New Artist Spotlight: Trap Artist Nana Bangz Could Be the Next Big Name in Rap [Video]

Hip hop and rap appear to be at a crossroads in current years. The single-verse mumble rappers of the mid-to-late 2010s appear to be falling off, and the style has cut up into two camps: the clean, 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 considered one of them.

With a completely 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 large efficiency persona. With her first singles out in 2018, it appears Nana got here out of the gate swinging, with a well-developed fashion and a capability to wind her verses round the beat with a proficiency that takes many artists many years. From her intro brag observe known as “Show Me Love” setting a powerful baseline, issues solely bought higher from there as Nana proceed to hone her craft. From 2021’s “Free Britney” by means of the 15 or so tracks she’s launched in 2022 and 2023, Nana continued to showcase her various fashion and mastery of the mic.

Nana’s first observe of 2024 is “Alive,” one other instance of her means to modify types and create all forms of verse, even inside one observe. Channeling the aggression of Lady of Rage with the occasion acumen and dusky vocal timbre or Foxy Brown, “Alive” sees Nana switching from clean verse fashion to indignant and heavy to whip-fast lyrics all in 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 considered one of Nana’s most aggressive lyrical assaults to-date bangs out round it. It’s clear the distinction is in function, with the juxtaposition of the melodic music serving to spotlight the heaviness of the verse.

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, considered one of the most compelling arguments for her love of hip hop and dedication to her craft is in a video from final yr of her road efficiency in New Orleans. With her music movies being so stylized, this efficiency video with nothing greater than a drummer for backing reveals not solely Nana’s superb efficiency expertise however her real love for the verse. Anyone with that mush ardour and expertise is a star wherever they go.

“Alive” is out now and could be streamed on Spotify. Check out the video for her latest observe, “Yay, Energy!” on Nana Bang’z’s YouTube channel.