South African rapper Nadia Nakai has been teasing fans with snippets and behind-the-scenes shots for her latest video for the hit “Naaa Mean” featuring Cassper Nyovest which she finally released yesterday.
Currently sitting on over 10,000 views, the rapper promised to serve looks with the Studio Space Visuals that were set to accompany one of her latest singles.
ZAlebs got the opportunity to spend a bit of time on set with Nadia last week and we spoke to her about female sexuality, Zodwa Wabantu and the #MeToo and #TimeIsUp movements.
When one thinks Nadia Nakai, “sexy” is the first adjective that comes to mind. Which had us wondering if there are other aspects of Nadia that fans may be missing out on when all they see is that…
“I like the sexy side… I don’t mind them focusing on that” begins Nadia, before adding “I’m a person that is in touch with my femininity and my sexuality. I’m very comfortable in my skin and I’m not afraid to show it.”
Society has not always been kind to women who adopt such a stance and when asked if she has received any backlash for it from the public, Nadia simply says, “people will always have opinions, you can’t please everybody at the end of the day and I know that people will always have some sort of opinion about something and I’m okay with that as long as I’m doing things that make me happy and I’m not changing it because people are saying something.”
The same thing can actually said about Zodwa Wabantu, a socialite who’s overt sexuality is a hot button issue for many South Africans. But when asked her opinion on Zodwa, Nakai simply shakes her head (to say that she’d rather not comment). She opted to do the same when asked for her thoughts on the global #MeToo and #TimeIsUp movements created to raise awareness around sexual harassment.
Moving swiftly along, we take it back to the single, whose title is ebonic slang for the phrase “do you know what I mean?” The opening line of the hook is “pull up in a four-door Audi” and said line is accompanied by visuals of a yellow Audi RS7 with orange smoke billowing out of the windows. It is the followed by the lyrics “spent a milli on my bus and my Audi. Naaa meeeean?
Up until recently, fans (and other rappers) would not have been able to know what Nadia meant by this as the local hip hop industry has only recently become sustainably lucrative.
“I mean look at people like Black Coffee and all the things that he has achieved - the businesses, the cars and all the stuff that he can get and provide for his family based purely on his talent and his passion for music is just inspiring. It’s really great that we’ve gotten to that point and the only way we can go from here is up. I’m very excited about the future...” she adds.
For someone so obsessed with hair and fashion, one would assume that those would pave the way for Nakai’s segue into business ventures like her rap counterparts but the only thing she hinted at venturing into is Nadia Nakai inspired merchandise. Other than that, we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for the Nadia Nakai brand. In the meantime, check out her latest video: