Hip hop and rap appear to be at a crossroads in recent times. The one-verse mumble rappers of the mid-to-late 2010s appear to be falling off, and the style has cut up into two camps: the graceful, stylized verse barons like Jack Harlow who name again to the golden age of rap a’la Snoop Dogg, and the super-fast Mac Miller followers like Megan Thee Stallion who’re articulate and exact however with rather less swag. A choose few rappers can do each; Nana Bangz is one in every of them.
With a totally late 90s aesthetic and channeling Lil’ Kim power on steroids, Nana’s verses are about as tight as they arrive and her freestyle sport matches her big efficiency persona. Together with her first singles out in 2018, it appears Nana got here out of the gate swinging, with a well-developed type and a capability to wind her verses across the beat with a proficiency that takes many artists a long time. From her intro brag monitor referred to as “Present Me Love” setting a formidable baseline, issues solely obtained higher from there as Nana proceed to hone her craft. From 2021’s “Free Britney” by way of the 15 or so tracks she’s launched in 2022 and 2023, Nana continued to showcase her numerous type and mastery of the mic.
Nana’s first monitor of 2024 is “Alive,” one other instance of her capacity to change types and create all varieties of verse, even inside one monitor. Channeling the aggression of Woman of Rage with the social gathering acumen and dusky vocal timbre or Cunning Brown, “Alive” sees Nana switching from easy verse type to offended and heavy to whip-fast lyrics all within the house of a few minute. On high of that, the manufacturing for “Alive” is sort of totally different, with a classical string pattern floating over the beat as one in every of Nana’s most aggressive lyrical assaults to-date bangs out round it. It’s clear the distinction is in goal, with the juxtaposition of the melodic music serving to spotlight the heaviness of the verse.
Together with her strong vocals, vocabulary and verse, it appears solely a matter of time earlier than Nana Bangz is found for the expertise she is, however that doesn’t appear to matter to the born pure rapper. A musician to the core, one of the compelling arguments for her love of hip hop and dedication to her craft is in a video from final yr of her avenue efficiency in New Orleans. Together with her music movies being so stylized, this efficiency video with nothing greater than a drummer for backing exhibits not solely Nana’s wonderful efficiency abilities however her real love for the verse. Anybody with that mush ardour and expertise is a star wherever they go.
“Alive” is out now and will be streamed on Spotify. Take a look at the video for her latest monitor, “Yay, Vitality!” on Nana Bang’z’s YouTube channel.
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