Dope Saint Jude

Dope Saint Jude was born in and grew up in Elsies River, a working class colored neighborhood located on Cape Town's flats in South Africa. She taught herself the guitar at the age of 12 and began writing poetry to accompany her music. She later went into her own brand of hip hop, which has been described as a soundtrack for feminist inclusivity, acceptance and empowerment. She has been noted for bringing a "queer" edge to the hip hop scene.{{cite web |last=Shumba |first=Ano |date=2018-11-08 |title=SA's Dope Saint Jude gets featured on Apple Music |url=https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/sas-dope-saint-jude-gets-featured-apple-music |accessdate=2 October 2021 |work=musicinafrica.net}}

She began her career in 2011, performing as Saint Dude, a drag king. At this time, she started South Africa's first documented drag king troupe. In 2013, Saint Jude left the troupe to pursue a career as a solo performer.{{cite web|url=https://africasacountry.com/2015/03/dope-saint-jude-messes-with-cape-towns-head|title=Dope Saint Jude messes with Cape Town's head|work=africasacountry.com|accessdate=2 October 2021}}

She released the vogue song and accompanying music video "Keep In Touch" featuring Angel-Ho in 2015. In an interview she stated that she produced the song in 2014 using an Eminem sample kit.{{cite web |url=https://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/keep-touch-dope-saint-jude-featuring-angel-ho |title="Keep In Touch" by Dope Saint Jude featuring Angel-Ho |author=Mazaza, Shiba |date=13 March 2015 |access-date=23 June 2024 |website=Design Indaba}}

In 2016, she collaborated with M.I.A. to be part of H&M’s awareness-raising campaign video for world recycle week.{{cite web|url=https://www.okayafrica.com/dope-saint-jude-reimagine/|title=Dope Saint Jude Has a Right To Flex|work=okayafrica.com|accessdate=2 October 2021}} In July 2016, Saint Jude released her self-produced debut EP, Reimagine.{{cite web|url=https://mg.co.za/article/2016-08-01-00-rapper-dope-saint-jude-has-found-her-cause-its-reimagined-and-redefined/|title=Rapper Dope Saint Jude has found her cause — it's reimagined and redefined|work=mg.co.za|date=August 2016 |accessdate=2 October 2021}} In 2017, she was featured on the Jlin album, Black Origami.{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/78jdjg/jlin-black-origami-album-announcement|title=Jlin Announces Her Hugely Anticipated Sophomore Album|work=vice.com|date=14 March 2017 |accessdate=2 October 2021}}

She has performed at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in 2017,{{cite web|url=https://www.iol.co.za/entertainment/music/local/dope-saint-jude-from-elsies-river-to-jazz-fest-8401931|title=Dope Saint Jude: From Elsies River to jazz fest|work=iol.co.za|accessdate=2 October 2021}} Stanford University in 2017{{cite web|url=https://www.news24.com/channel/the-juice/news/watch-dope-saint-jude-performs-at-standford-university-in-california-20170530|title=WATCH: Dope Saint Jude performs at Stanford University in California|work=news24.com|accessdate=2 October 2021}} and Afropunk Festival Johannesburg in 2018.{{cite web|url=https://afropunk.com/2016/02/feature-queer-south-african-artists-dope-saint-jude-and-angel-ho-join-the-cape-town-electronic-music-festival-line-up/|title=QUEER SOUTH AFRICAN ARTISTS DOPE SAINT JUDE AND ANGEL-HO JOIN THE CAPE TOWN ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL LINE-UP|work=afropunk.com|date=February 2016 |accessdate=2 October 2021}}

In November 2018, she released her second EP, Resilient.{{cite web|url=https://www.okayafrica.com/dope-saint-jude-liddy-music-video/|title=Watch Dope Saint Jude And Her Friends Living Their Best Lives in The Music Video For 'Liddy'|work=okayafrica.com|accessdate=2 October 2021}} The lead single, "Grrrl Like" was released in October 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.news24.com/channel/music/news/dope-saint-jude-just-released-another-punch-you-in-the-gut-anthem-20180923|title=Dope Saint Jude just released another punch-you-in-the-gut anthem|work=news24.com|accessdate=2 October 2021}} The song been used for the Apple TV show Dickinson,{{cite web|url=https://www.news24.com/channel/music/news/south-african-musician-dope-st-judes-track-used-in-trailer-for-new-apple-tv-show-20191021|title=South African musician Dope St Jude's track used in trailer for new Apple TV show|work=news24.com|accessdate=2 October 2021}} the anime Netflix show Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, car manufacturer's advert, in the trailer of Netflix’s South African original series, Blood & Water,{{cite web|url=https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/lifestyle/uk-based-cape-queer-muso-gains-local-fame-50013229|title=UK-based Cape queer muso gains local fame|work=iol.co.za|accessdate=2 October 2021}} and in the movie Nimona adapted from the graphic novel of the same name.{{Cite web |title='Nimona' review: A fantasy adventure with riot-grrrl energy |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/movies/2023/06/29/nimona-review-a-fantasy-adventure-with-riot-grrrl-energy/70368513007/ |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=The Detroit News |language=en-US}}

In April 2022, she released her third EP, Higher Self.{{cite web|url= https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/encore/20220405-south-african-rapper-dope-saint-jude-on-her-new-ep-higher-self |title= South African rapper Dope Saint Jude on her new EP 'Higher Self' |work=france24.com |date= 5 April 2022 |accessdate=20 July 2022}}

Much of Dope Saint Jude's music has tackled issues of social justice, specifically LGBTQ and women's rights. As a queer woman of color, Dope Saint Jude channels her personal experience into her work. By highlighting her identity through her work, Pretorius is able to bring attention to underrepresented issues and demographics in South African society.

In her music videos such as "Girl Like", "Keep In Touch", and "Alphas", Dope Saint Jude features elements of South African queer culture through the gender nonconforming wardrobe choices and of her background dancers as well as her use of Gayle. Pretorius' inclusion of translative subtitles for the Gayle dialogue in her video "Keep In Touch" allows the queer culture that she is shedding light on to be more accessible to a general audience. {{Cite journal |last=Haupt |first=Adam |date=2016-08-31 |title=Queering Hip-Hop, Queering the City: Dope Saint Jude's Transformative Politics |url=https://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/1125 |journal=M/C Journal |language=en |volume=19 |issue=4 |doi=10.5204/mcj.1125 |issn=1441-2616|doi-access=free }}

In her song “Brown Baas,” Pretorius addresses the racism in post apartheid South Africa. With lines like “I’m representing the voiceless and don’t you ever forget it / I’ve got power and passion and I don’t need to defend it”, “they keep us in chains while they keep on building their towers” and, “do you know what it’s like to be brown for a girl like me?” she presents herself as a spokesperson for the contemporary racial issues existing in South Africa.

• Reimagine (2016)
• Resilient (2018)
• Higher Self (2022)

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• {{official website|www.dopesaintjude.com}}
• {{MusicBrainz artist|64103b07-df5d-45ae-93dc-48efc594b878}}

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Category:Lesbian singers

Category:Lesbian songwriters

Category:Lesbian rappers

Category:Living people

Category:Musicians from Cape Town

Category:South African women rappers

Category:South African women singer-songwriters

Category:South African lesbian musicians

Category:South African hip-hop musicians

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:South African record producers

Category:South African women record producers

Category:English-language singers from South Africa