Namibia is a country with many talented emcees, especially women. The mixtape, “Namibia’s Finest Ladies of Hip-Hop” features Ghetto Ballerina, Bella Harris, Lioness, RÖMI, and Karishma. Braggadocio is a key element of hip-hop as it helps establish credibility for female artists. Braggadocio is also used to call out competition which leads to artists ensuring that their skills are sharp. All of these ladies’ tracks contain braggadocio, however, they are displayed in different forms. The different forms of braggadocio that are presented in this mixtape range from self-empowerment, reminiscing on past lovers, the bad b****, the cool chick, and the tough chick. This mixtape shows the versatility of the female emcees in Namibia as they all showcase their unique styles. All of these songs from within the last year are relatable and are guaranteed to make the ladies feel good about themselves.
The first song on the tracklist is “Young Forever” by Ghetto Ballerina which allows listeners to understand the carefree tone from the title. The video starts with Ghetto Ballerina with flowy outfits in the desert, which adds to the carefree tone. She encourages women in the beginning as she says “keep moving to the max no matter the trials.” Here, she acknowledges that women face many struggles, but they have to keep moving forward. What is self-empowerment without a little bragging? She adds some braggadocio with the bar “from the books to the parties, to acing all my grades.” She lets listeners know that even though she enjoys parties, her studies come first. This song is easy for any female student to vibe to as the beat takes one into a dreamy trance while having relatable content.
Second, “Show Me Your Heart” by Bella Harris featuring Lizz, is a song for the ladies who are reminiscing about an old flame, but still know their worth. The vibe of the video starts off sexy as we see Bella Harris in red light, sexually dancing on a man. One of her beginning bars is “I’m sure that you miss this” which highlights relatable love problems and braggadocio. As women listen to this song, they probably can relate it to times after a break-up when they are flexing on their ex. This highlights Bella Harris’ braggadocio since even though this is a love song she is letting listeners know that her love is something to be missed. As the video continues, she dances provocatively by rubbing on her body with her cleavage exposed, which demonstrates that she is sexy and she knows it. Bella Harris’ body language in the video allows viewers to see how braggadocio is manifested physically. Her dance moves, along with the singing chorus remind women to feel good about themselves.
The third song is “Superstar” by Lioness who is a superstar in her own right as she is also a doctor. The video begins with her dressed in sequence with her hair “laid” and makeup “beat.” Did we expect anything less from this doctor by day and rapper by night? Lioness embodies what it means to be a bad b**** as she has four different wardrobe changes that are pretty and classy throughout the video. She quickly exhibits braggadocio as she raps “I’m finer than that b**** that got him shutting his door.” From this, she is letting listeners know that nobody is finer than her in her eyes. She exudes that necessary confidence of a bad b****. Additionally, she drops the bar “I’m treating all my h**** to gourmet dinners” which lets listeners know that she is in charge as a bad b**** would be. The combination of flaunting nice clothing and conceited lyrics let listeners know that Lioness is the baddest b**** in her eyes!
From the beginning, the fourth song, “Take it Easy” by RÖMI, allows listeners to know that they are in for a fun, cool time with the high-pitched beat and adlibs. RÖMI immediately shows off her versatility as she begins rapping in English, then switches to another language. She then informs listeners to “tell ‘em imma need a ride, something that could match my pride.” While the tempo of the song is upbeat, “it gives a cool and cocky” tone while she recites this bar. As the song progresses, listeners witness more of her skills as she switches from rapping to high-pitched singing. RÖMI displays braggadocio with the bars “all the fish follow me” and “all the girls wanna know me.” These bars indicate that she knows she is hot while acknowledging that people admire her. “Take it Easy” offers a fresh and cool vibe to ladies that understand their value.
Last but not least, is “Look” by the fierce Karishma. From the beginning of the video, Karishma lets viewers know that she is not to be played with as she enters the scene with a bat, that she holds until the end of the video. This prop makes me want to continue to look at her because I wonder where she is about to swing it. Karishma informs listeners that she is not fraudulent as she raps “I walk it like I talk it.” She immediately gives off the vibe of a “tough girl” as she raps forcibly while having bars like “I see you scared of me b, you chicken like I’m not.” Furthermore, she presents braggadocio with the bar “glistening like a rollie, so they take me on a ride” which lets listeners know that in her eyes that she is a star. Also, she demonstrates that because she glistens, other people want to be surrounded by her. She reinforces the idea of her not being played with as she raps “b you know I can, stop acting and stop fiddling me.” Karishma embodies the role of a tough woman who does not take s*** from anyone.
The mixtape, “Namibia’s Finest Ladies of Hip-Hop” proves that Namibia’s female emcees have tremendous talent. The hip-hop world should be on the lookout for these women as they have unique styles and can cater to many groups.
Check out the mixtape below.
Leave a Reply