BDAY is a song that is extremely popular in Angola right now. It currently sits at Number 3 on Angola’s Hip Hop & Rap Charts. The song uses elements from classic US hip hop, such as 808 patterns in the song’s music production, leaning towards a song influenced more by US hip hop rather than traditional Angolan music.
The music producer, MADKUTZ, is an Portuguese producer who has risen to recognition with over 1 million views on youtube. Collaborating with NGA, a powerhouse artist in Angola (with 846,000 instagram followers), helped MADKUTZ build his platform. The song also has singing throughout the song which reminisces early work from US top rapper, Kanye West. The rich vocals are provided by Vaniny Alves, an Angolan singer and actress. Together, they create a chilled, r&b/rap birthday anthem. The same effect that In Da Club by 50 Cents had on listeners becoming a birthday anthem, is the same way this song has been in Angola.
Pre-pandemic, this song did well as a club song because of its slow yet beat heavy production allowed people a song to slow grind, a staple in Angolan dancing. It still is doing well overall. The song tells the story of a woman (Vaniny Alves) celebrating her partner’s (NGA) birthday. They have a lavish party and also share sensual moments together. For english listeners, a translation of lyrics are listed below (genius link attached below):
[Intro: NGA] Open a champagne my nigga No, no, open two Hey [Verse 1: NGA] There are things that don't change over time, my nigga Like my school, it's not new, it's not old, it's tough So on the beats I’m based In a life based on rhymes and based In a soulful MadKutz beat Mouth full of gold, and Mad full of golds And what elevates us, elevates us Wasting hours for my gangstas to share the sound with their ladies Because we were at babe, we change the house, and the car changes and the family does the up Today is my bday, we gon 'party all night Thank you my light, life without you is not life Now it's complicated, I got the message And when everyone goes, you're learning motivated For when everyone goes, we assume the noise What they do is noise You already know the result [Chorus: Vaniny Alves] Tell me if you like what you see I put on this outfit just for you From head to toe, it's all yours So come baby, congratulations my king [Verse 2: NGA] Hey, thank you my queen Your love is priceless For the ups and downs of this life, I thank you Navigate your mind, appreciate your physique I'm a zodiac sign scorpion, but a spirit lion And you follow the campaign You also don’t listen Do not move the winning team You wake up early and work hard on [?] These flowers are for you, courtesy of quota Paulo Launching the moments when uncertainty weighs And with the moments that it seems that we have an embezzlement to the company And the walls have ears, so Edson, be quiet Faith in the line that separates Chico from the honest And there's always a chibo nearby But today this conversation is on the street I will not take p'ro crib, play Gutto Confirm on Whatsapp, I already sent you the link [Chorus: Vaniny Alves] Tell me if you like what you see I put on this outfit just for you From head to toe, it's all yours So come baby, congratulations my king Tell me if you like what you see I put on this outfit just for you From head to toe, it's all yours So come baby, congratulations my king [Bridge: Vaininy Alves] Tell me if you like it, if it's that way It's not perfect, but it's very close Tell me if you like it, if it's that way It's not perfect, but it's very close [Chorus: Vaniny Alves] Tell me if you like what you see I put on this outfit just for you From head to toe, it's all yours So come baby, congratulations my king NG! Tell me if you like what you see
This track has been on Angola’s Top 10 Hip Hop & Rap charts for multiple weeks. The song’s initial release. was November 3, 2019 and has continued to make a mark ever since. Although the artists usually did not collaborate, after seeing success from this track, they have continued to work together to create Angolan Portuguese rap songs to top the country’s charts. NGA x MADKUTZ have collaborated on other songs on their album entitled, 37 Tijolos (37 Bricks) that was also a successful piece overall and ranked as 90% on Album of the Year :
Look out for these artists in Angola as they continue to produce top-charting music. You can find NGA, MADKUTZ, and Vaniny Alves’ social media links below. The song (BDAY) and album (37 Tijolos) is linked below as well.
| ARTIST/WORK | MEDIA |
| NGA | https://www.instagram.com/nga_king/?hl=en |
| MADKUTZ | https://www.instagram.com/madkutz/?hl=en |
| Vaniny Alves | https://www.instagram.com/vaninyalves/?hl=en |
| BDAY – Single | https://open.spotify.com/track/3pASrX6iKNoZkYFTCvsSkJ?si=b1e71ff66cb94b57 |
| 37 Tijolos – Album | https://music.apple.com/us/album/37-tijolos/1485497819 |