Knowing Your Neighbor: Brinn Gordon A.K.A Octavia Forté

DULUTH, MINN- Superior resident Brinn Gordon is a multi-talented individual. During the day, they’re a bank teller. By night,  they’re a DJ, rapper, and a drag performer. As a child, their family would either sing in choir or play instruments.  They would watch music videos on the Black Entertainment Television and Music Television channels, that’s when they knew there was a love for music.  His rapping journey started, when they would freestyle with their friends any chance they got, but they never thought they would be the rapper they are today.

They first started making music in the Resident Halls in University of Wisconsin- Superior. Gordon says, “We all were just having fun  over at the dorm and I just did a random rap freestyle that a friend recorded and put it on his Facebook of all things in the world.” They went on to say that, they were inspired by a close friend to get out there and keep going.  Since then, Gordon starting performing at shows and DJing at local bars. 

When they’re not DJing, they perform as Octavia Forté during burlesque shows. The first time they performed in drag, Gordon remembered the love and support they got from their drag family.  They taught them how to do hair and makeup; that’s when they felt like they belonged.  When they performed for Homegrown Festival 2025, they had an idea. They said, “If I was going to perform at homegrown this year, it was going to be in drag. I was going to rap in drag.” As one out of few local artist who happens to be black and trans, their advise to people of color and the LGBTQ+ community that “your voice matters and there’s no one like you.” They now look forward to future shows coming up.