Ney The Bae is a triple threat: a multimedia powerhouse, an avant-garde fashion icon, and a masterful, full-package hip-hop artist. Juxtaposing the genre’s female archetypes, Ney is neither the superficial femme fatale with a knack for pithy one-liners, nor the battle-rap tomboy vetted by the guys on the block. Instead, she blurs those lines to her own benefit, leading with an edgy personality established well before the arrival of her long-awaited extended play, VUKA.
A melting pot of bona fide artistry, the nine-track record sees Ney emerge as a first-rate song maker, crafting cautionary tales as easily as club gyrators and flex anthems. The cathartic vulnerability, and twerk-team feminism she practised with earlier releases is perfected on VUKA. It is a well-crafted kaleidoscope of rap versatility that feels premeditated, yet casual.
Not one for small talk, Ney kicks off the extended play with bravado and provocative raps in her lead single ‘ITCHING’, enlisting the help of rap superstar Maglera Doe Boy. The track’s trap-influenced beat gives her ample space to fire reams of insults and flexes while affirming her supremacy. Wordplay is customary on the rap song with Ney spitting bars such as “Khathaz’ abaningi njengo number 9 we City” (I’m as problematic as Manchester City’s number 9) – a witty reference to English Premier League sensation, Erling Haaland.
Expectedly, baddie anthem mainstays are a large composition of VUKA, with the marvellous feat boasting baby-doll backing vocals led by hard-hitting rapping, skittering drums, and thundering bass. The other single ‘SIMON SAYS’ is a testament to the ‘I am HER’ splendour that permeates the entire project.
The EP is largely devoid of melody, presumably because Ney doesn’t need to sing to emote. She has an intuitive sense of when to throttle flows for emphasis, as on ‘110’, which is full of tiny pauses that set up her punchlines. Nonetheless, the multifaceted artist gives us a glimpse of her melodic side on ‘BREATHE’ and ‘GMLB’ featuring Sauwcy, proving that her musicality knows no bounds.
Ney’s rhapsodic enunciation and carefree lyrical quips on ‘INSTAGRAM’, featuring Roiii, boast an ultra-modern style of rap. With pop culture references such as ‘getting a BBL’ and ‘dripping in designer’, the song appeals to a more mainstream hip-hop audience. Braggadocio takes centre stage with Ney rapping: “I put 14 grand in my teeth, it’s money when I spell.”
Ney’s music – from her sensational debut single ‘INGWE’ to her more recent offerings is perfunctory, and that’s what sets her apart from her peers. Her disinterest in using tune-smithery to propel long-term replay value is affirmed on the eclectic track ‘DEADLY’ featuring SuperCye. The heavy bass-infused tune flirts with elements of Drill music, alluding to Ney’s flair for sonic experimentation.
VUKA is neatly concluded with ‘AWAKEN OUTRO’, which boasts somber instrumental loops. Veering from the EP’s modus operandi, the outro explores Ney’s psyche, lacing her signature braggadocio and powerhouse defiance with vulnerability and regret. The muso opens up about her pregnancy, which was her best-kept secret until recently. The rapper gets candid about the fractured relationship between herself and the father of her child by rapping “He ain’t even got the balls to call and check on his daughter / Instead he out here chasing other people’s daughters.”
Despite the raw vulnerability expressed in her ‘AWAKEN OUTRO’, one thing remains consistent in Ney’s verbiage: she is the rightful heir to the throne and music is her destiny. The production of the EP is sumptuous and varying. A record daring enough to produce the buzzing ‘INSTAGRAM’, the R&B-infused ‘BREATHE’, and the quiet prowler ‘KUNINGI’ – VUKA doesn’t shy away from sonic diversity, delivering hugely satisfying payoffs.
With nine songs spanning under half an hour, the extended play leaves no room for sagging and sets a new bar on multiple levels, with Ney seamlessly broadening her sound and solidifying her star power. VUKA is both brazen and vulnerable, filled with wild amounts of personality, distinct style, and most notably – evolution.
Listen to VUKA:
