(or, why "monsuta" by jan Usawi goes so fucking hard)

here is one of my favorite toki pona songs, "monsuta", by jan Usawi. before you continue reading, you should probably have a listen.

youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DVC7iJLgWs

bandcamp:
https://janusawi.bandcamp.com/track/monsuta

all done? good. let me talk about why this song fucking rules.

i think toki pona has a reputation for being a cute sweet language, where everything sounds adorable, and you can only talk about good nice things, and happy emotions, and raccoons.

i know plenty well that's not true- i edit and contribute to a halloween horror zine exclusively in toki pona, after all. but few things demonstrate the falseness of this perception, that toki pona is exclusively soft and sweet, more viscerally than this song.

the way jan Usawi screams, the animalistic feeling in their voice, the distortion, the bass, it grabs you by the senses and pulls you into a hungry, toothy abyss of emotion

even if you don't speak a word of toki pona, you probably felt how powerful this song is. but it's not just the musical performance that's incredible, have a look at the lyrics below (i've provided a translation).