This one is for all the fans of burlesque and contemporary R&B.

London-based rapper, singer, and songwriter, Bree Runway, co-directed her latest music video alongside Lucrecia Taormina for “ATM.” As if her YouTube bio didn’t give us enough to work with, stating “it’s like Lady Gaga and Lil Kim had a love child,” the “ATM” visuals prove this to be true as they salute 2001’s “Moulin Rouge,” produced by Missy Elliott. Only unlike “Moulin Rouge,” Missy is actually on the recorded track itself dropping a verse in the middle of “ATM” and instead of drawing from Mýa, P!nk, and Christina Aguilera’s cabaret notoriety, Bree’s style and costume design resembles that of Lil Kim’s iconic white lingerie. One could say she takes it up a notch gifting viewers with what looks to be a subtle Josephine Baker tribute, also known as the “Black Venus” of her time. Josephine Baker broke transcontinental color barriers and was a vital symbol of Black American culture following the 1920s. You can see watch one of her performances here and can simultaneously do Black women a favor in eliminating the misogynistic idea once and for all that society only recently became sexualized and that women haven’t been sexual beings on the entertainment stage longer than Cardi B’s “WAP” has been around to accidentally reach the ears of a dysfunctional congressman.

Back to Bree Runway and this Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott collaboration – I was particularly excited to see the hip-hop legend support yet another young artist early in their career, such as her feature on Lizzo’s track, “Tempo,” back in 2019. From the 1920s to the 2020s, what can be celebrated is the monumental progress that’s been made for a Black performer to go from having to move away from her home country to a place where her artistry could be expressed freely and risqué performances would be revered and deified, to echoing across regular households and online media in the United States today. I say this because as I write this from my home in Southern California, I can’t help but feel grateful that I came across Bree Runway only because, every now and then, the YouTube algorithm works as a godsend. I fell down the rabbit hole that led to me listening to other incredible tracks such as “Apeshit,” “Gucci” featuring Maliibu Miitch, “What Do I Tell My Friends,” and my favorite song thus far, “All Night.”

Her versatility is demonstrated across her debut EP, titled Be Runway dropped in 2019, followed by a mixtape released last year called 2000and4Eva. Her abilities to rap and sing in equal caliber resemble Azealia Banks, except she’s more grounded, playing with pop vocals, rhymes, and electro. Thanks to her rap over house beats that are reminiscent of the 90s, Bree’s had me listening to “Anna Wintour” on loop again, yes as “problematic” as she is. (Chill out, I listen to Black Sabbath and actual devil worshippers, too.) In that same category, she could also be compared to the dark likes of Rico Nasty, another great unconventional rapper, but with more of what alternative pop should sound like. She’s got rhymes like Missy – approved by Missy – and if you heard the track “Gucci” you would see that if Desiigner’s “Panda” had a femme twin, this song would be it. Still, all that being said, she’ll have soft moments where she favors Ama Lou and if that isn’t enough for you to give a listen, simply take “ATM” as a visual treat and start from there.

2020 gave us artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, City Girls, Cardi B, Lizzo, Saweetie, and Chloe x Halle who topped the charts and made it loud and clear that this is the start of an era in which the refreshing art created by Black women would dominate popular music. Their declaration of raw talent and multiskilled productions have foreshadowed what I believe is going to be a long decade of outpouring success for these women bending genres to their will and staying at the forefront of entertainment as 2021 is showing to be no different with artists like Bree Runway taking their turn at the spotlight.

Watch Bree Runway and Missy Elliott’s video for “ATM” below.