For this assignment, I looked into the work of Botswana artist Saroni Motlhagoni, professionally known as Sasa Klaas. She was born in 1993 to a single mother who was a political figure. Sasa Klaas dabbled in multiple parts of the music industry holding the titles of singer, songwriter and finally hip hop rapper. She debuted with the song “Mmamongwato” but for this assignment, I have focused on her latest video release “Vapor” . https://youtu.be/UcyNmRw_Zso From the beginning of the video Sasa makes it clear she is utilizing the “Braggadocio” tactic. Bragging that she has status and is living in the penthouse suite. She repeatedly references an unidentified “they” by declaring “they cannot catch us… they cannot match us”. After the intro she goes on to rap in the native language of Botswana Setswana. I used social media and search engines to look for the actual lyrics of the song but I could not find them written in text. However, she does use English on and off so the general idea I get from the song is that she is bragging about her high-level status. In line with her reputation in prior productions, Sasa dances seductively throughout the video. One thing that I think falls in line with our discussion in past weeks is the lack of men in the video. She is confident in promoting herself without needing the assistance of a man. I think that falls perfectly in line with the feminist ideas we have discussed and breaks a stereotype of a woman needing a man to make a seductive video. Finally, my research into Sasa Klaas led me to the terrible news of her death just last March at the age of 27. Her death was the result of helicopter class, since then many memorials have been conducted in her honor.
Sasa Klass Social Media:
Instagram: @Sasaklaas
Twitter: @sasaklaas
Facebook: Sasa Klaas