In the post-streaming age, social media has become the fastest way for audiences to suss out whether their favorite artists have new music cooking. One key indicator, I’ve come to notice, is the subtle clues laid bare on their social media in the weeks or months leading up to the memorable drop. Their social […]
In the post-streaming age, social media has become the fastest way for audiences to suss out whether their favorite artists have new music cooking. One key indicator, I’ve come to notice, is the subtle clues laid bare on their social media in the weeks or months leading up to the memorable drop. Their social media page, usually Instagram, is cleared of its previous posts and replaced by new posts all geared towards the upcoming release in hopes that everywhere you turn, there is a reminder of what’s to come. Wizkid’s been known to do this in the past, Odunsi the Engine did it with his surprise EP ‘Everything You Heard Is True’, and now, South African rapper, Nasty C ushered in his latest album ‘Zulu Man with Some Power (ZMWSP)’ in the same way and it seems to have paid off seeing as it broke the record for the most pre-adds for an upcoming album on Apple Music.
Though the events of the year have adversely affected us all in different ways, the rapper, producer, and songwriter has been having a good run so far. Back in March, he joined the ranks of African artists catching the ears of major international labels, signing a joint venture deal with Def Jam Records. A month later, he had released a visual EP ‘Lost Files’ to whet appetites for the new album, and then followed this up two months later with the arrival of a collaborative mixtape tilted ‘Zulu’ with Dj Whoo Kid followed. Needless to say, the 23-year-old rapper is putting in the work and then some, and this proficiency in playing the long game shone thorough as he released ‘ZMWSP’, his third studio album in four years.
Nasty C had to do all he could to make sure he was ready to take on the world stage and now the Durban city hero needs no introduction as his public stature has gone to new heights. Although his massive cult-like following alone in South Africa is enough to attribute to his steady incline over the years, it would be a disservice to the great strides that the rapper has been making internationally. Three years ago, he featured French Montana on “Allow” a standout off his debut album rerelease ‘Bad Hair Extensions’ and then further down, he landed an A$AP Ferg feature on monster-hit “King” (currently sitting at 8.4 million views on Youtube) off his sophomore album ‘Strings and Bling’. His bruising ambitious raps were never made to be restricted to the coastal shores of Durban but rather soar farther into the world at large and find a host of new listeners. Where his sophomore project endeared him to global listeners as a rap star on the rise while attracting a double-platinum certification by RiSA certification guidelines, ‘Zulu Man with Some Power’ tips the scale a bit further as Nasty C dips further into his artistic bag emerging as a well-seasoned artist, this time, with no restraints in his neatly packed kiss-offs (“niggas made the worst of decisions then wanna doubt mine”) and boasts (“talking stake over overpriced stake”).
While Africa to the world is a popular rallying cry of the continent’s artists who are making trailblazing milestones all around the world, covering artists from Burna Boy to Tiwa Savage, it is noticeable in these conversations that the dominant afropop genre garners more attention than that of hip-hop/rap emerging from the continent. This does not by any means suggest that rappers in these parts are not receiving considerable international fanfare, they are, as seen from the careers of artists like Sarkodie, Runtown, trap-leaning newcomer, Rema, AKA, and more but their rewards are far and few between as hip-hop and its perceived foreign aesthetics have not yet won over the African ear in comparison. In fact, the most substantial takeaway from ‘ZMWSP’ is the realisation that Nasty C actually deserves the legendary status he constantly ascribes to himself and so, the fact that a rapper is enjoying this much mainstream success today (“King Shit” was the biggest song in the world at the time of its release) is a remarkable feat that must be celebrated. African music has long been synonymous with afrobeats and afropop–becoming the blanket terms for genres coming out of Africa–and though Nasty C is not averse to hopping on an afropop record, he’s not trying to conform to perceptions of what African music should sound like. He tells Okay Africa, ‘I want the world to know there’s more than just Afrobeats in Africa” and on his latest project, he definitely caps off an incredible run so far: it’s hard to find any new-gen artist in rap who can touch what he’s achieved within the same timeframe.
Unlike his previous projects, ‘ZMWSMP’ isn’t an introductory foray into the rapper’s mind, if you’re paying attention to the kid then you should already know what he’s done to get her. He’s not concerned with painting a picture of the hostile and chaotic life on the streets as he did on ‘Strings and Bling’, here he’s just doing rap shit and looking to the world for answers. Bragging about your successes or rapping about your hustle is part of the hip-hop narrative and Nasty C makes sure he embeds this into his album. It’s the flashy talking, the profane boasts, the braggadocious swagger, and the glamorous list of everything his newfound fame and money can buy. It feels like he’s ticking off items on his checklist and enjoying the spoils of his hard work so far: we hear him narrate stories of LA nights where he throws ‘a whole lotta ones’ in the strip club on “Palm Trees”, he converses with God on shrooms on “King Shit” and keeps a separate account for his shoes and weed on “Steve Biko”. Whoever his enemies are, they can’t be too happy because Nasty C is living the rapper life, and every line delivered with an audible smirk to the adversaries who doubted him.
Each song is accentuated by a boast and he spits rhymes that only he could marry together. In a similar vein as Meek Mill’s legendary brag-filled album opener “Dreams and Nightmares”, Nasty C’s “King Shit” has the potential to become a cult classic. It strikes the right balance between boastful, inspirational, and humble while setting the tone for what’s to come. He starts off singing acapella, his protean voice effortlessly running through memorable one-liners. He’s at the top of his game and though that’s enough to earn him the highest bragging rights, he’s still humble, acknowledging God’s love through it all. All through the album, he maintains this balance, reminding you that he’s beat the odds to rise to the top but with a proclivity to remain humble. On “Overpriced Steak”, he admits this is because he isn’t used to this new lifestyle and this bleeds into “Feeling” where we witness the pressures that come with attaining wealth at such a young age but “Lose Some Win Some” refocuses the message on grinding till everyone around him eats. His rapping is effortlessly relentless, and he doesn’t ride the beat so much as he decimates it.
For most of the project, Nasty C goes at it alone, demonstrating his slick ability to move from one topic to another. On “How Many Times” he raps about his come up with intensity, but rather than open up about what he’s had to go through, he leaves it to the imagination, switching between singing and rapping to drive his message home. “Sad Boys” treads similar lines, his melancholic singing makes the boastful message more haunting than it seems. Every song is a reminder that he’s well paid, flexing and he’s having fun while doing so, and why won’t he when he’s got his mentor T.I on not one but two tracks off the project. But, rather than boast his way through 20 tracks, Nasty C also spruces things up with more romantically-inclined numbers. The Ari Lennox-assisted “Black and White” is a soulful and amorous inclusion, endearing itself to listeners from the very first listen. The two share amazing chemistry on the song, as they deliver confessional, open-wound R&B with nostalgic hip-hop cadences. This stands in contrast to the rhythmic “Ababulali” which is actually a love letter to the rapper’s father who only came around to his son’s musical inclinations just recently. Here, love is talked about in terms of devotion and generosity being poured back into our loved ones. Our parents form the basis of our interaction with the world, and though Nasty C’s earliest interactions with his father regarding his music career wasn’t a model example, still he testifies to his dad’s hand in making him a better man by setting a standard that he tirelessly works to reciprocate in his lifetime.
Nasty C also doesn’t fail to address the gargantuan elephant in the room. At just 23, he’s been doubted by old rap heads for his flows but on “How Many Times” he lays a simple threat: “I’m humble as a fucking child, I’m on they neck though”. Just like Abuja has Psycho-YP and Benin has Rema, so also does Durban have Nasty C. You can’t talk about hip-hop currently in South Africa without including Nasty C’s name in conversation, and that is just an honest testament to how hardworking the 23-year-old has been in the last couple of years. The Durban rapper has had a storied rise, first breaking out as a rap wunderkind amongst his peers circa 2013, but then swiftly rising to the position of rap royalty. He quickly distinguished himself from his adversaries, choosing to rap mostly in English but on ‘ZMWSP’, he delivers a watershed moment rapping his first song entirely in Zulu. Armed with a more resonant origin story, Nasty C shares with Apple Music that ‘[he] wanted to make it cool for people to say, I’m Zulu, Xhosa, this or that’ again–to take pride in it” and that was exactly the energy he brought to “Zulu Man”. His South African heritage features as a badge of honour throughout the album. He rather audaciously compares himself to the late anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko on the project’s second track named aptly titled after him. Art that reflects reality can be triggering, and in a time of continued racial tensions, comparing oneself to a rebel or freedom fighter is making a political statement, whether intended to or not. Nasty C, indeed, does share that it was important to use his platform as an artist to honour a legendary changemaker and by paying homage, he inadvertently places an expectation on himself to walk in their magnanimous shadow. Whether he achieves these lofty ambitions or not is beside the point, he’s got the confidence of someone who has nothing to prove to anyone but himself.
Pro-blackness resurfaces as a theme on the T.I-assisted “They Don’t” where both rappers air their frustrations about the plight of black people in the world today. Rappers exploring the plight of blackness in America is hardly new, but there is something about the way it is handled here that sounds resonant and radical. The names of black lives that have been unfairly lost to police brutality are mentioned and put on center-stage here: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, and more. More than just a rallying cry, Nasty C’s slick, scanting singing rouses aversion to the uniform and systems that unjustly takes black lives and not just in America but in a host of other Africa countries including the rappers own home country where last week, a young man by the name of Nathaniel Julius was shot and dumped at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital where he later died following a robbery in Johannesburg. Residents of the Eldorado Park community took to the streets to protest the boy’s death at the hands of the police resulting in hours of unrest between protesters and police in the area. Given the tone from the top and the grassroots anger, it’s a surprise this confrontation didn’t come sooner but in a time where fans are more critical of how celebrities engage in civil rights activism, using your art as a medium for exposing some of the injustices in the world is a step in the right direction. When he sings “can never let the guap ruin me” it shows because Nasty C has not lost touch with the people who have anchored him to greatness, no matter how long the bank account currently sits. Hip-hop/rap has always represented the voice of the people, the people often obscured and silenced, and starting right from the project’s artwork, we see a world that isn’t quite as glamorous as it appears at first glance. Under all the vibrant colours and beauty, is a murky swamp which attracts snakes and otherworldly creatures–representative of the life Nasty C raps about.
More than anything, ‘ZMWSP’ is a transportive listening experience, due in large part to its production, which exists in almost perfect harmony with Nasty C’s soothing vocals. “Feeling” draws similar lines to emotionally layered numbers like Roddy Ricch’s “War Baby” and Bella Schmurda’s “Omnipotent” by soundtracking dalliances with spirituality. The horns and soulful organ in the background provide the perfect bedding for Nasty C’s biblical allusions that suggest his steps were divinely ordered right from his birth. When he raps chip-on-the-shoulder lines like “When y’all say the names of our legends, y’all better shout mine”, they come off more clairvoyant than outright cocky because you can almost imagine a future in which that could one day be possible. With a Def Jam deal, it’s hard to imagine the young rapper not walking in similar footsteps to the great labelmates before him like Jay-Z and Big Sean. Many know Nasty C for his killer flows but may not be aware that the rapper is also an incredible producer and this reflects in the way the drubbing, buoyant production dictates the album’s mood swings. But he’s not only to praise for this as he gets help from a legendary team of award-winning international producers like Beat Butcha, ATL Jacobs, No I.D, Bank Roll Got It, G Koop, and more who are familiar with his air-tight flows.
To Nasty C’s credit, the project’s features are a good match and they also underscore the envious extravagance and glitz of his new lifestyle. Each year, his collaborations grow more ambitious and though we get exciting features with YSL’s Lil Keed and Dreamville’s Ari Lennox, this writer can’t help but feel gutted to learn that we missed out on a Nasty C and Burna Boy collaboration which the rapper blames on “label shit”, according to a recent conversation on Cuppy’s Africa Now show on Apple Music. Burna Boy who has just released his third major-label album ‘Twice As Tall’ would have been a monumental inclusion to an already great body of work, but it’s hard to imagine it existing in a world as dystopian as the one we’re currently in now. Maybe that’s why label decisions have led to its postponement, waiting out a time when the world is in a better position to assemble and party, regardless, a co-sign from the African Giant would be a new badge on Nasty C’s heavyweight belt plunging him further into baby goat status while mutually benefiting Burna Boy who is yet to collaborate with any of the new-gen artists carving out their own niche in the music industry.
Clocking in just under the 60-minute mark, the inescapable allure of ‘ZMWSP’ is the firm reminder that hip-hop doesn’t exist only on the Western shores but lives and takes on new life within different people and sub-cultures borrowing from a wider range of influences endlessly at their disposal. This record feels like an awakening and it could very well sit comfortably amongst the inebriated guests at a breezy roof-top parties in New York or under the twinkling lights of humid clubs in Johannesburg, it’s transnational. Artists like Nasty C deserve to enjoy as much mainstream success as their hip-hop counterparts across the shores, and although Western validation and award shows in general are outdated and inherently flawed, it won’t be far off to envision a rapper like Nasty C confidently joining the ranks of the next XXL Freshman class, which till today has only seen two rappers of African descent.
‘ZMWSP’ sets the record straight–Nasty C is a rapper rapper. He’s a long way from his debut on the scene in 2013 and he’s handling it all in great strides, wealth and fame can make monsters out of the best of us but it’s only made him go harder, and he very well could be on the cusp of an explosion into superstardom. The project is, as the name suggests, teeming with the unfettered power from the boy from Durban with big dreams and we dare say, he has more than just some power in him.
For the next phase of her career, Skyla Tylaa is actively working on creating music while entertaining with...
As a child growing up in South-east London, Skyla Tylaa had a natural affinity for the arts. Whether it was music or stage performances, she found herself exploring these interests intently from a young age. That devotion manifested in multiple ways – her attending the BRIT School and Sylvia Young Theatre School where she performed in a West End production of Annie or her fiddling with several musical instruments while she figured out her creative identity. Through it all, music was a constant, the backdrop to her home life where she grew up between Jamaican and English influences. She remembers being exposed to Drum & Bass, Funky House, and Garage. “I think that’s had a big influence in my DJ career,” Skyla Tylaa admits.
Progressing into adulthood, those musical influences persisted even if she didn’t always engage with them professionally. Things changed when she started DJ-ing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Possessed by a visceral desire to experience the euphoria of interacting with people through music, she burrowed deeper into DJ-ing. “I couldn’t be in my room and just have people commenting,” she recalls. “I need to see people’s energy, and feel everything in the moment.”
Since then, she’s enjoyed a meteoric rise that has taken the world by storm. Mentored by DJ Tunez, she performed multiple times on the American leg of Wizkid’s ‘Made In Lagos’ tour and came out of the experience raring to go. “Opening for Wizkid on his tour was a transformative experience,” she says. “It taught me a lot about resilience and adaptability in my craft. I was still pretty much a start-up DJ when I went on tour and it made me really realise how important it is to connect with the audience. Touring from city to city with different crowds, it helped me to learn how to read the room and keep the vibe going.”
Almost as importantly for Skyla Tylaa, Rihanna was present at one of those tour stops and was impressed by her set, stopping by after the show to congratulate her. “After that I felt like I could conquer the world,” she says. Since then, she’s been selected by Rihanna to DJ at a Fenty X Puma Creeper launch event in London in 2024, marking a full-circle moment between the women.
Like Rihanna, Skyla Tylaa is inspired by music from the breadth of the Black diaspora, playing sets that take as much influence from the fervid restlessness of Hip-hop as they do the wavy melodies of House music, and the dancefloor summons of Afrobeats “I love partying! I genuinely love it,” she explains. “When preparing my sets, I’m always thinking of people having a good time. Whatever I can do to connect with them, I’m down to do it!”
In the last few years, few genres have shown the propensity for inspiring a great time with the regularity that Amapiano does. From Johannesburg to Windhoek, to Lagos, London, and New York, the log drums and mutating basslines of the genre have proven integral to a new Pop framework that is as amorphous as it is exhilarating. Since first hearing the genre while on a visit to Ghana years ago, Skyla Tylaa has been hooked. “It was the log drum, the sound, just the vibes that came with it,” she says. “I was like ‘wait – what is this?’ When you hear Amapiano, it’s one of those sounds that no matter what, you’re gonna dance.”
Diving into the genre, she’s picked up valuable lessons from important figures like Maphorisa, Uncle Vinny and Major League DJz while putting her youthful spin on the sound. It’s all coming together for the DJ who’s working with her sister, music heavyweight Jada Pollock, to figure it all out one step at a time. “When I found my passion for DJing, Jada was right there, urging me to dive into the ‘Made in Lagos’ tour,” she says. “I wasn’t sure I was ready, but she believed in me and knew I could handle it. My love for music has been with me since school; it just took some time for me to realize that this was the direction I wanted to pursue. Once I found my calling, her support became endless–she attended my early gigs and pushed me to perform at major festivals like Afro Nation.”
She’s since performed at leading festivals such as Wireless, Piano People and Australia’s Promiseland as well as selling out headline shows across London, London, and Ghana. For the next phase of her career, she’s actively working on creating music. This month, she released her debut single, “Bombshell,” a searing Amapiano banger that has all the hallmarks of a potential summer hit. “Bombshell” features Tanzanian Bongo Flava act, Diamond Platnumz, as well as South African acts, Tyler ICU, Khalil Harrison, and DJ Exit. It’s a blockbuster showing that sits well in the tradition of the genre. “The idea was initially played to me by Tyler ICU in March 2024,” Skyla Tylaa says. “He and I had a session while he was in London, and this was one of the ideas we worked on. Khalil was already on it, at the time, and I loved what I heard!”
After seeding it into her live sets last summer and starting live teasers with a dance challenge, Diamond Platnumz reached out about potentially working on the song and it was arranged. “I started teasing the new version of the song in my sets and then a whole new viral dance challenge came about online in December,” she says. “From that point, I knew the track had all the elements (features included) to be a big release in 2025 !” For DJ Exit, a chance to be part of a transformative song like “Bombshell” was an opportunity he didn’t want to pass up. “What drew me to this single was the chance to be part of something boundary-breaking,” he explains. “Gqom and Amapiano are both powerful in their own right, but fusing the raw, percussive energy of Gqom with the soulful, hypnotic swing of Amapiano creates a sound the world hasn’t fully experienced yet. This isn’t just another collaboration–it’s a cultural statement.”
The Xhosa word, ‘basazomangala,’ meaning ‘to be shocked,’ is uttered several times on “Bombshell,” and it reflects the message that Harrison was trying to pass on the track. ““Bombshell” is really about letting people know that there’s still so much more to come from me,” he says. “It’s a celebration of the present moment, but also a reminder that this is just the beginning. We’re all dancing to what’s happening now, but there’s an energy in the air that says the best is yet to come.”
In light of Amapiano’s rise to global prominence and the international acclaim it enjoys, Harrison is right about more things being on the horizon, and Skyla Tylaa agrees with him: “When I was introduced to Amapiano, I fell in love instantly and that time it was just on the verge of global appeal. It’s global now and still growing and that makes me appreciate it even more! I love it, and the world loves it! The feeling is mutual ! We can all enjoy it together!”
For Tyler ICU, having DJs from the diaspora like Skyla Tylaa engage with Amapiano and its culture is a win for the genre. “This shows the power of the genre–it’s not just a sound, it’s a movement,” he says. “When someone like Skyla, who appreciates the culture and brings her own flavour, plays Amapiano in places like London, New York or Toronto, she’s not just playing music, she’s building bridges. That’s how we grow–by letting the world feel it in their own way, but staying true to where it started. It’s important that the roots are respected, but the branches can reach far.”
Just a couple of weeks since its release, “Bombshell” has crossed over 650,000 thousand views on YouTube and continues to be a sensation on TikTok. Like everything Skyla Tylaa has done up till now in her career, it’s shaping up perfectly and has shown that she has a knack for the right collaborations. She intends to keep making music. “This year, my focus is all about music,” she says. “I recently signed with Robots and Humans (Sony) in the UK and Epic in the US, which has given me a different level of drive to really want to create good music. I’m also looking forward to exploring the Afro-house genre and collaborating with other talented artists.”
The rapper’s decision to embark on a local university tour of this nature could go on to become a...
There’s no denying that OdumoduBlvck’s 2023 mixtape ‘Eziokwu’ established his musical genius. While the half dozen projects that preceded ‘Eziokwu’ almost served as target practice, largely showcasing the early iterations of Okporoko music – his unique melodious rap fusion – it was his major label debut that truly grounded the rapper in Nigeria’s rich Hip-Hop lineage. The album’s far-reaching success culminated in a historic joint tour with fellow 2023 breakout star Shallipopi, which saw the two share the stage across 9 cities in the United States. Similarly, riding the high of his latest mixtape, ‘The Machine Is Coming,’ the Anti-World Gangstar head huncho recently announced a new tour. This time, however, instead of taking his new collection of infectious bangers to stages abroad, the rapper decided to visit different universities across the country for what he calls the ‘Greatest School Tour Ever.’
Touring in Nigeria is a subject that has become somewhat controversial over the last few years, splitting opinions amongst many fans, industry experts, and artists themselves. Back in the mid-2000s to early 2010s, local touring was very much the norm. Platforms like Star Music’s ‘The Trek,’ as well as a few prominent local promoters, enabled some of the biggest names like 2face, Olamide, and M.I to hold annual nationwide tours. These tours included stops in cities like Warri, Makurdi, Owerri and many other places that artists are less likely to visit today. University tours were also popular as they presented an avenue for these artists to connect with their younger audience, who mostly served as the bedrock of their fan base.
The rise of digital streaming platforms, which has partly informed the industry’s rapid evolution over the past decade, coupled with other economic and infrastructural issues, has, however, forced a sharp decline in local touring, making it an almost altruistic endeavour in today’s Nigeria. Afropop gaining global exposure meant that the international market immediately became more viable and lucrative to our biggest stars, and this reshaped their priorities. The extensive, multi-city shows became reserved for diaspora fans, while the local audience, in most cases, are treated to a solitary annual show.
OdumoduBlvck looks to buck this trend with the ‘Greatest School Tour Ever,’ prioritizing his primary audience before tending to those abroad. In truth, the Lagos-born rapper is not the only one who has embarked on this type of tour in recent times. A couple of years ago, UK-based rapper Kida Kudz and Ckay also went on similar campus tours, with the latter making stops at 10 different universities across the country. Llona, one of the breakout stars from last year, is also currently on a nationwide tour coming off the success of his impressive debut album ‘Homeless.’ The ‘Greatest School Tour Ever,’ is however, peculiar and momentous because of its timing and OdumoduBlvck’s standing as one of the biggest names around.
At the recent 17th Headies Awards, the rapper became the latest recipient of the Next Rated award, a highly coveted plaque that’s historically reserved for standout acts whose music defines the zeitgeist at a given period. He received the award just two days after he gave an electrifying performance at Afe Babalola University. His latest mixtape, ‘The Machine Is Coming,’ a precursor to his highly anticipated forthcoming debut, currently sits at the No. 2 spot on the Turntable Top 50 Album charts. It is unheard of in recent times: that the Headies Next Rated act, who has one of the top projects in the country, is on a local university tour. The Abuja-native has, however, shown on numerous occasions that he has never really been one to abide by existing standards. The famous opening lines from his breakout single “Declan Rice” (I can do without their Policy I Know), did not only serve as a message to gatekeepers and naysayers but also as a manifesto that declared his mode of operation going forward.
At the time of this writing, the rapper has only made two stops on his ongoing tour, but his decision to embark on a local tour of this nature already looks to be paying dividends. The first two shows have produced viral clips that capture his star power, the hysteria of his headline shows and his rapidly growing influence, especially amongst younger listeners. The viral clips have already created an increased demand for shows, with many young fans harassing the rapper to add more dates to the tour. With the release of ‘The Machine Is Coming’ and his recent crowning moment at the Headies, it’s safe to assume there’s more attention on him now than ever. While it is, of course, still early days, the rapper’s decision to embark on a local university tour, especially given that he’s currently experiencing a career high, could go on to become a significant moment, one that potentially inspires a shift in the touring landscape in Nigeria.
From working her way out of London’s Myatt’s Field, Tanika is now setting her sights on the bright lights...
Across a career that’s in its second decade, Tanika has proven to be a force in her own right, holding her own on collaborations with Black British stars like Stormzy and Wretch 32, as well as popular record producer Naughty Boy–working with the Grammy-nominated beatmaker on his acclaimed ‘Hotel Cabana’ album.
Following a stint as an actor, she returned to the studio in 2021, releasing a new extended play, ‘333,’ in 2023. The project carried all the hallmarks of Tanika at her tantalising best: lilting cadences, well-paced narratives, a songwriting that reaches for the heart of the matter.
On her latest song, “Fast Fwd,” she’s growing into her own and stepping into a new era. In many ways, “Fast Fwd,” a hypnotic, sultry anthem, is landing just in time for summer revelry. Produced by her longtime collaborator, Naughty Boy, her silky vocals land effortlessly on the mid-tempo instrumental and pulsates with her desire for her love interest.
Joined on the song by her fiancé, Kida Kudz, they make an interesting duo and replicate the synergy they had on “Nobody,” off Kudz’s 2021 ‘Top Memba.’ Distinctively marked by use of neon lights, the video for the song captures the effervescence of romance that Tanika hums about throughout the song.
From working her way out of London’s Myatt’s Field to becoming a star with millions of streams, Tanika is now setting her sights on the bright lights of superstardom. Ahead of the official release of the single, we had a brief chat with Tanika about her career, the influences for “Fast Fwd,” and working with KIda Kudz on it.
Her answers, which follow below, have been lightly edited for clarity.
How would you describe where you are in your career right now?
I’m just enjoying the journey.
What does the release of “Fast Fwd” signify for you?
It signifies love.
Why is Kida Kudz a fit for the song? (
To be honest, we didn’t plan to do another song together. I have worked on two records with him before (“Nobody” and “Tasty Time” ) but we never thought to shoot a video for it.. “Fast Fwd” felt like a real testimony of our present moment in the relationship.
You’ve worked extensively with Naughty Boy and he’s helped with “Fast Fwd,” what’s your relationship like and why does it work?
Naughty Boy knows me very well. We’ve known one another for over 10 years, so he knows what fits me musically. We gel. I think him knowing me and being a fan of Kida’s music made it all work. Naughty Boy does his listening before he makes a beat for you. A lot of producers don’t really understand the importance of knowing the artist musically but he does.
What were you aiming for with the video?
To be honest, I’m aiming for nothing. I’m just enjoying the journey. It’s been a very long road and I know I still have a long way to go.
Catch an exclusive view of “Fast Fwd” below.
