Natanim Berhanu, also known as Skat Nati, is an Ethiopian music rap artist. Proudly representing his name, language, and culture, Skat Nati is an up-and-coming music practitioner for younger generations. What most would consider conventional music and hip hop has become an amalgamation of music, cultural pride, and expression for Skat Nati and is shown throughout his discography and representation in the media. 

While Nati is a fairly new artist, with songs and media promotions dating back to 2018, his influence can be seen from his 167k followers on Instagram and the popularity of his music on platforms like YouTube and Spotify demonstrates his relatability and relevance in today’s music scene. Often referring to his community and his friends in his videos, Nati has made concrete spaces to celebrate how his community and family have uplifted him and his career, unlike many bootstrap artists of our time.

Listening to his song “Straight Up” and watching his video released on January 18th, 2023, Nati has captured some key elements of hip hop, culture, and talent in his work. The intentionality of showcasing African art while speaking Amharic creates a connection between Nati’s roots and his current stardom which is always a sight for sore eyes.

In addition to showcasing art and creating a song that in many ways acts as a musical artifact, Nati shows a huge amount of creativity. Even though parts of his video seemed a bit staged, being a young artist on the come-up demands using what you have and getting the message across about who you are. Nati’s music emphasizes the lifestyle of many young male rappers and creatives and his style and bars alike convey his trendiness and movement toward joining the rapping community that exists a bit less than pioneering his own style of music-making and creativity. That being said, Skat Nati will definitely be someone to take notes on as he seems to be the bridge between new, old, and current music culture.