Inka Rantakallio

Background

About Inka Rantakallio

I am an award-winning researcher andeditor, freelancing journalist, public speaker, and DJ with a background in intercultural communication, study of religions, and musicology. I am editor-in-chief at Young Academy Finland's science journal Mene ja tiedä, and co-editor-in-chief at peer-reviewed Musiikki journal. My most recent project (Research Council of Finland, 2021–24) focused on feminist women rappers, gender, race, and whiteness. Recently (2019-2021), I have co-edited three books (in Finnish) on music and/or hip hop studies. My PhD dissertation (2019) focused on the discourses of authenticity, spirituality, and atheism in Finnish underground rap. I lecture on the various aspects of popular music and hip hop culture as well as feminist music research regularly in academic and popular settings. I have also designed and taught four hip hop focused lecture courses (in English/Finnish) dealing with e.g. race, gender, politics and class. I have disseminated my academic knowledge as a co-host of the popular Rap Scholar radio show on Bassoradio (2016-2019) and as a co-host of the podcast Hiphopin salatut stoorit (YleX, 2021). I also work as a freelance journalist, editor, and public speaker. I have written popular texts (interviews, articles, reviews) for a variety of publications dealing with music, popular culture, and feminism and given talks on hip hop culture. In May 2018, I gave a TEDx talk on hip hop feminism. As a DJ (rap, hiphop, r&b, afrobeat), I have my own show on IDA Helsinki internet radio (Motions). I am the co-founder of the DJ collective FWU. I perform regularly at local venues and private events, and previously worked as a tour DJ for the Finnish rap duo Sofa for six years.