In late 2023, rapper and hip hop artist Miss Kaninna made headlines after she vanished from triple j’s airwaves weeks before her contract was due to end. Unbeknownst to her, in the same building a few weeks later, Antoinette Lattouf would face a similar fate. Now, almost three years on — after Lattouf co-founded Ette Media and Miss Kaninna toured with Kneecap — the two meet for the first time and compare notes.
Proud Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali sovereign woman Miss Kaninna describes herself as staunch and not afraid to be political. She says things with her whole “fucking chest”, and we believe her: we saw it first hand when she fearlessly condemned the genocide of Palestine on the triple j airwaves back in 2023.
After playing the track “Love Live Palestine” by British rapper Lowkey while appearing as a guest host on ABC’s triple j hip hop show, Miss Kannina said the following:
“It was a very important track, Long Live Palestine by the brother Lowkey. Now, can you guys believe that this track came out in 2011, right? That's 12 years ago.
Yet somehow, if you listen to that track, every single thing that that brother is talking about, you would think that he wrote it yesterday. Because 12 years later, the genocide, the oppression, and the continued hate towards Palestine people on their indigenous lands is wild.
As an Aboriginal sovereign woman, I stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters of Palestine. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The episode was broadcast on November 24, 2023 just over a month after Israel intensified its attacks on Gaza following October 7. Miss Kaninna had just won 2023 triple j Unearthed Artist of the Year.
Re-listening to the words that marked the end of her radio hosting gig, for a bonus episode of We Used To Be Journos Miss Kaninna simply laughs.
“It's just like, how the fuck am I getting in trouble for saying that, you know?” she tells Lattouf.
“To me it's comical because it's just so, like, duh. When people look in my face and say that's anti-semitic, I'm like, are you fucking dumb, bro?”
The episode was taken down after the ABC received 10 complaints alleging it breached its editorial policy. Miss Kaninna knew that an expression of solidarity with Palestine was going to be perceived as radical at the time, but that was only further incentive to say her piece.
