Quite an exciting time for the South African Hip Hop scene as female rappers are stepping on the paddle to earn some cred and recognition as valuable players in the game.
The last decade gave us only a handful of worthy female rappers who can be listed alongside the dominating male players. The leading female rappers won’t take a moment to list off the top – naming; Nadia Nakai, Rouge, Gigi Lamayne, Moozlie, Fifi Cooper, Boity, Sho Madjozi and … anyone else? Though it is easy to only spot a few on the radar, for now, there is a wave of female rappers opening the doors and heading to significantly contributing to the SA Hip Hop scene.
Will 2020 be a golden year for SA women in rap? Presented with the same barricades and opportunities presented to the male rappers, no one can tell what can happen. The scene is saturated with buzzing multi-talented creatives, male and female, and mainstream can happen for anyone at any time. Regardless, to pop you still have to bring, as it were; talent, driven passion, good associations, and a healthy fanbase.
Below is a list of the female rappers we reckon you should be excited about this year, listed in no particular order. They all bring different personalities sounds, stories, and trends. Feel free to comment below with other artists you think we should check out.
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Megmafia
Megmafia is no stranger to the SA Hip Hop and entertainment scene with a trail that can be traced back to 2012. The 23-year-old rapper, actor and songwriter developed her passion for music at the tender age of 7, joining the choir and entering music competitions.
Megmafia officially made her debut in 2013. The rapper unveiled a radio single dubbed My Baby in September of that year and followed up with a music video in 2014. To date, Megmafia has been nominated at the SA Hip Hop Awards (SAHHA) and presented an award at the auspicious occasion.
Determined to be better than before, Megmafia closed off 2019 with a brand new single dubbed Guess Who. In this song, like with all her other projects, Megmafia made sure to deliver an undisputed amount of intellectual lyrical content. While the femcee has not given much regarding bringing a full-body of work, we hope this year she won’t starve her fans and bring more music.
Indigo Stella
Officially surfacing as the 2010 decade came to an end, 18-year-old Indigo Stella has to be the femcee that SA is glaring upon the most this year. The rapper/ singer, producer, and songwriter brings confident, energetic and well-articulated bars dripping with passion.
Indigo Stella started making music at the age of 14. To date, the creative’s catalog packs four known singles, her mainstream debut mixtape dubbed Indigo and a number of issued features. Certain projects, namely the songs Flexin and Hate Then, a mixtape dubbed Temporary Mess, and a few more are made mention off, however, this music seems to not be available on the internet.
The Mistro Records creative is currently riding the wave from her most recent mixtape, Indigo and its high rotated lead single dubbed Boss Up. The year 2020 will surely be another amazing year for Indigo Stella who we expect to continue fearlessly paving the way for SA Hip Hop.
Dope Saint Jude
The year 2013 gave us the rap kingpin, Dope Saint Jude. Hailing from Cape Town, the 29-year-od Dope Saint Jude is not only a rapper but also a music producer and certified hustler. Dope Saint Jude brings a variation of the norm, drawing her own trail while addressing racial and sexuality topics.
Dope Saint Jude’s catalog enlists her debut solo project titled Reimagine, an EP dubbed Resilient, songs such as Keep In Touch, Hit Politik and a handful more from her inception. The creative is now London-based managed by Ginger Sounds. In 2019, Dope Saint Jude embarked on her first world tour covering France, Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark, and Germany.
Considering that she last dropped new music in 2018, we expect that this year the creative will issue some new project/s. Look out for that.
Dee Koala
Dee Koala is another rapper that got SA Hip Hop exciting in 2019. The Cape Town rapper essentially speaks for herself, taking pride in rapping in her language, repping her hometown and staying edgy. The 21-year-old creative started her music career in 2016 drawn by the power of expression she found in music. Ever since then, Dee Koala is all about Hip Hop culture which is a subject in her most recent offering, 4TheKhaltsha.
In November of 2019, Dee Koala issued her 14 track debut album titled 4TheKhaltsha. A project that the rapper plans to exhaust before she brings any new music. 4TheKhaltsha is growing popular seamlessly due to Dee Koala’s infectious personality. The rapper can attest to having a similar experience when she released her popular singles Koala and Whuzet. Her switch to originality is winning, contrasting to her first English mixtape.
Aiming to become one of the biggest on the land and beyond, Dee Koala delivers raw metaphor-filled bars with a catchy Cape Town original flow. Apart from making major moves with her music, Dee Koala is also an Adidas ambassador.
Patty Monroe
The magical Patty Monroe is another rapper who has seen the hands of time in the SA Hip Hop industry. With a close to 7 years of career in music, Patty Monroe is making her return this year. As some might already be aware of, on the 28th of February we can expect an EP dubbed Fill Ya Cup Vol. 1 from the rapper/ singer and songwriter. Ahead of this release, on the 24 of January Patty Monroe issued the EP’s lead single dubbed Ydbcareless.
The 25-year-old Cape Town-born creative grew into Hip Hop inspired by her brother who was an MC. To date, Patty Monroe’s catalog enlists songs such as; her debut mainstream single High Fashion, Killing It, Malatjie EP from 2018, and more.
Nyota Parker
Ireland-born, half Congolese now South African rapper, Nyota Parker is another creative we should look out for this year. A diverse creative, Nyota Parker brings a combination of Trap, Rap, Soul, and Jazz to deliver her message of not conforming to society and breaking boundaries.
The 19-year-old rapper/singer, songwriter, and storyteller recorded and released her debut single in 2016, followed by her debut experimental mixtape The Age Of Enlightenment, and Purification Project EP. Nyota Parker’s catalog also enlists songs such as Oh My, Viibez and her Energy project from 2019. On the 11th of January this year, the creative issued her first single for the year dubbed Transcend.
Faith K
Relatively new to the scene and already making the list as a powerhouse rapper and singer with a colorful personality is thee Faith K. From the dance studio to the streets, then the recording booth and soon to modeling, Faith K is doing it all. The 24-year-old Johannesburg creative brings a mix of both RnB and Hip Hop jams, proudly making use of English and Tsonga.
Faith K started creating music at the age of 21, releasing her debut single titled Summer Time featuring TRK in 2017. Summer Time was the lead single to the creative’s debut album 7even which was released in 2018. 2019 saw Faith K bringing more new music releasing her debut EP dubbed 20MINETOO. The EP enlists two lead singles, namely Up and Champ featuring pH Raw X. We hope 2020 will be another major year for Faith K.
3Pleb
3Pleb came on the scene with hard lyrics and confident raps back in 2016. As she would go on to attest to in her popular track Thul’Ubheke, the rapper always seems to be up to prove a point whenever she jumps on a joint. Born Busisiwe Soba, the Randfontein creative is driven by her passion for music and motivated by her dreams.
To date, 3Pleb has issued two strong EPs; namely, B.O.T.D and Verification EP. Amongst her career accomplishments, 3Pleb prides in making the HYPE Magazine 2018 Freshmen list. With her growing industry experience, this new decade should be an interesting one for the rapper. We hope she got something in store for us.
Money Badoo
Also relatively new and claiming a spot on this list, Money Badoo is another rapper/ singer and songwriter to grace the South African Hip Hop scene in the last 2 years. As with a few of her confrère on this list, Money Badoo is able to issue sultry vocals while spitting some solid raps with dexterity. The Johannesburg-born and raised 23-year-old creative is unapologetically making a voice for herself and women like her.
Money Badoo’s catalog enlists three known songs; namely, All My Friends, Take Me and RYB. Given her proven confidence and growing popularity, we hope Money Badoo will issue a full-body of work this year.
Hanna
In SA we claim Hanna too !! She is doing the most on the land and definitely deserves a spot here. The 20-year-old, half Zimbabwean and half Ethiopian rapper spits with a purposeful and well-nurtured technique. Currently studying at the University of Cape Town, Hanna is well handling her blooming music career while working towards attaining her electrical and computer engineering qualification.
Hanna’s rise to fame is one based on pure talent doing the things for the host. From getting thumbs up from mainstream folks, the likes of Nasty C, to winning major competitions such as Lift As Your Rise – all is coming together for the creative. The rapper/ singer, producer, and songwriter has given us some good jams since 2018, including songs like Alive, Peace, Nigists and Waves, to name a few.
In the past two years, Hanna has made mention of a mixtape/ EP that she has been working on and intends to release. Hoping that she continues to make the major moves she has been on, we should surely get to hear that music soon.
Astryd Brown
Astryd Brown is a Johannesburg singer/ rapper and songwriter. Straight out of Eldos, Astryd Brown grew to recognition upon collaborating with Mark Stent, Pascal, and Pierce on their electro- Rain (Remixes) EP. Ever since then, the creative has gone to release four of her own singles, namely; Lately featuring Nadia Nakai, Four featuring fellow Playground Productions creative Yung Swiss, Sweet Something featuring Hendrik Joerges and They Know featuring Rouge.
The 29-year-old Astryd Brown is surely one artist we hope to receive a full body of work from this year.
