Dope Saint Jude (Catherine Saint Jude Pretorius) is a South African, Cape Town born and raised artist, currently residing in London. She began rapping as drag king in Cape Town, starting Africa’s first documented drag king troupe in 2011. She soon taught herself music production and transitioned into making her own music under the moniker, Dope Saint Jude.
Her first release was Hit Politik in 2015, followed by Golden Ratio soon after. In 2016, Saint Jude released her first self-produced EP, Reimagine, to Soundcloud. Okay Africa’s Sabelo Mkhabela called it “a tapestry of emotions – it’s the story of someone living – going through things, spending time with loved ones, getting pissed off by some things and celebrating wins.” Saint Jude’s work, heavily focused on the queer South African experience, has been taught in schools and universities around the world, with music scholar, Professor Adam Haupt crediting her for “transforming South African hip hop by queering a genre that has predominantly been male and heteronormative”.
Two days after the release of Reimagine, Saint Jude lost her mom suddenly, which deeply impacted her musical direction. She did not release any work during this time and instead focused on introspection, mental health and spirituality. In 2018, she released Resilient, an ode to her mother and the resilience it took to overcome this very tragic loss. Grrrl Like (prod. Pete Boxsta Martin), which begins fittingly with lyrics “I’m like my mama” was positively received. The Resilient EP introduced a more polished sound for Saint Jude, with an introspective approach exploring topics such as self-love, empowerment and understanding of queer identity.
By 2019, Dope Saint Jude had established herself as an artistic force to be reckoned with and embarked on her first tour performing in over 50 shows in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Portugal and UK, including Printemps de Bourges, Dour Festival and the Fête de l’Humanité in 2019. Dope Saint Jude is driven by the need to create authentic work that reflects her lived experience. Her musical universe is eclectic, taking influence from artists like Bikini Kill, Mykki Blanco, Kanye West, Alanis Morissette, M.I.A and Santigold. Saint Jude is intent on using music as a tool to make sense of her world, empower herself and as a consequence, empower others. Her focus on joy, self-love and upliftment, have been described by her as a “political act, because the world has told me I am not worthy of these things, and my music is my defiance. I am worthy of all the beauty this world has to offer”.
Her upcoming project, Higher Self, is a mediation on the values by which she governs her life. There is a heavy focus on the honouring of her ancestors (War), on the importance of dreams (You’re Gonna Make It/Higher Self), and on the intimacy and solace of a relationship (Home).
Dope Saint Jude has entered a new artistic era, she has matured and come into her own, and this is reflected in the music.
