Get a double dose of dopeness with Aint Afraid! Detroit-based Twin sisters Sakinah (Straingth) & Zakiyyah (Wizdumb) Rahman make their presence known through positive and honest messages from their music. Singing since the age of two, both sisters collaborate to share their gift with the world while also showing off some much-needed melanated Muslim representation. Influenced by the likes of Beyoncé and Lauren Hill, you can, without a doubt, admire the R&B and grace in their music and demeanor alike. Although they pull music influences, their fashion is 100% Aint Afraid; Sakinah and Zakiyyah pride themselves on their brilliant and authentic fashion taste, proven by Aint Afraid's sewing skills, one of their many talents picked up during lockdown.

In their latest album, which happens to be their debut, they provide 11 impressive tracks, some titled "Smile Today," "Somebody Loves You," and "Grow,"; All songs showcase their ability to spread harmony with a soulful and fun twist. All music from the album is streamable on Spotify, so Jejune urges you to check it out!

You think Aint Afraid can't get any cooler? Think Again! Sakinah and Zakiyyah are heavy advocates for education in the Gambia and even helped raise funds to build an all-girls school for students. Ain't Afraid uplifts the audience through their music and in their community alike. This is why Jejune is so excited for the sisters to be this month's cover! If you wish to learn more about Aint Afraid's music, their unique stage names, and all the fantastic humanitarian work they have done so far, please continue reading below.

Where are you based?
Metro Detroit area.

How did you both know singing was a passion of yours? When did you start?
Singing came naturally to us since we were as young as two, because it was our way of expressing ourselves. Singing and musical expression is part of our DNA. It is a peaceful creative escape, where we get to serve ourselves and the world.

Your band brings much-needed Muslim Black Women representation to the forefront of music. Were there any obstacles to getting to where you were now
We've had many of the same obstacles faced by any new artists starting out however as Black Muslim Women we've had to commit to show people this isn't a phase, we are really that deal, and we are here to stay. As obstacles present themselves, we're like, Peep Our Name!!! For Aint Afraid, challenges fuels us even more, and make us work that much harder.

Amazingly, you came together as sisters to make such an empowering multi-talented girl group. Your stage names include Straingth (Sakinah) and Wizdumb (Zakiyyah). How did you come up with those fantastic names?
Our mother came up with the name WiZdumb as a stage name for me (Zakiyyah). She’s always been gifted with words. In that same conversation, Sakinah was inspired to think of one for herself. And she came up with Straingth.

These stage names are oxymorons. They contradict each other. Wisdom and Dumb. Strength and Strain. It’s like, you can’t have one without the other. You can’t grow wise without ignorant/dumb moments. You can’t know true strength until you've strained through weak moments and needed to find balance. Because we are in a constant state of growth we identify as both; wise yet still learning and strong but human.

What is it like being twins in the industry? Are you always on the same page musically?
Being twins in the industry is awesome because you get to work with your bestfriend and someone you can trust. Amazingly, we are always on the same page musically. It typically goes like this: One of us is inspired and shares an idea of a song or has a draft of something ready to present. The other along with our mom helps to add or enhance the idea/piece. It’s always beautiful to see the elevation.

Who are some musical influences or idols?
We are inspired by many musical beings. Some that heavily influence us are:
Lauryn Hill for her message and skills
Beyonce for her work ethic and creativity
J. Cole for his authenticity and skill

Outside of these 3, we have huge love for many different songs or musical projects. We really find appreciation for all kinds of music.

Hip-hop, pop, and soul are most visible in your work! What genre do you gravitate towards the most?
We just make music. We don’t care for categories AT ALL! Clearly haha. We create whatever is in our hearts. Last Album may have felt more hip-hop, pop, and soul. You never know it may turn into jazz and r&b real quick. We just want to make good music, and create space for others to enjoy it as well.

Your official debut was on June 24th, 2020. What was your evolution like from that start date to now? Are there any lessons learned that you would like to share about the Industry?
Oh yeah, those first couple singles, we were in the studio on Monday and dropping the song on Friday, the same week. We had no idea that we were moving fast, since making music comes so natural for us. We've had to learn to slow down, keep listening to the song and see what we can add, take out, etc.

We also didn’t have much experience with recording music. Since that time we have learned more about creating melodies, different recording styles, and different things you can do with mixing.

Being independent artists, there is a lot of music business you have to know if you want to be successful with this. Our mother is very helpful with that. She manages us and the business side, and we are so grateful.

It was very hard not to notice how incredible your fashion tastes are! What or who are your influences?
Fashion wise we have NO influences. Everything you see is Aint Afraid only. All of our life we have been fashionably inclined. Y’all just don’t know. These fashion games where you make outfits online….. we were on those daily. We would take items from our closet and repurpose them before we even knew the term repurposing at nine years old. During the pandemic, we picked up a sewing machine, watched some youtube videos, and started making full on outfits. Of course we love to see the amazing fashion of designers and stylists all over the world, and I can see us sitting at the same tables with them one day as well.

Your debut Album has such positives and uplifting undertones. Can you tell us the process of writing a song like “Smile Today”?
Smile today was first created when we were in the car, and Zakiyyah was looking outside the window and she said simply “I hope you smile today”. A lot of times we get random lines/lyrics that pop into our heads and we know instantly that we want to turn it into a song. She came home and shared the first few lines with me (Sakinah) and the lyrics just flowed out for us from there. We knew we wanted to address mental health, validating our listeners feelings and emotions, while also uplifting the listener and encouraging them to smile. The chorus was from Sakinah, who made that on another day, had nothing to do with Smile Today but we combined them together to make one song, and it worked.

What is it like having millions of streams on Spotify? Do you feel like your hard work has paid off with the recognition?
It’s honestly a blessing. As independent artists, we don’t have any major promotion and marketing backing us. So being able to say we have millions of streams across platforms is a blessing. People want to hear what we have to say, they can relate, and are inspired by our work. We are grateful. These are the reasons why we continue to share our music with the world.

Your music video “Rover and Benz” is fresh and insightful. What was the experience filming that video? Was it as fun as it looks?
It was really fun. The core message of our song is contentment, so we wanted to represent what that looks like. For us, that's having pure joy, strength, and authenticity in whatever space you're in, and making the most out of “nothing” — we were in a warehouse filled with just that, nothing yet so satisfying.

“Always There” just came out! Can you tell us a bit about this song and what inspired it?
Always There is about releasing and expressing the frustration of always giving and hardly ever receiving from others. We are givers, and a lot of times in the past we found ourselves giving so much of ourselves to others, and when it came time to us, we didn't receive the same support. We had to learn that being treated that way wasn’t right, and we had to change the way we showed up for others. We’re just recently learning this and grateful to have the ability to relay it lyrically, where people can relate to it and appreciate the message.

Besides working in the music industry, you both participate in humanitarian work. You recently worked with Launch Good to build a school in The Gambia! Can you please tell us your role as a partner and what Launch Goods Mission is? What inspired you to get involved in this project?
Through Launch Good, we worked with an organization called The Spot Project to build a girls school in The Gambia. They had already built a school for the boys in the community and they reached out to us to be one of those who helped raise funds to build a school for the girls. It is important to us to hold, create, and elevate spaces for young girls and women. We were honored to be apart of such a fulfilling project. Giving back is a big part of who we are, and we understand the importance of education and how it can inspire minds and shape communities. Launch Good shares the same values and passions.

Why is what you do so important? How do you suggest we target other issues like the ones in The Gambia?
What we do is so important because we're creating safe spaces, connecting with people, and empowering others. We’re not just telling our stories, we’re telling the stories of those who look like and relate to us. There aren't better narrators than the characters that lived the story. We have to take control of our OWN narratives. Otherwise people will try to write our destiny. We’re just not having that. Tell me, that ain’t important…

Aint Afraid is here to say it all without fear or apologies just passion and a commitment to bring goodness into the world.

Do you believe social media is a sound method of activism?
We believe social media is a sound medium for advocacy. Which is very different from activism. Social media can play as a strong medium to invite people to action like petitions, directing people to online resources or contacts to reach out to etc. Those are just posts though. Real activism is behind the scenes and behind the cameras. Activists use social media to expand their platform and reach people.

In short, social media can be a useful tool for activism, but the bulk of activist work is not represented with any post or story.

Last year you ladies filmed a free consulting center commercial. What is the importance of consulting?
Everyone needs to hold safe spaces for themselves which can look differently for everyone. Self care is a priority that we should not take lightly or allow anyone to take away from us. Some ways of self care can include meditation, journaling, hobbies, exercising, reading, listening to good music, being comfortable around people, or being comfortable alone, are all important and contribute to our mental health. With so much going on in our lives and in the world, we felt compelled to highlight the importance of reaching out for help. With consulting, you get to hold a safe space for yourself with the support of someone who knows how to help you work through your thoughts and emotions, whether positive, negative, or confusing. Many times you may leave knowing more about yourself, and learn how to see and approach things differently.

Mental health is a major issue these days. Do you have any advice for anyone struggling?
We have a piece called Somebody Loves you, and it repeats “Somebody loves you because you are somebody”, and That first somebody should be yourself. We know mental wellness is a journey for everyone, and we pray our words can help uplift people on that journey. If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental wellness, call 800 273 8255 .

How do you cope with such a fast-paced career in the music industry?
It’s still confusing. Our life is like a spinning top. Some weeks are all over the place and then others are more chill and we get time to focus on ourselves and new music. It’s no getting used to, but the thrill is amazing. We work 24/7 and we love what we do, so it feels amazing most of the time. The time commitment can be taxing; so, recently we’ve started to respect most of our weekends and set boundaries.

What hope do you have, either professionally or personally, for this new year?
Growth in all ways: Musically, spiritually, financially, the whole nine, lol. We are looking forward to connecting with the fans and grow our community of Aint Afraid.

How are you staying positive during the pandemic?
We’re pouring ourselves in our music and spending time with family.

What is your motto in life?
We try to come up with a new mantra every year. In the last three years we’ve done “Us First” “Be a Doer” and this year’s mantra is “Growth”.

To learn more about Aint Afraid, please follow them via the platforms below:
Instagram: @aint.afraid
Youtube: Aint Afraid
Tiktok: @aintafraid
Spotify: Aint Afraid
Twitter: @aint_afraid
Facebook: Aint Afraid Era

Team Credits:
Photographer: Vince Trupsin
Stylist: Marie Ester Dor
Make-up: Heather- Rae Bang at The Rex Agency
Stylist Assistant: Monét Cardenas
Make-up Assistant: Chloe Schlossman

COVER - Double Dose Of Dopeness - Aint Afraid