What I love about this song is the mashup of Kiswahili, Luo, Luhya and English in the lyrics. The beat sounded like something I’d heard before. It reminded me of Chineke Meh by Ezi Emela. This being the first I’d heard of Rosa, I sought her tracks on YouTube to get an understanding of what her style is. The result? It’s difficult to describe her exact genre. I like it when it’s difficult to categorize an artist because it means its a surprise each time you hear them. But then she could also be trying to find her voice as an artist hence the constantly changing sound.
In ‘Inside’, she teams up Naiboi, popular for his collaboration with Everlast and Kristoff in Gudi Gudi, who raps in the second verse. Listening to Rosa singing the bridge in Luo is the sexiest thing I’ve heard this year. Absolute eargasm! The song is produced by Jegede of Pacho Entertainment. It’s a cool song, a lot of heavy bass in the beat making it great for when you want to chill…and roll one maybe?
The lyrics tell the story of a pair of love birds who, despite what everyone says about their relationship, are prepared to protect their love and be there for each other. The visuals are great, shot by VjOne. They switch from Naiboi to Rosa and back. It’s quite minimalist which lets you focus on the lyrics and the vocals. Check out Rosa’s other work on YouTube, my favorite being ‘Rudi Nyumbani’
The verdict? Inside is lit!