Kikky Badass, is the name of a powerful female rapper from Harare, Zimbabwe. Upon watching her music video for the song “Party Queen” which debuted last year, I couldn’t help but make connections to America female rappers who might serve as counterparts in the style of rap she does. The song “Party Queen” is clearly a turn up song, no surprise by the title. Clearly meant for the club, for the car or any function with your friends. And that is seen through the lyrics and the music video, as Kikky Badass and her friends go through outfit changes of colorful wigs and gorgeous nightclub dresses, popping bottles, riding in expensive cars and dancing. The music is very much mainstream and greatly influenced by current mainstream American rap, the beat a generic trap-esque imitation while Kikky raps in English. The song is meant for fun and that is seen in the lyrics Kikky Badass raps, full of braggadociousness, confidence and shit-talking. All in all, I never get tired of seeing Black women feeling themselves and having fun. Again, I couldn’t help but to think of her American rap counterparts of a similar style of course thinking of Megan Thee Stallion, Flo Milli and Cardi B. She is also a popular and respected rap artist in her country as she won Best Female hip hop artist at the 2020 Zim Hip Hop Awards.
As we’ve interviewed female rap artists across Africa and we’ve worked on looking at rap artists in our perspective countries, I have chosen female rap artists in Zimbabwe and have noticed a dichotomy in the realm on African female hip-hop and American female hip-hop. Of two-different types of power in female rap. One of confidence of being loud, sex-positive, confident and commanding in a much more mainstream turn up type of rap and the power reserved in a smaller, underground conscious type of rap. From seeing conversations with Gigi Lamayne, Kanyi Mavi and Yugen Blakrok. This has been a long conversation in hip-hop period, but for many male hip-hop artists they are allowed to be play in between and on-both sides of this line in the sand whereas female hip-hop artists are not always given or maybe just don’t take the chance.