Life in the Fab Lane

Rapper Nadia Nakai talks about her rise to hip-hop royalty – and why she’s had to block her mom on Instagram.

- Shanaaz Prince

SHE’S a hip-hop heavyweight described as Mzansi’s answer to Nicki Minaj – but just a few months ago she was still asking her mom’s permission to go out at night because she’s a well-brought up young woman who respects her elders.

Yet Nadia Nakai (27) has graduated into the big-girl world now and is fast making a name for herself with her wicked rhymes and A-list collaborations with the likes of Cassper Nyovest, Gemini Major and Riky Rick.

In an all-black ensemble, the Ragga Ragga singer – also known as Bragga – takes some time out of her hectic schedule to tell us how far she’s come.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

Nadia grew up in Eldorado Park and Joburg’s northern suburbs before her family moved to Kenya, where her mother worked in finance for Coca-Cola.

Studying drama at high school helped her tap into her artistic side and develop her love of music. “I started recording myself and I would give out my C Ds at school,” she recalls.

“People would say, ‘You know what, this school thing isn’t for you – music is for you and the arts are for you’, because I wasn’t really great at maths and all that other stuff.”

After high school, she returned to South Africa to study marketing, media and communications at Monash South Africa University in Joburg.

HER BIG BREAK

During her varsity years Nadia often spent time recording music and making mixtapes and music videos at a friend’s makeshift studio. “One day I shot a music video on my phone for my song Wildest Dreams and posted it on YouTube. I still had dreadlocks, I was standing in a corner – it was so stupid!”