Natasha Beckley, better known by her stage name Swadu, is a female rapper from Sierra Leone. Dubbed “Freetown’s finest,” Swadu is a former beauty queen who rose to fame in Sierra Leone’s hip hop scene after the release of her 2021 album “Freetown the Recipe” which earned her the awards for Best Artist, Best Female Hip Hop Artist, and Best Hit Single at the 2021 National Entertainment Awards. Today, Swadu is one of the most prominent female MCs out of Salone.

Swadu’s newest single “Archu,” released in November 2023, recounts Swadu’s climb as a lyricist and hip hop persona despite challenges that stood in her way including heartbreak and insecurities. Throughout the song and its accompanying visuals, Swadu challenges stereotypes about African women, particularly the image of docile, domestic African daughters and wives. When the video opens, Swadu is seen rapping on a set decorated as both a laundry room and a grocery store. Dressed in a skin tight mini dress and high heels, Swadu pretends to do domestic labor. As she comically puts groceries in her cart and dusts shelves of laundry detergent, Swadu raps, “My mind playing games on another level / Make these choices so fuck it, I can’t blame the devil / On the road to the top so I hit the pedal,” (Swadu). The contrast between the scene and Swadu’s attire and lyrics seem to be a dig at the image of the stereotypical African housewife or daughter, always engaged in housework with no agency of her own. As Swadu raps, she is a smart woman who makes her own choices. In this way, “Archu” captures the dissonance between how modern African women in urban spaces live and how the world expects African women to look and behave. 

As the video continues, Swadu is seen occupying more sophisticated sets in even more elaborate outfits that match her identity as a powerful, independent woman. Rhyming about her self-made success and strong work ethic, Swadu raps, “I wrote my goals, manifested, yeah, in that order / I’m more focused than a Harvard top grad scholar,” (Swadu). Her voice is firm and unwavering, whether she’s riding in the back of luxury SUVs, lounging in an ornate spa, or sitting at the desk in a cushy office suite. It’s important to note that the only men who feature in the video are the employees during the office scenes where Swadu serves as a powerful CEO. In the lyrics and visuals for “Archu,” it’s clear that Swadu is exactly the hard working, self-actualized woman she says she is, and as she teased on Instagram, the song’s title may translate to “stop” in Fulani, but Swadu has no intention of stopping soon.

Listen to “Archu” and more on:

Youtube / Spotify / Apple Music /

Keep up with Swadu via:

Facebook / Instagram / X