Nissah Barbosa is not your average West African rapper. “Why?,” you might ask? Nissah is one of the first female artists to break through the hip-hop scene in Cabo Verde, blending famous Cabo Verdean genres like Funaná or Coladeira with modern vocals reminiscent of artists like Cardi-B. Having learned English solely through listening to rap, the Cabo Verdean phenom transcends gender roles and borders in Cabo Verde by making music for everyone, regardless of age, gender, or social class.

The term hegemonic masculinity, written about by Adelaja Oriade, describes ” a pattern of practice that allowed men’s dominance over women to continue. With female role models to look up to in the history of Cabo Verdean music such as the legendary Cesaría Evora or Mayra Andrade, Nissah tackles barriers of hegemonic masculinity in Cabo Verdean rap by incorporating a wide diversity of sounds and genres into her smoothly flowing verses.

Singing in both Creole and English, Nissah can reach a large fanbase through her music. She has toured Europe, France, Switzerland, and Portugal since the start of her singing career in 2013. In 2014, she was nominated for a prestigious Cabo Verde Music Award in the category of best hip hop. In 2016, her hit single “Nha Terra Nha Cretchu,” which translates to “My Land, My Loved One,” rose the charts in Cabo Verdean hip-hop and served as an astute reminder of Nissah’s lyrical ability and impressive production. The song has a powerful nostalgic undertone, with Nissah often touching upon the sense of longing she has of her home country and the difficult evolution she had as a female artist in an industry that is often dominated by male voices. In this rap song, personally my favorite work of hers, she reflects upon the “Morabeza” of her country, which translates to the “enjoyment of living,” but also spits some moving lines on crime, homicide, female struggle, and the overall beauty of a country on a promising trajectory part of a region faced with, at times, overwhelming adversity.

In the past few years, Nissah has shifted more towards Afrobeats due to the skyrocketing popularity of the genre worldwide. However, in 2022, she released another hit single “10xaz,” which incorporated elements of drill, hip-hop, and Afrobeats. The content of the song is very empowering for women who often need to possess a lot of patience in their relationships. Nissah seems to be fed up with her partner and continues to sing “Deixas (10xaz) pra lá!,” or “Just let it go!”

Nissah has had an incredibly influential career thus far, building bridges and lighting a path for future female Cabo Verdean rappers. Although her most recent work has been mostly Afrobeats, her evolution as an artist is impressive to follow, and has been an inspiration to many female voices on the continent. The themes that she raps about and the empowering role she adopts will continue to change the landscape in Cabo Verdean music for generations to come. Keep an eye out for Nissah, and if not then just “10xaz pra lá!”