Getting to know the queen of the GB base before her big moment.
Sensational rapper Ghettoballerina is set to rock Namibia with new music and a brand new album. This Friday the musician who has taken the industry by storm, will host a listening session with the press and the public at The Kitchen Restaurant between 18:00 and 19:00 after which she sets off for Chopsi’s bar where she will premiere her latest music video followed by a performance. Her latest album on sale at The Kitchen as well as some few other goodies.
Who is Ghettoballerina?
With 14-years of training in classical ballet under her belt, it was in Moscow City where her love for hip-hop was ignited.
“Basically I switched the tutus for the mic and the rest is history,” she said.
Multifaceted, by day she works as a veterinarian, constantly expressing her love for animals through her healing hands.
“Being a vet is basically something automatic for me because I have an undying love for my furry friends. I am a registered veterinarian yes but also an independent artist in my own right. right. I think because I was able to juggle the arts and school, then music and university…it was basically automatic to be able to balance being a vet and an artist,” she says about doing it all.
Her new album is titled Chronicles of Ghettoballerina and is a project that she has been working on since early 2016.
“A gradual process of creating a craft that I wanted to reflect who I am as a person in all different aspects of my being. Being a mother, daughter, sister, doctor, friend and the list is endless. It’s just a feel-good album that I feel caters to everyone at different times of their life,” she says of the album.
While the project doesn’t offer a lot of collaborations, there are some exciting artistic unions. The album reflects on a number of issues, including mental health and GBV.
“The world is at a place now where some of the most important fundamentals are being overshadowed. Mental health, Gender Based Violence are one of the most impactful media reads we get on a day today. I didn’t necessarily want to preach and be in people’s faces but I managed to leave a message or two for people going through situations that they feel they have no control over. We need to be able to take care of each other. Music heals and I honestly want people to be able to relate to what I have created, she explains.
On her stage name, she says everyone always say that being a Ghetto Ballerina is one of the strangest combinations because its two different worlds. “I am a product of a classical art that I fell in love with at the tender age of five but I was always exposed to hip-hop as well. My dad used to bring LPs from abroad. I had people like 2pac, Notorious, BIG, Queen, Latifah, TLC, Naughty By nature…. the list is endless, playing on a day to day basis. So what I’m basically trying to say is as much as I was on my tip toes, I managed to always have an ear out for the rap game but it only became a realization when I stepped foot in Moscow in 2010, she explains.
