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NATIVE MAG, NYLON MAG & MANY MORE
GUAP MAG
#GUAP30 ‘A GREAT DAY IN LDN’ : 23 ARTISTS PUSHING THE BOUNDS OF THE UK’S SONIC LANDSCAPE
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by Shenell Kennedy
The UK is in the midst of a musical renaissance. Not only can we hear it, but we can see it and we can feel it. Artists are shunning labels and pushing for more independence and autonomy over their work, refusing to be boxed in and experimenting with genres, embracing rebelliousness and youth – there’s unwavering authentic energy behind the people, the places, the clothes and the sounds. This wave is being pushed by the few tapping into the inherent parts of themselves and their art that may not be celebrated by the mainstream. Effortlessly breaking down borders and boundaries by creating free of the bounds of past expectations.
#GUAP30 is an ode to those people and documentation of this moment. The people contributing to and leading the wave of everything new, innovative and authentic within music and beyond. This image is the amalgamation of the minds of upcoming designers, videographers, stylists, photographers and musicians. Music may be at the forefront but there is a story behind every item of clothing, every location, every person behind the scenes – all coming together to champion the future.
NATIVE MAG
Born Adeola Oni, Nigerian female rapper DEELA has been listening to rap music for as long as she can remember. Before there was ever known as DEELA, young Adeola had been intrigued by the process of making rap music. As a pop culture fan who grew up with curious eyes and ears while glued to channels like MTV, taking in the various aspects of the craft of making music.
Rappers were pivotal to the early formation of DEELA and she listened to a melange of raconteurs from the Bronx to Victoria Island, Lagos. She tells me that she was exposed to these two different styles of rap music from an early age because of her family. While she would hear common names such as M.I, Naeto C, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and more around her, DEELA was concerned that she wasn’t hearing rap music from women who looked, talked and behaved like her.
DUMMY MAG
Rounding off what has been a successful year for the British-Nigerian rapper so far, DEELA shares her anticipated new project ‘DONE DEEL’. A steady drip of singles have already showcased the fiery nature of the rapper’s work, diving into themes such as promiscuity, ex-lovers and empowerment with an unapologetic style bubbling with confidence and attitude. Now, the teenager is back like never before.
Delivering her razor-sharp bars over a range of beats, from trap and drill to classical violin-inspired sounds on ‘heart (interlude)’, the 19-year-old steps into her spy-like alter ego “Agent DEELA” to reveal her inner-thoughts and raw emotions.
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NYLON MAG
This whispery bad b*tch anthem from young Nigerians is great for subtle flex.
NATIVE MAG
This accelerated number suits its title, DEELA is a Lagos born rapper who is unapologetic about her demeanour. In “Trapstar” she tears bar for bar, fusing Trap and Drill with braggadocious lyrics about sex and dominance. She raps, “My belly full still got some room for these lame bitches who testing me, but can’t pass a test at school,” audaciously speaking her mind without filter. The lyrically talented DEELA also dubs “Trapstar” as an entrance into her Trap twenties.
DUMMY MAG
Born in Lagos, but based in London, the 20-year-old has quickly established a unique brand of UK-influenced trap, serving her hedonistic bars of sex, rage and power with an unflinching girl-boss attitude. DEELA has previously rapped about the scepticism she faced when entering the music industry and has made it her mission to prove her doubters wrong – a task she has been accomplishing with each new release so far.
NATIVE MAG
Nigerian-born UK-based rapper DEELA released her latest mixtape, ‘DONE DEEL’ to incredible fanfare last year. The tape which featured fan favourites such as “FIT” and “GET A GRIP”, a track which sees the artist spitting fiery bars over a bouncy and catchy beat. Now, she’s expanding the visual world around the project with the release of her debut music video for “GET A GRIP,” its lead single. Arriving today, the video of the track sees the artist partying with a group of friends, getting drunk and having a great time, while she sings her lyrics in a colourful party scene.
HYPE NEWS NG
A closer look into DEELA. A series of questions that gives us better insights into DEELA's world.
The Daisy Adams Show
EAR MILK
Emerging Nigeria-born, UK-based rapper DEELA caught our ears a while back with her vibrant single "FIT' in 2021. This song was followed up by the sensual visuals for "GET A GRIP", which came out earlier this year. After some months prepping herself, she now returns with a double release. The singles "anyways/whatchu mean" are two distinct songs that showcase DEELA's unapologetic and carefree style. The first cut "anyways" is underpinned by a dreamy synth-driven bouncy soundscape and her stream of consciousness flow. She weaves through the grooves effortlessly changing her cadence at will while discarding the social constraints that try to box her in.
THE DAISY ADAMS SHOW
Manchester’s rising queen of beats and bars DEELA joins Daisy Adams for this fortnightly Raise The Bar, a touch point of all the best rap music coming out of the city.
During the show, they discuss her new EP ‘Done Deel’, her latest release which is an eleven-track body of work.
After starting her musical journey in 2020, DEELA’ s fanbase has started to flourish after she continued posting of singles on Soundcloud during quarantine.
Her style is sassy, explicit and unequivocally true to herself. Rapping about all the feels and serving up a fresh female attitude in the Mancunian music sphere.
NATIVE MAG
by The Native
Last year, newcomer DEELA released her debut self-titled EP, a move that was widely celebrated at the time for introducing Hip-Hop lovers to a new girl rapper with the iciest bars. For her first official single this year, she’s linked up with frequent collaborator and fellow newcomer, Tblu for a sensual new number titled “Fit” which will certainly bode well on your weekend party playlists.
Luckily for me after I listened to the music, the question on my lips over the weekend was ‘who is Deela and where has she been all my life?’. Armed with a voice that demands you to stop and listen when she spits, DEELA delivered a succinct and clever introduction to her world through the release of her self-titled debut, that she describes as being created ‘for fun’. If her single “The Game” shows anything, it’s that DEELA’s pen game is anything but ‘just for fun’.