With South African-based wordsmith Reason having dropped off the original back in the winter, now Zim's very own Dj Naida along with four other female rappers each representing a different African country is here to re-up on "No Sleep."
The remix came about after DJ Naida heard Showlove featuring Motif Records' Reason, No Sleep track fell in love with it and decided to do a female remix featuring some talented rappers from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Female rappers are not given the same platforms or opportunities as their male counterparts and so part of the reason behind doing this remix was to expose female rappers and well as uniting them through music. This is the beginning of many projects to come that will see female MCs from different countries, working together, supporting each other and creating platforms for their music.
Be sure to check out the short bios of each of the artists below and be on the lookout for the remix. Do hit them up on Twitter with your thoughts and requests.
The 20-year-old Ru stands out as a self-made Namibian artist with a very strong following among women and girls aged 15-23. This following has been earned through many years of success after success for the young artist. In addition to winning the best single award at the NAMA awards in 2011, is her international reputation as a unique and creative Namibian talent. Ruusa Namupala, known by her ...stage name Ru CuteGeek, has teamed up with artists as far away as Nigeria and the USA, where she has also released a single and made multiple media appearances.
Ru is a lifelong resident of Windhoek and has been making music for almost a decade despite her youth. With her passion and creativity, Ru is sure to bring her fans along wherever she goes.
Ru grew up with a passion for art and performing as a way of self-expression. In 2004 she got drawn into performing at her former school, Delta Secondary and later decided to expand and improve in her skills and experiment with different mediums of music.
Sarona Isabella Motlhagodi, popularly known as Sasa Klaas, revolutionized Botswana’s rap scene by breaking into what was an all-boys club and refusing to leave.
With musical influences like Lauryn Hill, Biggie Smalls, 2pac and Eminem, it was only a matter of time before Sasa got lyrical. At the age of 11, she started writing poetry. “[Initially] rap wasn’t what I had wanted to do,” she says.
One day, her brother, Seabelo suggested that she put rhythm to her poetry. At the age of 14, Sasa took his advice and never looked back. Sasa Klaas says her biggest supporters are her mother, her manager Onkabetse ‘Onkay’ Nchochi and her best friend of seven years, Nature Inger. The first time Sasa heard herself on the radio was in 2011 on Yarona Fm. At the time, she and Nature had released a song as the duo, ‘Natural Klaas’. According to Sasa, the two work well together because of their strong friendship.
Noluthando Mamabolo, stage name Devour Ke Lenyora, emerged into the hip-hop scene in 2011 with her smash hit, Who U Iz, taken from her debut mixtape titled Preludes.
The 21-year-old music student has since been interviewed on platforms which have a continental reach such as Good Morning Africa, playlisted on numerous South African radio stations (including Yfm and 5fm), performed at Africa’s biggest hip hop festival Back To The City, graced the 50th addition of HYPE magazine with her thoughts and song and won a Best Female Rap Artist at the 2012 SAFU awards. All of this was accomplished under self-management and that of the Nucklehead Brand.
This is just the beginning for this phenom as she plans to take SA by storm in 2014 upon the release of her EP which she has titled Vinegar Lakes.
Gigi LaMayne, birth name Genesis Manney, is an 18year old female rapper, singer, poet, rap artist and songwriter from South Johannesburg South Africa. Under a harsh background, with an abusive alcoholic father, Genesis turned to poetry as an asylum away from the harsh realities of a broken home.
According to Genesis her inspiration definitely came from her mother, a survivor of cancer and:” The strongest woman I know”, as well as her brother, a recovering drug addict. “He got lost a little, but he’ll be fine.”
At the age of 15, Genesis was selected as one of five candidates and scholars to be part of the Branson Scholar exchange programme and would attend school at Stowe School in Buckingham, England for a year. Here, her rapping career bloomed. Taking part in shows and fundraising campaigns, Genesis knew this was a calling. After a year, Genesis returned to Johannesburg as well as her old school expecting a warm welcome. On the contrary, she was severely bullied. Coping was also not easy after her parents split while she was away. Rap once again was her only answer. On December the 2nd 2010, Genesis stepped into the recording booth for the first time, writing 12 songs in one month and the rest as they say is history. She has made her name for herself in South African Hip Hop circles and recently performed at ‘Back to the City’, SA’s biggest Hip Hop festival.
Zimbabwe: DJ Naida is a DJ/Rapper/Singer/Producer from Harare, Zimbabwe. She was born and raised in Zimbabwe to Zimbabwean parents. In 2006 she left Zimbabwe for South Arica to pursue her tertiary education at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth. In 2008 she graduated with a BCom degree in Financial Planning but it was only a year later in 2009 after she started DJing and 3 years later in 2011 after she released her first rap offering that her musical career began to take form. In a male-dominated industry, she has managed to establish dominance and is arguably Zimbabwe’s most talented female rapper. Her talent is undeniable and has seen her feature on a global Women in Hip Hop mixtape that also featured greats like Eternia and Jean Grae. The same mixtape landed her a mention in the UK’s biggest newspaper the Mail & Guardian (UK). She has collaborated with artists from USA, Zambia, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina and South Africa. She also performed at Zimbabwe's biggest music festival, HIFA, alongside the internationally acclaimed band, The Noisettes. She released her first mixtape entitled H.O.M.E in 2011 and is currently working on her debut album. She is well on her way to becoming one of the continent's biggest stars
Be sure to check out the short bios of each of the artists below and be on the lookout for the remix. Do hit them up on Twitter with your thoughts and requests.
Ru The Rapper - Namibia
The 20-year-old Ru stands out as a self-made Namibian artist with a very strong following among women and girls aged 15-23. This following has been earned through many years of success after success for the young artist. In addition to winning the best single award at the NAMA awards in 2011, is her international reputation as a unique and creative Namibian talent. Ruusa Namupala, known by her ...stage name Ru CuteGeek, has teamed up with artists as far away as Nigeria and the USA, where she has also released a single and made multiple media appearances.
Ru is a lifelong resident of Windhoek and has been making music for almost a decade despite her youth. With her passion and creativity, Ru is sure to bring her fans along wherever she goes.
Ru grew up with a passion for art and performing as a way of self-expression. In 2004 she got drawn into performing at her former school, Delta Secondary and later decided to expand and improve in her skills and experiment with different mediums of music.
Sasa Klaas - Botswana
Sarona Isabella Motlhagodi, popularly known as Sasa Klaas, revolutionized Botswana’s rap scene by breaking into what was an all-boys club and refusing to leave.
With musical influences like Lauryn Hill, Biggie Smalls, 2pac and Eminem, it was only a matter of time before Sasa got lyrical. At the age of 11, she started writing poetry. “[Initially] rap wasn’t what I had wanted to do,” she says.
One day, her brother, Seabelo suggested that she put rhythm to her poetry. At the age of 14, Sasa took his advice and never looked back. Sasa Klaas says her biggest supporters are her mother, her manager Onkabetse ‘Onkay’ Nchochi and her best friend of seven years, Nature Inger. The first time Sasa heard herself on the radio was in 2011 on Yarona Fm. At the time, she and Nature had released a song as the duo, ‘Natural Klaas’. According to Sasa, the two work well together because of their strong friendship.
Devour - South Africa
Noluthando Mamabolo, stage name Devour Ke Lenyora, emerged into the hip-hop scene in 2011 with her smash hit, Who U Iz, taken from her debut mixtape titled Preludes.
The 21-year-old music student has since been interviewed on platforms which have a continental reach such as Good Morning Africa, playlisted on numerous South African radio stations (including Yfm and 5fm), performed at Africa’s biggest hip hop festival Back To The City, graced the 50th addition of HYPE magazine with her thoughts and song and won a Best Female Rap Artist at the 2012 SAFU awards. All of this was accomplished under self-management and that of the Nucklehead Brand.
This is just the beginning for this phenom as she plans to take SA by storm in 2014 upon the release of her EP which she has titled Vinegar Lakes.
Gigi LaMayne - South Africa:
Gigi LaMayne, birth name Genesis Manney, is an 18year old female rapper, singer, poet, rap artist and songwriter from South Johannesburg South Africa. Under a harsh background, with an abusive alcoholic father, Genesis turned to poetry as an asylum away from the harsh realities of a broken home.
According to Genesis her inspiration definitely came from her mother, a survivor of cancer and:” The strongest woman I know”, as well as her brother, a recovering drug addict. “He got lost a little, but he’ll be fine.”
At the age of 15, Genesis was selected as one of five candidates and scholars to be part of the Branson Scholar exchange programme and would attend school at Stowe School in Buckingham, England for a year. Here, her rapping career bloomed. Taking part in shows and fundraising campaigns, Genesis knew this was a calling. After a year, Genesis returned to Johannesburg as well as her old school expecting a warm welcome. On the contrary, she was severely bullied. Coping was also not easy after her parents split while she was away. Rap once again was her only answer. On December the 2nd 2010, Genesis stepped into the recording booth for the first time, writing 12 songs in one month and the rest as they say is history. She has made her name for herself in South African Hip Hop circles and recently performed at ‘Back to the City’, SA’s biggest Hip Hop festival.
DJ Naida
Zimbabwe: DJ Naida is a DJ/Rapper/Singer/Producer from Harare, Zimbabwe. She was born and raised in Zimbabwe to Zimbabwean parents. In 2006 she left Zimbabwe for South Arica to pursue her tertiary education at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth. In 2008 she graduated with a BCom degree in Financial Planning but it was only a year later in 2009 after she started DJing and 3 years later in 2011 after she released her first rap offering that her musical career began to take form. In a male-dominated industry, she has managed to establish dominance and is arguably Zimbabwe’s most talented female rapper. Her talent is undeniable and has seen her feature on a global Women in Hip Hop mixtape that also featured greats like Eternia and Jean Grae. The same mixtape landed her a mention in the UK’s biggest newspaper the Mail & Guardian (UK). She has collaborated with artists from USA, Zambia, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina and South Africa. She also performed at Zimbabwe's biggest music festival, HIFA, alongside the internationally acclaimed band, The Noisettes. She released her first mixtape entitled H.O.M.E in 2011 and is currently working on her debut album. She is well on her way to becoming one of the continent's biggest stars