Photo: Youtube
She's a multi-talented rapper and songwriter?
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Sep 02, 2020
Female rappers are coming into their own in the industry.
One such woman whose star is quickly rising is a Nigerian-American woman who first started making waves in 2019 when she performed a stripped-down version of one of her beloved new songs at the Grammys. Since then, she's become a media darling, an industry favorite, and even got co-signed by some of the biggest rappers in the industry.
Who is Chika?
Born Jane Chika Oronika in Montgomery, Alabama, the rapper known simply by her middle name — Chika — first came to prominence in 2017 when she did a "Pride"-themed remix of Ed Sheeran's hit song, "Shape of You." You can take a listen to that here. She subsequently did a freestyle over the Kanye West song, "Jesus Walks," and you can check that out below.
Did Chika write a song for Snoop Dogg?
Perhaps inspired by Lil Nas X, Snoop Dogg and Chika connected over a recent Instagram Live session. Telling Chika he was there to "give her her flowers," he also said that he liked her music (though he was a bit blunter about it), to which Chika said that she was "writing a Black country song" for the legendary "Gin & Juice" rapper. "Make it happen," said Snoop. You can check out their whole exchange below.
Her major label debut got her some Grammy accolades.
Chika dropped Industry Games on March 12, 2020. From there, she earned great industry accolades, including from none other than the Recording Academy, the organization that gives out the Grammy Awards. The Grammys subsequently featured her stripped-down performance of "Balencies," and she said that the song — and the whole EP — was indicative of all she'd gone through in her life up until that point. "You hear me versus my ego on it, and what that sounds like for me to be this soft-spoken person, but having a bigger ego, and having to defend certain words," she said of the EP.
Chika is a member of the XXL Magazine 2020 Freshman Class.
One of the highest accolades a rapper can receive in the industry is to be named as a member of XXL Magazine's Freshman Class. This year, Chika earned the accolade. Other rappers that joined her on the list include Polo G, Lil Tjay, and Lil Keed.
Chika's song was featured in a Netflix film.
Like many rappers today, Chika is multi-faceted, turning to acting when she's not rapping. That's why she has a small part in the Netflix film, Project Power, and her song "My Power," which you can hear above, is also featured in the film.
Cardi B endorses Chika!
One of the biggest stars in the industry, today, is none other than Cardi B, and she too is a fan of Chika's. In an Instagram post, which you can see below, Cardi B enthusiastically endorsed the rising star, and made sure she let everyone know that she knew of her "before she hit the top 40." You can check out her post below.
Chika has a very bright future ahead of her — but make sure you check her out on Project Power, which is streaming on Netflix now.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, photographer, and publicist whose work has been featured in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more.