How Tokischa Became a Dominican Feminist Icon

Soy Demasiado, a special edition for Juntos, celebrates Latinas who reclaim what it means to be “too much.” Read the stories here.

As far as we’ve come when it comes to feminism and sexual empowerment, society still has a long way to go in terms of purity culture and slut shaming. This is especially evident when it comes to music: while most male artists in genres like hip-hop and reggaetón can often get away with sexually explicit lyrics, female artists still find themselves having to do so. defending owning their sexuality. This applies to Dominican dembow star Tokischa (born Tokischa Altagracia Peralta), who nevertheless speaks her truth.

Tokischawho has been making a name for herself in the male-dominated dembow and música urbano space since 2018, is known for her wildly sexually explicit lyrics, in which she raps about everything from her literal carnal pleasures to her bisexuality and her years as a sex partner. employee in the Dominican Republic. The 28-year-old has always been criticized, and when the rapper is told that she is ‘too much’, he has experienced this from a young age.

“I’ve heard that since I was a little kid: ‘You’re ‘too much. Tu si jodes. Que tú quiere?’ I think one of the first times I heard that was when I was a little girl and I didn’t want to wear a bra,” Tokischa says. “You know, when you grow up in the ‘hood, you don’t have access to stuff, to clothes that are done right. So back in the day, the bras that people bought for me were these bras that had these crazy underwires under the boobs.”

Even at thirteen or fourteen, Tokischa couldn’t understand why she had to put aside her comfort to be less sexually attractive to men. “I would walk outside the house and the grown men standing in the corners would say, ‘Oh look at those little titties, you’re going to poke my eyes.’ For a little girl, that’s oppression.” And those memories stuck with her: “Those little things started to create a rebellious energy in me,” she says.

That’s how Tokischa’s started frustration with machismomisogyny and the double standards women face regarding their bodies and sexuality – especially in the Dominican Republic. It also sparked her journey to find the courage to speak her truth and unapologetically present herself and her body on her own terms, regardless of what anyone had to say about it.

“That’s why my mother always told me to always learn English. Learn the language so that you can get a good job when you’re 18, so that you can work and be independent,” she says. “That’s a word my mother and one of my aunts taught me. They always told me, ‘Be independent so you don’t have to depend on your father. You don’t have to depend on the man so you can be and have your own space and live in your own world”.

But even after learning English and earning her own money, Tokischa found that people would still think she was “too much” wherever she went. “I was still too much because I had big dreams (now). Even in relationships, I was too much because I loved so deeply, so dramatically and so emotionally,” she says. “Of course I’m a Pisces. I’ll always be too much.”

Building her ‘feminine power’

Even before she took up music, Tokischa knew deep down that she was different and that she was meant to live her life her way – rather than following the rules. It’s something her mother — who lived in New York City and worked as a housekeeper in search of a better life for most of Tokischa’s childhood — would constantly remind her. Tokischa’s mother moved to the United States when the artist was only three. But they remained close and communicated constantly by phone. Her mother emailed her fashion magazines along with English books, letting her know how different and more liberating life in the United States was compared to life on the small island of the Dominican Republic.

“She always said to me, ‘I gave you this name Tokischa.’ No one has this name… I gave you this name because you are unique. You are not like anyone else – you are very special. “When my mother told me that, I really started to believe it,” she says.

Years later, Tokischa has become a feminist icon, especially for Latinas and Dominican women. She has collaborated with numerous artists including J Balvin, Rosalia, Young Miko, Villano Antillanoand Marshmellow, and recently collaborated with Venezuelan singer and superstar Arca on the song “Chama,” along with a music video in which both artists appear pregnant.

Songs like “Tukuntazo” and her anthem “Yo No Me Voy Acostar” highlight her bisexuality, while songs like the popular “Delinquente” and her viral remix track with Madonna “Hung Up On Tokischa” have sparked backlash and controversy, with Dominican conservatives on the On the one hand, they have criticized her for her sexual explicitness, while young progressives have accused her of perpetuating misogyny and exploiting herself. In 2022, Tokischa was forced to do so by a court in the Dominican Republic make a public apology and paying a municipal fine for posting risqué photos of herself posing in front of a religious mural of the Virgin of Altagracia in Providence La Vega.

“It was meant to be a message – a spiritual message. The message behind it was that even though I’m a whore – I’m from the streets, I’m ghetto, I’m mean – I still pray. have faith,” she says. “That was the message. That was the intention. That was the message behind it and it became an offensive thing across the country and that wasn’t even the point. You all made it offensive but that’s what they usually do. They positive turning things into something negative. Then they had to close the Virgin. Every time I drive by that path I think, ‘Yes, I did that.’

That same fall, Tokischa attended the Billboard Latin Music Awards wearing a full-size vagina costume, calling herself La Santa Popola (Saint Vagina). Popola, a Dominican slang word for vagina and considered vulgar by many, is a word that Tokischa has reclaimed and made part of her brand. Her 2022-2023 tour was called the Popola US tour, and at one point she rocked a small popola in the middle of her grillz. It’s a word she wants Dominican women to be less ashamed of.

“It’s a feminine energy. It’s like perra. It’s feminine energy, a woman with power… we all come from a popola, you know? If you look at it from the first person perspective, you will sexualize It’s pussy You’ll say, ‘Oh, it’s pussy,'” she says “But if you step back and actually look at the context behind it and deep down, it’s an energy. It’s a statement. It’s a feeling.”

The word perra literally means a female dog, but is used in slang as the English word ‘bitch’. Tokischa faced a lot of backlash for her in 2021 controversial “Perra” music video featuring J Balvinwhich was ultimately the case removed from YouTube.

“Popola and perra are two words I use a lot in my music and in my branding because they are related,” she says. “It’s the feminine power. It’s feminine energy. It’s the mother energy.”

Looking forward and giving back

When she was 18, Tokischa started sex work to earn a living. She has been open about pursuing “sugar daddy” relationships with older men to make ends meet before teaming up with photographer and director Raymi Paulus, who helped her pave a path for her music career (which eventually led her to sex work and could leave drugs behind). . She is also unapologetic about how she managed to survive the coronavirus pandemic with income she generated through her OnlyFans page, where she posts sexually explicit content of herself.

“I will be forever grateful to OnlyFans. Before I had OnlyFans, I had a sugar daddy and had to be with this man who I didn’t like, who I didn’t want to touch. But I still needed bread so I could invest in my career,” she says. “And when I started OnlyFans, I didn’t have to touch anyone. I didn’t need to see who was watching my videos. I didn’t care. I just got my money and invested my money to become my dreams or reality.”

That’s why Tokischa wants to support other women who may find themselves in similar situations, “while you’re just trying to discover life and need money,” as she puts it. “I want to help women who have been in prison. I want to support that community that is left out and forgotten.”

Among a few other projects, she is launching a new foundation called Sol, the same name as her new record label. Tokischa was inspired to start it after meeting a Dominican woman who she learned had accidentally gone to prison. Although the woman says she was innocent of the crime for which she was convicted, she still had to serve two years in prison. The artist found her on Instagram and recently took her as a plus one to a fashion show in the Dominican Republic. She also supports a non-profit organization called Hogar Crea in the DR, which focuses on preventing and treating people struggling with substance abuse.

“I want to reach out and help these communities because these are forgotten communities. No one cares about these communities and these people and they are the people who need the most help,” she says. “I come from prostitution, I come from a drug addiction, I come from the streets. If I had had knowledge about it earlier, support and care, I might have taken a different path.”

In addition, Tokischa also provided support Fundación Diversidad Dominicanaa non-profit organization supporting Dominican LGBTQ+ communities Casas de Acogida facesa non-profit organization that provides support to women who have recently undergone breast cancer surgery.

As she works towards releasing her first full-length album, Tokischa wants people to see her as more than just her lyrics and fearless personality. As she says, “There’s so much more about me that people don’t know… I’m a very empathetic person, you know? I care a lot about different communities. I care about my environment.”

“I am growing into a conscious woman, and the way I have shaped my career in recent years has turned me into a wild girl, a crazy badass,” Tokischa continues. “And I feel like that’s the image the world has of me right now. My first album is going to show a (different) side of me, but deeper, with a lot more feeling and a lot more emotion. Because if People talk about Tokischa, they talk about this wild rebel – but there is so much more emotion.”

Johanna Ferreira is the content director for PS Juntos. With over 10 years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central part of Latin culture. Previously, she spent nearly three years as deputy editor at HipLatina, and has freelanced for numerous media outlets, including Refinery29, Oprah magazine, Allure, InStyle and Well+Good. She has also moderated and spoken on numerous panels on Latin identity.