Checkpoint Theatre’s Thick Beats For Good Girls: Breaking Down Social Constructs With Hip Hop

Checkpoint Theatre, Drama Centre Black Box with beats visualised as neon lights,

Blinking and vibing.

Pooja Nansi and Jessica Bellamy enters the black box stage,

Proudly occupying the theatre’s sacred space.

Dressed to the nines, comfort over sell-out style,

You’d better listen because they have something to talk to you about.

 

This is Thick Beats For Good Girls,

Talking about important sh*t.

With hip hop and beat drops,

Everyone don’t be shy and merely eavesdrop.

Join in the strong women with their words and their sick rhyme,

With Huzir Sulaiman, the director and partner-in-crime.

 

Let’s just put it out there that this is rated R18,

NRICs and student passes in check.

Though it’s weird that once on free-to-air TV,

We’re all told only small spaces are needed for sex.

What’s with the selective censorship, no one knows,

But this piece of theatre’s here to stay, so here goes.

 

Womenhood,

Real life experience and not a lecture from an ignorant dude.

Why are vaginas underrated,

When it is always being debated?

In culture to religion to parliament back home,

Always being told what to do for it’s ticking down like a metronome.

 

Then Nansi and Bellamy killed it,

With their freestyle dance and rapping to the greats.

This is still a performance, so they entertain while they educate.

I felt their energy, grooving to the songs played,

While feeling my mind keeping up with their rhythm,

Telling the majority that their privilege has overstayed.

 

Being an immigrant, minority and trying to figure out what is good,

No shying away from talking about God or just their neighbourhood.

Though the consistent restarting of different parts can be a little tiring,

They made it up with humour and great comic timing.

With flow in their words and navigating bright lights,

There’s a sharing of freedom and learned wisdom all through the night.

 

All the thoughts and their feelings bared,

We journeyed through places with them, no need for airfare.

Be it the colourful set and lights by Petrina Dawn Tan or the stories that histories are made of,

The sense of hope, change accompany their generous love,

For a world still learning and the elusive forces above.

After all, no one has the answers and that’s not always important,

It is about listening to the voices and being open to discussion.

 

And this is only a part of Thick Beats For Good Girls,

Let curiosity drive you and your eagerness to listen.

Shah Tahir to take over your playlist, and the assistant directors

Adib Kosnan, Anthea Julia Chua and Jirasiri Techalapanarasme

To guide, and for the women to take the space they deserve

To tell stories worth telling again, and again.

 

Until the whole world stops.

Mic drop.

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Photo courtesy of Checkpoint Theatre. Photo credit: Crispian Chan.

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