There are men who swear by the sweat on their foreheads that she's 'hotter than the Sahara' and they're referring to none other than 'Stella Stella Stella' rapper, Stella Mwangi, stage name STL.
Norwegian-Kenyan rapper and songwriter, Stella Nyamburu Mwangi, is genuinely good at writing lyrics and she can rap a tooth out of a jaw. Born in Kenya, raised in Norway, this 27-year old has had her fair share of how rough life can be on the fringe of mainstream society, and had to deal with among others, social rejection (discrimination) and the unexpected passing of her beloved father in a car accident, last year. He had been responsible for keeping the Kikuyu spirit of Kenya alive in his daughter's heart, while they braced themselves against the colder northern climes of Scandinavia, with the consequence that Stella today closely identifies with her African heritage.
"I'm a sexy motherfucker, go and ask your brother..." (lyrics from 'Stella Stella Stella')
Stella's debut album 'Living for Music' dropped in 2008 and typical of all debut albums, the title is extremely honest. Those few words on an album cover often encapsulate the very essence of a new musician's subconscious drive, motivation, inspiration and Stella's is no different. 'Living for Music' is Stella's coping mechanism, her interpretation of her world, she draws strength from hip hop, depth from rhythm and now has her own unique dimension in time and space.
While her rise to fame in Africa was stellar, no pun intended, her home country of Norway has yet to embrace the brilliance of this star, even though her 2011 song, 'Haba Haba' won the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest. She is no longer an outsider on the global stage, she's no longer 'different', there's a broader audience for her sound. This daughter of the Diaspora has arrived in style, all angles, sharp edges, chip-on-the-shoulder and smiling brilliantly, to the point that even in the USA, admirers of her hip hop lyrics, style and music are shouting 'encore'.
And out of a Pandora's box of Scandinavian influences and impressions coupled with the longing for his African homeland in her father's voice, Mwangi delivered 'Stella Stella Stella' in 2012, the year of her father's passing. But...what's so wonderful about Stella Mwangi? What makes her different? Besides a fantastic timbre in her voice, Stella Mwangi has an unmistakable 'edge', a certain kind of 'knowledge' almost and it's apparent; something's hurt, something's fixed, coping and surviving, 'won't get angry', a style and approach so carefully controlled and typically European. Even though she presents herself as an African artist, I'll say this carefully and with the utmost respect, she absolutely smells like sophisticated 'Big Foreign City' and it's unavoidable given her background.
Mwangi no longer sports a tan-coloured hairdo as she did in the 'Stella Stella Stella' video, and opted for a stylishly shaven head instead. She continues to reach out to Africa, looking, labeling herself, searching for deeper meaning to her existence, embracing Africa's incredible array of social diversity and making sincere efforts with cultural immersion, even though her own society is Norwegian. She deserves a sound round of applause for coming of age with the hip hop hit 'Stella Stella Stella' because Stella Mwangi has a voice and message for all of us, especially Africans living, born and raised in the Diaspora.
Norwegian-Kenyan rapper and songwriter, Stella Nyamburu Mwangi, is genuinely good at writing lyrics and she can rap a tooth out of a jaw. Born in Kenya, raised in Norway, this 27-year old has had her fair share of how rough life can be on the fringe of mainstream society, and had to deal with among others, social rejection (discrimination) and the unexpected passing of her beloved father in a car accident, last year. He had been responsible for keeping the Kikuyu spirit of Kenya alive in his daughter's heart, while they braced themselves against the colder northern climes of Scandinavia, with the consequence that Stella today closely identifies with her African heritage.
"I'm a sexy motherfucker, go and ask your brother..." (lyrics from 'Stella Stella Stella')
Stella's debut album 'Living for Music' dropped in 2008 and typical of all debut albums, the title is extremely honest. Those few words on an album cover often encapsulate the very essence of a new musician's subconscious drive, motivation, inspiration and Stella's is no different. 'Living for Music' is Stella's coping mechanism, her interpretation of her world, she draws strength from hip hop, depth from rhythm and now has her own unique dimension in time and space.
While her rise to fame in Africa was stellar, no pun intended, her home country of Norway has yet to embrace the brilliance of this star, even though her 2011 song, 'Haba Haba' won the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest. She is no longer an outsider on the global stage, she's no longer 'different', there's a broader audience for her sound. This daughter of the Diaspora has arrived in style, all angles, sharp edges, chip-on-the-shoulder and smiling brilliantly, to the point that even in the USA, admirers of her hip hop lyrics, style and music are shouting 'encore'.
And out of a Pandora's box of Scandinavian influences and impressions coupled with the longing for his African homeland in her father's voice, Mwangi delivered 'Stella Stella Stella' in 2012, the year of her father's passing. But...what's so wonderful about Stella Mwangi? What makes her different? Besides a fantastic timbre in her voice, Stella Mwangi has an unmistakable 'edge', a certain kind of 'knowledge' almost and it's apparent; something's hurt, something's fixed, coping and surviving, 'won't get angry', a style and approach so carefully controlled and typically European. Even though she presents herself as an African artist, I'll say this carefully and with the utmost respect, she absolutely smells like sophisticated 'Big Foreign City' and it's unavoidable given her background.
Mwangi no longer sports a tan-coloured hairdo as she did in the 'Stella Stella Stella' video, and opted for a stylishly shaven head instead. She continues to reach out to Africa, looking, labeling herself, searching for deeper meaning to her existence, embracing Africa's incredible array of social diversity and making sincere efforts with cultural immersion, even though her own society is Norwegian. She deserves a sound round of applause for coming of age with the hip hop hit 'Stella Stella Stella' because Stella Mwangi has a voice and message for all of us, especially Africans living, born and raised in the Diaspora.
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