Nadia Nakai – The Man

South African rapper Nadia Nakai has released the video for her single ‘The Man’. The video was published on YouTube last week and features Cassper Nyovest. 

Shot by Uysit Productions and directed by Ryan Uys, ‘The Man’ is Nakai's attempt to assert superiority in the South African rap scene. ‘The Man’ can be interpreted as her effort to be regarded as a top hip hop artist in the country and she seems to be employing Nyovest’s status as one of the biggest rappers on the continent to earn extensive popularity. 

Nakai employs rhymes that claim she’s the most hard-working artist in the industry and is confident there’s just no one better than her.

Nobody in the game putting work like me

Even when I go on vacation I thought that it would change it

But came back to the same sh*t

I’ve been the man.

In the video, Nakai , who is signed to Nyovest’s Family Tree Records, boasts about making money and about a man who sends her direct messages (DMs) on Twitter. She brags about how he tries to buy her a car.

Bank account got me screaming yeah yeah

Rap game like chess, your boyfriend in my DM, trying buy me a BM.  

Nakai's verses are seemingly directed at an unidentified female musician whom she despises.

Thinking we the same is a damn crime

If I hear another sub in your weir rhymes

Then I’m a drop the b*tch this is cash time.

In the last verse, Nyovest doesn’t shy away to talk about his success either.

You are now looking at the hardest working man in the industry

They so used to me winning they get excited when they lose

Cause I’ve been the man.

Nakai is becoming a force to reckon with in the country’s music industry. Her success has also earned her collaborations with DJ Milkshake and Gemini Major.

Born and raised in Johannesburg, Nakai is of Zimbabwean and Kenyan descent. Her mother is from Zimbabwe while her father is South African. She attributes her love for rap music to Kenyan female rappers such as Nazizi.

"Living in Kenya was a great experience, it molded many aspects of my life, not just in hip hop,” she was quoted as saying. “It exposed the beauty and diversity of an African people. It really shifted my life perspective."

‘The Man’ single was produced by British beatmaker Nat Powers and released in August last year.