Nadia set to release her debut album

Zimbabwe-born rapper feels she has to work harder than men in the hip hop industry

AS A female, Zimbabwe-born rapper Nadia Nakai believes she doesn’t get the respect she deserves in the hip hop industry.

“I guess it applies in any field that women must work twice as hard to even get half the respect her male counterparts get,” said Nakai.

The 28-year-old is regarded as one of the hottest properties in rap, enjoying over one million followers on social media, having her own clothing line and recently becoming an ambassador for the most-awarded cognac house in the world, Courvoisier.

She is set to release her debut album, Nadia Naked, next month. Despite the milestones she’s reached in her career, she feels she doesn’t enjoy the same respect as her male counterparts.

“I don’t get the respect I deserve and I don’t think I will, even after the album,” she said. “I think I’ll get a lot of criticism, a lot of breakdowns, a lot of opinions, because I’m a woman and a woman in the hip hop industry. But I’m prepared for that because I know what it’s like to be a girl.

“When I, Frank Casino, and Shane Eagle were announced for the Castle Lite Unlocked concert, I felt like I got the most hate. I definitely killed the concert, but people were sceptical about me compared to my male counterparts, so I know that it will always happen because I’m a girl.”

Nakai isn’t bitter about the sexism she says exists in hip hop. If anything, she said she had no problem rolling up her sleeves and working harder than her male counterparts to achieve her goals.

“I honestly feel like what I’m doing right now is paving the way for the real superstar that’s still to come. The real rapper that’s actually going to come out and do some crazy ass shit. I’m literally just opening the door for that to happen.”

While she is excited for her fans to hear her new album, released on June 28, she is nervous.

“When I posted up on social media the date that my album would be released, it was the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve done in my life. I am so scared, I don’t know what I’m going to do when the songs actually come out. I think I’m just going to switch off my phone and only look at it at the end of the week.

“That said, though, I’m excited to get the reaction from lots of the people I respect in industry after they hear the album... I want them to be amazed and proud and I think the album is going to do that.”

She didn’t have a hard time coming up with the title for her debut album. “There are a few reasons why I called my album Nadia Naked. One was because a lot of people talk about how ‘Nadia doesn’t ever wear clothes’, ‘Nadia’s always naked, she is always showing her bum’. That’s always been the conversation.

“My album is me stripping myself and allowing people to see me in my authentic self and understanding the things I deal with, the way I felt about certain situations. It’s a very raw album where you going to get to know Nadia in her bareness unlike ever before.”

Nakai, Prince Kaybee, and Yanga Chief were unveiled as ambassadors for Courvoisier last week, taking over from Bonang Matheba, Tbo Touch, and Anatii.