The Making of God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It
How rapper / producer Backxwash & engineer Will Owen Bennett crafted the Polaris Music Prize-winning album from a two-bedroom apartment
BY MICHAEL RAINE
PHOTO : MECHANT VAPORWAVE /@ MECHANT _ VAPORWAVE
Ashanti Mutinta ( a . k . a . Backxwash ) & Will Owen Bennett
Since its inception in 2006 , the Polaris Music Prize has largely lived up its goal of rewarding the best Canadian album of the year based on artistic merit without regard to genre , sales history , or label affiliation . It has gone to famed artists like Arcade Fire , Feist , and Buffy Sainte-Marie , as well as under-the-radar indie artists like Kaytranada , Lido Pimienta , Jeremy Dutcher , and Godspeed You ! Black Emperor . Nonetheless , it ’ s satisfying to see an artist like Backxwash ( a . k . a . Ashanti Mutinta ) receive such prestigious recognition . There are few , if any , artists like her at the moment .
On the album God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It , the Zambiaborn , Montreal-based rapper and producer explores her experience as a transgender woman challenging the confines of her religious upbringing . She tackles subjects of faith and identity both powerfully and succinctly with a blend of rhythmic and aggressive vocals , banging beats , and heavy metal samples ( including Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin ). The overall combination is done so masterfully she found a home in both the metal and rap communities , which may be a first ( except for maybe Ice-T ). Metal Hammer hailed it as “ the most important album of 2020 ,” while Exclaim !’ s rave review said the album “ turned hip-hop on its head ” and the magazine later named it the best album of the year .
Incredibly for a record that won Canada ’ s most prestigious music prize , the album is a completely DIY affair . For it , Mutinta co-produced alongside producer / engineer
Will Owen Bennett and they recorded it in the latter ’ s little Montreal apartment . To find out how they made this masterpiece , Professional Sound got Mutinta together with Bennett over Zoom to hear the story behind the making of God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It .
Because of licensing issues with some of the high-profile samples , God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It is not available on the subscription streaming services or iTunes . But you can stream or download it for free at backxwash . bandcamp . com .
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