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Interview: @Nadia_nakai Leaves Family Tree And Focuses On Starting Her New Label

By @Katleho on 07/15/2021 in Interview

Bragga is focused on building her career and breaking bread, never beef.

Award winning hip hop artist, Nadia Nakai recently featured on the final episode of season one of AKA’s docu-series, 'The Braai Show with AKA'. Although this move raised eyeballs considering the longstanding beef between AKA and Cassper Nyovest, Nakai is not moved and is rather focused on building her career- not inheriting nor resolving beef with industry peers. “After I did The Braai Show, we didn’t speak for eight months so I got used to not speaking to him [Cassper Nyovest],” Nakai revealed. 

Whilst many in the industry often choose to take sides whenever there is beef i.e. AKA vs Cassper, Nadia Nakai says her relationship with Cassper Nyovest is still in tact and that whenever she needs help with something, she is always able to reach out to him. This has not stopped audiences from wondering about Nadia Nakai and her team’s close proximity to AKA’s team. She has since ruled out all conspiracy theories about her relationship with AKA and his team thereof, stating that the move was purely about the growth of her career.

“It was a decision I made for myself because I felt like I wanted to expand myself. I think people just felt like [when joining Family Tree] I automatically inherited things he is going through and that it kinda trickled down to me and would affect me as well. Even though he is my brother and I’ll always support him and have his back. I felt like I needed to open up myself a little bit more because I need to be seen as someone who is platonic. He [AKA] is my nigga and he can never disrespect him in front of me. He knows that he can’t go there with me, he can’t disrespect Cass in front of me.”

Watch the full interview here: https://bit.ly/3r9mwJ5

EXCLUSIVE!!! NADIA NAKAI ANNOUNCES LEAVING FAMILY TREE.

Bragga has since left Family Tree, to start her own record label. Standing on your own as a woman, particularly in the music industry, can be daunting but Def Jam Africa artist, Nadia Nakai is up for the challenge. Not releasing music has not deterred her from creating a stable where she can release her music under her own record label. 

I am no longer with The Tree. I am working on my own record label. I need to be able to stand on my own. Funny enough, I was actually scared to tell Cass. Even after I told him, I could feel that he was a bit sad, but we are good. He even suggested a few record label names for me to use.. I will always hold Cass at the highest regard and respect because he’s been very instrumental in my career and my life.”

Though Bragga is yet to name her new record label, she is clear about what she wants to do with it. “I want to be able to get to a point where even when I have kids, I can still work on an artist and actively build their brand. I am a little bit scared but also super excited.”

Focused on breaking and making bread, Bragga has just bagged yet another television gig, this time it’s global. She recently announced her feature in the cast of Africa’s first of its kind, reality series, Young, Famous and African. The Netflix series dives into the lives of major pan- African stars including Bragga, Khanyi Mbau, Andile Ncube, Zari- The Boss Lady, Annie Macaulay Idibia, Diamond Platinumz and the Naked DJ. 

Audiences clearly love seeing Bragga on their screens and it seems this is only the beginning. After bagging a gig on Honey TV’s The Next Big Trender alongisde Khanyi Mbau and Olalekan Olaleye, and being the host of Channel O’s Gen Z with Thato Dithebe, Nadia Nakai is evidently here to make her mark in the global television arena.

“It’s Netflix, it’s global. It’s going to be in quite a few countries and I think I have always just wanted a big footprint in Africa and everywhere else. I think this is going to be quite a big placement for me to be able to tap into that market.”

Previous heartbreaks lead Bragga to Ghana to find love.

As if Bragga doesn’t have enough on her plate to keep her busy, excited, amped and inspired, she has found a new love interest in the American/Ghanaian artist, Victor Kwesi Mensah, popularly known as Vic Mensa. “I had to import because it was bad here [she chuckles]. The South African  guys were disappointing me so I decided to just look outside. A lot of people think that their soulmates are in the country they live in and this might not be the case. Your soulmate might live across the planet.”

The digital era has not only filtrated various industries and aspects of life, it has also become a platform where people can meet love interests and Bragga’s love story is no different. “It all started last year. Vic had taken a musical sabbatical and I have always been his fan. Then he posted a picture on Instagram of him in studio and I commented on the post.. I was with my girls at my crib.. and I think he looked at my profile and then decided to DM.  I lost my mind,” Bragga said whilst blushing.

The Roc Nation artist and activist, Vic Mensa, admired not only Nadia Nakai’s beauty but her musicality too. After listening to a couple of songs, he liked Practice and sent Nakai a verse 4 days later- Nadia Nakai was working on her album, 'Nadia Naked Deluxe'. They continued to communicate through WhatsApp and phone calls and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Nakai is not the only one making international strides on TV screens as Mensa was recently announced to be in a hip hop film based on the late South African rapper, ProKid (Linda Mkhize). Read here: https://bit.ly/3xIT279

Written by Katlego

Watch the full 40 minute 'Backyard Sessions' interview below;

Backyard Sessions

Nadia Nakai Talks Leaving Family Tree, Vic Mensa and Netflix Reality Show

 

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