The punk origins of Santigold
As consumers of music, we are drawn to those who boldly chart their own course in the industry. Among these trailblazers, Santigold stands out as a compelling figure. With a diverse body of work, she consistently embodies a punk ethos that permeates her artistry.
The Philadelphia native has been vocal about her admiration for punk music, often citing hardcore legends Bad Brains as one of her most important influences. Their second album, Rock for Light, played a particularly instrumental role in shaping Santigold’s creative path. Reflecting on her journey, she has remarked that the band’s frontman, H.R., holds a significance in her story comparable to that of Nina Simone.
Discovering the band during her formative years, thanks to her older sister’s fandom and attendance at their gigs, Santigold found a sense of kinship with Bad Brains. Their fusion of genres and refusal to be pigeonholed resonated deeply with her, mirroring her own approach to music. While Santigold’s work may defy easy categorization today, attempting to encapsulate it within genres does not do justice to its depth and complexity.
You don’t need to look far to find a tangible sense of punk in Santigold’s work. Prior to her celebrated efforts as a solo artist, at the beginning of the 21st century, she was the vocalist of the Philly punks, Stiffed, with whom she released the 2003 EP Sex Sells and the 2005 album Burned Again. Both efforts were recorded by Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer, and when she was with the group, she was offered a solo contract by Lizard King Records’ Martin Heath – the label that subsequently released her acclaimed 2008 debut, Santogold.
Years later, when appearing on NPR’s Tiny Desk in November 2022, Santigold would discuss her punk origins again. Her backing band for the performance featured drummer Chuck Treece, whom she had played with in Stiffed. Famously, Treece is also a legendary skateboarder and was the first African-American featured on the cover of Thrasher. He also played in the cult 1980s cult skate punk band McRad. Accordingly, after tearing through 2008’s ‘L.E.S. Artistes’, she praised Treece and credited him with introducing her to Bad Brains, which brings into question her prior statements about her sister.
The highlight of the four-song Tiny Desk performance was that Santigold played the Stiffed song, ‘Ain’t Got Enough’ from Burned Again. Discussing the significance of playing with a band and returning to her punk roots, she said: “Punk rock is very special to me. We’re not doing a full punk set – we’ll do some punk songs – and I just think [punk is] really important right now.”
The ‘High Priestess’ songwriter continued: “The most important thing … about punk is that you make your own rules, right? And I think right now, more than any time in the world – when the systems are broken – we have to be able to make our own rules and make changes; change things that we know aren’t working, and stand up when things are wrong, and scream it out. And that’s what punk music has always done.”
She concluded: “And punk is raw, right? So there’s no social media perfection, this and this and that, like, we need to go back to the truth – and punk was telling the truth. And showing up. I know I’ve got a whole outfit on today, but you know, I was saying [earlier], ‘Man, Chuck, remember? No makeup, no outfit, no hairdo – you just rolled up to your show!’ I missed that so much.”
Listen to Bad Brains’ Rock for Light below.
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