Namtrap – A Vernac Movement

When T.I. released his debut album “Trap Muzik” in August 2003 nobody could have predicted the influence that this sub-genre would have on the musical universe.  Other MC’s such as Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Three 6 Mafia, Gucci Mane, Swishahouse, Cash Money and Underground Kingz (Bun B and the late Pimp C) were also instrumental in trap music’s global takeover. Today, rap trio Migos are arguably the most influential Trappers on the scene. But what is Trap Music really?

UrbanDictionary.com describes trap music as a sub-genre of Hip-Hop based on the use of the 808 Roland drum machine, pitched and re-sampled rap vocals, pipe flutes, gangsta synth leads, and various FX. It is similar to rap but without the main vocals…

The art-form that started out as a voice for the slums of America’s Dirty South has now trans-navigated the globe. What began in city’s such as Houston (Texas), Miami (Florida) and Atlanta (Georgia) then spread to the East Coast where New York MC’s A$AP Mob adopted the sound. Only once West Coast DJ’s Mustard and Mike WiLL Made-It popularised the sound did trap actually go global. Tracks like Miley Cyrus’ 23(Ft. Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J) and Katy Perry’s Dark Horse (Ft. Juicy J) helped push Trap into the mainstream. Today, there are Trappers the world over; from London to Korea, Japan to Johannesburg, and Windhoek to Edundja.

The Oshiwambo Trap-lord, better known as Po’w the Poet says that music is way cooler when it’s loud. This could explain the sub-genre’s popularity among urban youth. He hails from Edundja in northern Namibia and named his smash single “Edundja-Loo” after his hometown. By rapping mainly in his mother tongue of Oshiwambo, he helped push the movement of vernacular trap to greater heights.

He might not be the first Oshiwambo rapper (following the like of Shikololo, M2DY and Tesh Lavo) but he has influenced Nam-trap by speaking to the average Namibian about everyday Namibian stories in a proudly Namibian language. In so doing, he drew attention and understanding to an often mis-understood genre in Namibia.

His latest single “Transformation” is released under HelpMeRobTheBank Recordings. The single is lifted off his yet to be released debut album Black Belt 2000 and Po’w, and is currently available on SoundCloud and Reverbnation. You can also follow him on Facebook by searching Po’w The Poet – Oshiwambo Trap Lord and @powthepoet on Instagram.

Although Gucci Mane, Take-Off (Migos member) and Cardi-B are his dream features; he is open to working with other Namibian artists representing various genres. When asked what he thinks is wrong with the Namibian Rap Industry, he says – “The Hate! Let’s all just be humble, come together as one, put in that work and cross borders”.

D-Boii aka Mr “!Naka Baguu” does not agree however. The aforementioned MC said that he sees nothing wrong with the state of the rap industry here as everybody is doing their thing the way they want to. Mr. !Naka Baguu enjoyed success with his debut EP The Real Hustle.

“I was never really a vernac rapper till I got my record deal with Street Life Records (formerly TCTL GVNG). All they told me was they wanted to push original Namibian content.” He continued to say that the label already saw him as a vernacular rapper and all that was left was to hit the studio.

He emphasised that he has not really experienced many challenges as a result of rapping in Damara/Nama as he focuses more on the positives in life.

He further elaborated by saying “a lot of the old industry people are amazed by my sound, especially ‘cause it sounds so street, raw and 100% Namibian. That has opened a lot of doors for me…”

The popular MC, who dreams of someday working with Erna Chimu, Shikololo and Tshego, dreams of owning his own radio station and setting up a school of music in his hometown of Usakos.

His latest video “Katch The Wave” featuring Kwxme Sankxrra is available on YouTube and is lifted of his still to be released debut album Indigo Invasion – Rise of the Delta Generation. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @therealdboii.

Other well-known Nama/Damara Mc’s include John Gregorious and Femcee GB (Ghetto Ballerina) who released /Ubate in 2015.

Wamboes Be Like also caught up with the Ovi-trap Chief Nga-i. The inspirational Otjiherero Trapster says that his people inspired him to do music in his mother tongue. “I felt like something Big was happening and that the only way was for them to relate to it.” He continued to say that his love for African culture also inspired him as “Ovi-trap added a life spin to African music in the modern world.”

He feels that there is a lack of focus and ambition among Namibian rappers today. Clearly he suffers from neither a lack of focus or ambition, as he has released 8 Mixtapes to date. He persevered and only gained recognition when he dropped “Kurama” of his debut album Ovi-trap Chief in 2017.

“In terms of challenges, it’s always been a thing of who has ever seen a Namibian Musician make it? Especially in Hip-Hop and Trap at that. So when I came through with Trap in Herero it was just unheard of. The best thing is that it worked and now I’m a legend. I’m a living testament to faith for every young person or anyone with a dream.”

He hopes to work with Alicia Keys, Kanye West and Future one day. Imagine that? Alicia Keys and Future on the hook, Kanye dropping a mean 808 inspired trap beat and Nga-i slaying 2 verses, 16 bars each. Mind-blowing right?

Often we forget to give back to the communities that raised us, but not this humble young man. Nga-i says that if he had N$ 1 million in the bank today he would split it into quarters and spend it on life skills camps for the youth, fund young musicians albums and videos, expose and discover talent via talent shows and lastly he would build toilets in less developed areas.

Vernacular rap is becoming so popular that even predominantly English MC’s are releasing more and more vernacular music. E.g. Femcee Lioness released a track called “Dreams” which is mainly in Oshiwambo and the video has in excess of 14 000 YouTube views to date.

Music is universal. It crosses borders and transcends cultures, religions and languages. This is not a Herero, Damara or Oshiwambo thing. It is about embracing diversity while staying true to oneself in a post 2K world. How better to speak to our fellow Namibians than in a language they understand? How better to promote our Namibian heritage than through our various mother-tongues? Long-Live the Land of the Brave!

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