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A common misconception is that people who are deaf can’t listen to music, so they certainly can’t make music, right? This stereotype is not only false but harmful to the Deaf community. This fallacy makes deaf representation in music increasingly important.
Hard-of-hearing artist Deaf Papi, also known as Major Gammill, recently went viral on Instagram and TikTok for making meme music and incorporating American Sign Language into dances on the UT campus.
Gammill says that because of his hearing loss, he considers himself a visual artist.
“I didn’t grow up (learning) sign language,” the UT alumnus said. “I learned sign language because I can be expressive. It makes me unique and stand out because I wasn’t making any progress (with my music) at first.”
Gammill had wanted to be a rapper since he was just 8 years old but didn’t pursue music until six years ago at 19. Inspired by meme rap in 2019, he began to create comedic music.
With the incorporation of humor and ASL, he hopes to spread awareness and break the stigma.
“It could be inspirational to people that have disabilities to go after (their) dreams,” Gammill said. “It makes them unique, so they can be not ashamed of it but accept themselves.”
Representation in music is necessary because people who are deaf often feel unseen and uninvolved in the music scene, especially since some don’t enjoy it traditionally.
Lack of representation is harmful, so increasing representation can help the Deaf community connect and feel more integrated into music spaces.
“(Music) was a very private thing because I felt like I didn’t know if my relationship with music was legit or valid,” digital creator Leila Hanaumi said. “I didn’t know if how I experienced music made sense to other people.”
Hanaumi grew a following on Instagram for spreading deaf awareness on her Instagram account @todayiawaken and making ASL music covers on @hifi_deafie. She is completely deaf.
“We’re starting to realize that music is so much more than just hearing it,” Hanaumi said. “It’s vibration. It’s emotion. It’s language. It’s art. It can become visual, and it can be tactile with beats.”
In relation to ACL this past weekend, Hanaumi is a regular attendee of the festival and appreciates the live interpreters at most shows. While large festivals like ACL are good with accommodations, smaller venues still lack them.
Hard-of-hearing government senior Griffin Lamar said while he enjoys music, concerts are out of his price range, and he would love to see interpreters at more accessible venues like Hole in the Wall.
“When there’s not proper representation, or when there’s no representation at all, our brains tend to interpret that (in) a specific way like, ‘Oh, I unconsciously believe this common misconception about deaf or hard of hearing people,” Lamar said.
Mindlessly believing the misconception that the deaf and hard of hearing communities cannot enjoy music is a misinformed stereotype. Taking the time to understand this community’s experiences with music opens you up to new avenues of musical entertainment.
“Specifically for the musical community, I think not only is representation important in terms of inclusivity, but I think it’s also important because it adds an entire other linguistic element to the music in general,” Lamar said.
Deaf Papi often receives backlash for his content, but it doesn’t discourage him from continuing to follow his dream.
“It took me a while to accept myself, and it wasn’t until I graduated high school when (I finally admitted), ‘Okay, this is who I am, I have hearing aids, so I need to embrace it,’” Gammill said. “But now I love my hearing aids because that’s what makes me Deaf Papi.”
Harrison is a journalism senior from Dallas, Texas.
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