Adelaide rapper, singer and producer Elsy Wameyo has dropped a riveting new single, ‘Nilotic’.
Named for the Kenyan tribes the Nairobi-born artist hails from, ‘Nilotic’ features silky production by Wameyo herself, as well as confident lyrics that both cement her self-worth and question the societal structures that would try to tear her down.
The song is matched with an opulent and colourful video, directed by Wameyo in collaboration with Richard Coburn, that sees her perform the song across different settings in different outfits, from traditional garb on a sunny hillside to a pantsuit in a neon-lit office.
Watch the video for ‘Nilotic’ below.
In a press statement, Wameyo said the song arrived during her “search of the missing link”.
“I dug deep attempting to dismantle what the world had so cruelly constructed,” she said.
“With all my irritation, confusion and fury I began to write out a game plan. Claiming back what the enemy had stolen. Ota Benga. Trayvon Martin. George Floyd. My heart wept until it couldn’t anymore. But as I remembered our mothers, I didn’t dare to drop another tear. Who am I?”
‘Nilotic’ marks Wameyo’s second offering of 2021 so far, having released the soulful, pop-tinged ‘Time Flies’ back in January. It was released on the label Music In Exile, which has also released music by Gordon Koang and Mindy Meng Wang, among others.