — “Independent Woman”

A rapper who deserves many more accolades for her pioneering work than history seems to give her, Roxanne Shanté was still a teenager when she released “Independent Woman” in 1989, but she had wisdom beyond her years.

Salt-N-Pepa — “Expression”

Cheryl “Salt” James wrote and produced 1990’s “Expression,” and it remains one of the most lit songs in the duo’s bright catalog. “Expression is rare/I dare you,” she challenged.

Janet Jackson — “Rhythm Nation”

“Join voices in protest/To social injustice/A generation full of courage/Come forth with me,” Janet Jackson urged way back in 1989, and we still believe in the message (and the choreography). Let’s do this!

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Hear more of Tamara’s DJ work at http://www.teemoney.fm