Mutiat Yewande Isola is a Nigerian-born female hip-hop artist, who goes more commonly by the name Wande. She was born in Nigeria in 1996 making her 26 years of age. For the most part, she grew up in Austin, Texas, and was signed to Reach Records in 2019. In her song “Woo” she expounds upon what life is like for her as a Christian female rap artist and makes a few references to her Nigerian origins as well. As far as the visuals of the video, it included the culture of American cheerleading while also being intentional about displaying a “stomp and shake” form of cheer that is used uniquely in black culture. Speaking to what she’s experienced during her time in America she writes “see so many holdin’ pain yet they maskin’
Don’t hold on too long, you might go do somethin’ drastic (yeah)
They ask me, “Wandê, where your satisfaction?”
I told ’em that it’s from above, then they hit me with the shrug” As a Christian artist, nearly all of her music has her faith at the forefront but within each song, she focuses on various aspects of the culture around her. In this case, she is addressing mental health but has tackled race and gender stigmas in other songs. Even though most of her childhood was spent in America she still is sure to reference her origins. “Look, I’m first-generation, used to not havin’ it
Ain’t average, that’s why I brought my Naija bit (eheh)
Just to show the world my God always surpassin’ it” After a little research I was able to understand the Nigerian slang she used in these lines. First off she reminds the listener of what it means to be first-generation and how her Nigerian origins meant that she understood what it was like to struggle in the financial sense. Secondly, she makes a clearer reference that I believe was meant uniquely for fellow Nigerians who would understand the slang. The term “Naija” she uses is simply another way to say Nigerian and thus when she says “Naija bit” and holds up a purse with traditional African print on it she is emphasizing that her Nigerian culture is a part of who she is.
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