Nadia Nakai Kandava (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Dlamini; born 18 May 1990), is a South African-born

Zimbabwean Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Moza ...

rapper and television personality.

Early life and education

Nakai was born in South Africa. Her father is South African and her mother is Zimbabwean. When she was 16 years old, her surname was changed from her father's to her mother's. Nakai attended Fourways High School in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

for a year then finished her schooling in Kenya. She later studied a degree in marketing, communication, and media studies at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

, Johannesburg.

Career

2013–2017: Beginnings and ''Bragga''

Nakai made her first television appearance on the

e.tv e.tv (commonly referred to on-air as e) is the first and only privately owned free-to-air television station in South Africa. It is the fifth terrestrial television channel in the country, following three channels that are operated by the sta ...

hip hop show ''Shiz Niz'' where she won the Mixtape 101 competition, making her the first female to win the competition. She then rose to prominence in September 2013, when she released her debut single "Like Me". The following year, she was featured on the remix of

Riky Rick Rikhado Muziwendlovu Makhado (20 July 1987 23 February 2022), known professionally as Riky Rick, was a South African rapper, singer and producer. He was also the founder and owner of record label Cotton Club Records and a member of Boyz N Buck ...

song, ''Amantombazane'' amongst various acts. As for June 2015, Nakai released her third single "Saka Wena" featuring rapper

Ice Prince Panshak Henry Zamani (born 30 October 1984) better known as Ice Prince Zamani or just Ice Prince, is a Nigerian rapper, hip hop recording artist and actor. He rose to fame after releasing " Oleku", one of Nigeria's most remixed songs of all t ...

, following her second single, "Whatever" featuring DotCom and Psyfo. In August 2016, Nakai pre-released her single "The Man" featuring

Cassper Nyovest Refiloe Maele Phoolo (born 16 December 1990), professionally known as Cassper Nyovest, is a South African rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, record producer and amateur boxer. Born and raised in Mahikeng, North West, he is regarded as one of the ...

from her EP, ''Bragga''. ''Bragga'' was then released on 15 September 2016. In November 2017, Nakai released her critically acclaimed single "Naaa Meaan" featuring Cassper Nyovest. The song topped charts in several radio stations in South Africa. On 4 November 2016, she hosted the red carpet special for MTV Africa at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards.

2017–2020: ''Nadia Naked'', and Def Jam Africa

In 2019, Nakai co-hosted the

MTV Base MTV Base was a British pay television music channel from Paramount Networks UK & Australia that focused primarily on hip hop, R&B, grime, garage, reggae, funk, soul and dance music. It was launched as part of MTV's digital boutique of music ch ...

hip hop show, ''

Yo! MTV Raps ''Yo! MTV Raps'' is an American two-hour television music video program, which first aired on MTV Europe from 1987 to mid-90s and on MTV US from August 1988 to August 1995. The American version of the program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Dough ...

South Africa'' alongside television presenter Siyabonga Ngwekazi. On 3 May 2019, Nakai confirmed that her debut album ''

Nadia Naked ''Nadia Naked'' is the debut album by South African rapper Nadia Nakai. The album was released on June 2, 2019, by Family Tree Records. It features guest appearances by Cassper Nyovest, Khuli Chana, Kwesta, Lady Zamar, Tshego and Stefflon Don. ...

'' would be released on 28 June 2019. On 18 May 2019, "Imma Boss" was released as the third single accompanied by the album's artwork cover. On 15 October 2020, she released a documentary on Showmax about the making of the album ''Nadia Naked''. In May 2020, she signed a record deal with

Def Jam Africa Def Jam Recordings Africa (marketed as Def Jam Africa), is the African division of the international record label Def Jam Recordings. The label is owned by Universal Music Africa, a flagship of Universal Music Group. Founded in 2020, and operatin ...

. At the 6th ceremony of AFRIMA, she took-home Best Female Artist award. She was awarded the most stylish performing artist at the 2020 SA Style Awards.

2021–present: TV shows

In 2021, Nakai hosted the first season of

Channel O Channel O is a South African-based music channel which first started transmission in 1997. Its main concept is African music in Africa and the diaspora. Channel O can be accessed via DStv, a satellite pay TV service for pan-African households. T ...

's ''Gen-Z South Africa'' television show. In June 2021, she left

Family Tree Records Family Tree Media is a South African independent record label established in 2014 by Cassper Nyovest Refiloe Maele Phoolo (born 16 December 1990), professionally known as Cassper Nyovest, is a South African rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, ...

to pursue her own label. At the 2021 South African Hip Hop Awards, Nakai received a nomination for Artist of the Decade. In 2022, Nakai appeared on the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

original reality show ''

Young, Famous & African ''Young, Famous & African'' is a Netflix original first African reality television series, starring African stars Khanyi Mbau, Annie Macaulay-Idibia, Zari Hassan, Diamond Platnumz, Andile Ncube, Swanky Jerry, Naked DJ, Nadia Nakai, Kayleig ...

''.

Influences

Nakai was inspired by a female Kenyan rapper, Nazizi, who she met while she was staying in Kenya. She said that Nazizi influenced her in starting her rapping career.

Awards and nominations

Discography

Studio album

Extended Play

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakai, Nadia Living people 1990 births South African women rappers South African songwriters South African hip hop musicians Monash University alumni South African people of Zimbabwean descent