In the past few years, Nigerian women in music continue to make remarkable inroads to the summit of the charts. Whether they are waxing lyrical to common experiences we share as Black African women, decentering the male gaze in their music or sticking it up to the naysayers, more and more women are coming into the industry unabashedly on their own terms.

SGaWD, the Nigerian rapper with fierce bars and diary-like ruminations is cutting her cloth as one of the most exciting female acts today. Since her debut on the scene back in 2019 through powerful anthems such as “Are You Dumb (WTF)” and feel-good cuts such as “Feel Alright,” the rapper has contoured her shape-shifting voice around poignant intimate and relatable stories for women. Her latest effort “Boytoy” reinforces her soft but commanding charisma, revealing a woman of words over action who isn’t afraid to talk her shit.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Seddy 💕🧜‍♀️ (@sgawd01)

If the title wasn’t already clear enough, SGaWD is only here for a good time. She leads in the Tochi Bedford-produced track with rhythmic adlibs and the brazen admission, “Girls like me, you know we like sex.” The futuristic bounce lays a foundation for her catchy and memorable verse as she smoothly glides over the intoxicatingly jovial beat. She reinforces the premise that women like sex and can get this when and how they want, on their own terms.

As the track builds, so also does SGaWD’s vocals fasten the beat, as she emphasises the importance of keeping her head in the game. “Get litty, get paid that’s commandment number 1/This is time to hussle, this is time to have the fun,” she quips. While chanting about what she wants and when she wants it, SGaWD also delves into affirmations and advice for herself and her listeners sounding like a friend on the other end of the phone. It’s become increasingly clear that SGaWD has been sharpening her pen game while retaining the raw elements that attracted audiences to her music.

“Boytoy,” serves as the first promotional single off the rapper’s forthcoming EP which is slated for release some time this year. Talking about the sophomore release, her management led by Seunfunmi Tinuby share that the project is “the culmination of a lot of sonic explorations between Lagos and London that will allow her to showcase her range in a much broader way than her debut project. With elements of House, EDM, Afropop, Bashment and more, the focus is less on any specific genre or sound but rather creating authentic music that speaks to SGaWD’s core mission: to make her listeners feel good!”

Listen to “Boytoy” here.

Featured Image Credits/