Shawna Potter of War on Women and Old City Sample Pennywise’s “Society” in Mosh-Worthy New Video for “Class Act”

Sampling Pennywise’s 1997 crowd-rouser “Society,” Old City has released a new single called “Class Act,” bringing in the expertise of Shawna Potter of the feminist hardcore punk band War on Women. The song also features backing vocals from Melissa ‘Winter’ Hurley of BadXMouth and Pissbath, and Nastya Pavlov of Messed Up! The track calls “Miss Badass to the front of the class,” to sing praise for strong, independent and loud women.

Buffalo rapper Tr38cho begins the track, flexing his lyrical dexterity through bars about a “totally rad” woman with “a loaded clip in the slip of her tongue” and no problem calling you a “bitch if you pull out a gun.” He dives in, presenting clever lines like “Pucker up for a fist to the face” and “Put a middle finger in the face of a chauvinist.” 

Potter’s spirited vocals take over the hook to let listeners know that “it doesn’t matter where or when,” Miss Badass is “always down to start some real shit.” She goes on to describe her “climbing up the PA stack” and “throwing down in the middle of a breakdown.”

Watch the video for “Class Act” here:

She takes an intermission around the halfway mark to empower those who “don’t normally get to dance” to “Take up space tonight.” The War on Women singer doesn’t shy away from telling those accustomed to doing so to, “Get the fuck to the back.”

Fiery backing vocals provided by Hurley and Pavlov are peppered around the track, solidifying the unapologetic tone of the single and weaving the spirit of punk rock through its entirety.

The song’s spirited music video shines a light on notable women of rock, featuring segments of performances by artists like Bikini Kill, Cyndi Lauper, and obviously, Potter herself.

Known for making the worlds of punk rock and hip hop collide, Old City collaborated with LA rapper MURS in February to sample Black Flag’s “Six Pack” in a single called “Sixers.” The track features an accompanying music video set in a punk house that brings animated sketches of the performers to life. 

Previously, Old City has sampled Dead Kennedys’ classics “Too Drunk To Fuck” and “Police Truck,” in their singles “Jump Off” and “Pipebomb.” The group also sampled Green Day in their song “Get Sued.”