Rapper Snazzy reclaims spotlight with ‘Slay’

After more than 16 years away from the music scene, Namibian rapper and songstress Loise ‘Snazzy’ Shilongo has returned.

Her latest single is titled ‘Slay’, and she describes it as the starting point of a whole new chapter in her career.

Speaking to The Namibian last week, Snazzy said: “I’ve always had this creative energy that has never left me. Music has always been part of who I am, and there comes a point when you just can’t suppress it any longer.”

As a child, she says she was captivated by literature and poetry, which naturally led her to start writing poems at the age of 11.

“When I was starting to get into hip-hop, I remember being amazed about how rappers just played with words, kept rhyming, and sometimes told stories through their rhymes. It intrigued me,” she says.

At the age of 13, Snazzy wrote ‘Say My Name’, which later became one of her hits.

She recorded it at 16 and went on to win several local awards, among them a nomination at the Kora Awards.

“It was unreal how people keep remembering and sing along to ‘Say My Name’,” she says.

The artist has also built a name for herself in the fashion world.

Snazzy became Miss Windhoek Technical High School at the age of 16, and later second princess in the Miss Teen Namibia competition.

“I was inspired by my mother, who in her time did some modelling. She urged me to get into modelling, which helped build my confidence a great deal,” she says.

“The fashion industry influenced my style and presentation, particularly on stage.”

She says her early years saw her wearing baggy jeans and oversized T-shirts.

“But the fashion industry opened me up to different styles. It helped me embrace a more feminine and stylish look,” she says.

With ‘Slay’, Snazzy says she is entering a new phase in her career.

“I’m not just a rapper, I’m an artist,” she says.

“I sing also, and this time, I’m not placing myself in the hip-hop box. I want to show people the full spectrum of my creativity.”

‘Slay’ is a two-minute song about Snazzy re-entering the music industry, she says.

The song was produced by Namibia’s Mr Glo and mastered by Vtek The Awesome, a sound engineer from Nigeria, who has won multiple Grammy Awards in the past.

The video was created by Ace Daniels from Uganda, while the production work was done by Ogopa Butterfly in Namibia.

Snazzy’s influence in the video’s styling also shines through, showcasing her strong connection to both music and fashion, she says.