Brooklyn rapper Nappy Nina creates sharp and tender contemporary rap in a field between poetry, jazz, and atmospheric beats. The flow is precise, calm, and gently conversational – like talking to a good friend. On the acclaimed debut album “Mourning Due,” she delves into subjects such as grief, family relationships, and Black queer experiences, establishing herself as one of the most exciting contemporary figures in alternative hip-hop that refuses to be confined by categories. Local rapper CHIEF is added to the lineup.

Nappy Nina has carved out a distinctive niche within contemporary hip-hop. Her storytelling skills and conversational but precise flow have seen the MC collaborate widely over the course of a young career, with figures ranging from hip-hop veterans such as Quelle Chris and Stas Thee Boss to DIY and avant-garde musicians such as Moor Mother.

Growing up in Oakland, she soaked up the confident sounds of the thriving West Coast hip-hop scene of the 1990s and made associations with writers and poets in the Bay Area and in the slam poetry community. After moving to New York in 2012, she quickly made a host of connections with the hip-hop scene in Brooklyn, including a close relationship with Nelson Mandela, whom she met on the street. She released a debut EP Naptime in 2015 and extended a lineage of jazz in her family (a broadcaster father-in-law, a musician grandfather) when she toured with Oakland trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire in 2019, a year that also saw the release of her debut album The Tree Act. In the years that followed, she has released music with producers JWords (Double Down) and Bandela (Really Good), among others.

Her talent for observational detail and evoking inner states with her wordplay have seen her address issues including family relationships, mental health, and the Black queer experience in her music. Her new album Mourning Due addresses the experience of grief and is released by the Lucid Haus label, of which she is the co-founder.

CHIEF
CHIEF is an act on the experimental music scene that you have to keep an eye on. The East African-Danish artist, who has been freestyle rapping since the age of 14, was discovered on her secret Instagram profile where she shared her rap videos. Since then, things have been happening for CHIEF, who has collaborated with names such as Okello, Alvarado, and Olivia Lincoln and put out several releases, including the debut single “Gutter Intelligence”. Be prepared when CHIEF takes the stage with 90s-inspired hip-hop and unambiguous political messages.