Natasha Beckley, more commonly known as Swadu is an African female hip hop artist from Freetown, Sierra Leone. She is widely known for promoting the duality of authentic femininity as well as the grittiness of a woman. Through her music she pushes confidence through her unapologetic attitude. She has had many opportunities that have had her in the limelight making positive changes, especially for young Sierra Leonean girls.
Since Swadu has been out as a female hip hop artist she has come out with one studio album called “Freetown the Recipe” that dropped in 2021. She has made other singles and has been featured on other projects. Most recently she has come out with a single called “Archu” that dropped in September of 2023.
In her single “Archu” she uses that opportunity to basically say what she is worth. She uses it as an outlet for the things that she has experienced but also says why she works as hard as she does. She uses visuals that put her in an authoritative position, thus reflecting the type of imprint she wants to have on the industry. She plays into the braggadocious culture of hip hop by constantly making references to her skill in the rap game. This persona is something that is consistent with who she is. It is an accurate reflection of the hip hop scene. In her visuals for her single “Archu” the previously stated duality of femininity and toughness is highlighted. Through the intentional choices like girl associated activities pay tribute to the very feminine activities like doing makeup or color schemes with the pinks, purples, and other pastel colors. At the same time, Swadu is seen throughout this whole video alone speaking her truth. This is a reflection of the independent nature that she has as a person and especially as a hip hop artist.
Swadu has made a name for herself just as hip hop as a genre intended artist to do. There are many stereotypes placed on artists. I do like seeing the confidence that women show in the hip hop game especially because it is heavily male-dominated. She has stepped up and made herself stand out in the African hip hop scene. I am interested to see how she chooses to impact her community through her music.
