Female rapper Naya Ali is feeling blessed. As I sit across from her, she is glowing. She’s ready for her spotlight as she grew up in Ethiopia and then settled in Montreal, Canada. She’s ready to break in the United States with her ferocious rhymes and beats. She is most noted for her first two albums: More Life, Less Names and Godspeed: Elevated.
“My live shows are one of the areas where I shine the most and where I can connect with people face to face and in real time and make real fans. One of the strategies is to secure a relationship with a booking agency here in New York City so I can further have live shows here in New York City,” she states.
I sat down with the budding emcee to see where she fits into today’s hip hop scene, how Lauryn Hill was inspiration to her, and talk up her third new studio album.
About twenty years ago there were not a lot of female emcees out there. Now the market is flooded. Thoughts?
I look at Lauryn Hill too—she stood out and just by that one album she became legendary. For me, I’m not too focused on breaking in as female. I make the best art and music that I can possibly can. I want to connect with as many people as I possibly can and give value to people’s lives. I want to give more light into the world through my music and through inspiration. Not just positivity, but showing the yin and the yang, balance and creating human connection in people. I think that goes beyond gender.
Was Lauryn Hill an inspiration for you?
Absolutely. She made me fall in love with hip hop. I actually grew up on country music and Ethiopian jazz. I loved Lauryn and Tupac.
Where did you learn how to rhyme?
I started writing poetry as a teen. I listened to spoken word, Def Jam poetry, and it slowly evolved itself. It’s like any craft, you home in on it and work on your skill. For me, tone and delivery is really important. It’s not just about bars. It’s about the use of space in a track, the emotion, the push and the pull. It’s about creating a record, not just a rap.
What would you be doing if you weren’t rapping right now?
Great question. Five years ago, I wasn’t in my field. I was working in marketing. I fought it for a long time. I have two degrees and was working my 9 to 5. It was chipping at my soul. It was like you building somebody else’s dream. If I took that same energy and invested it into myself—and the universe just opened up.
We Did A Damn Thing is coming out this fall. Can you tell me more about it?
The title itself, it pertains to community. I grew up in Ethiopia. It’s about the culture and for the kids looking up. I embody a lot of things. It pays respect to the ones who came before what I was doing and to see how far we came with music and culture. It’s gonna be less polished than my previous works.
Are you going on tour soon?
Yes, after the album drops. I have a few shows this summer. I am performing at one of the biggest festivals in Canada called Festival d’été de Québec and I am opening for Lil Durk.
