On the rise is the 22 year old rapper, Lavida Loca, from Malawi but living in the UK. Lavida Loca debuted at number six by Capital Xtra in the category of those ‘taking over hip hop 2020’. In regard to this, the talented Lavida Loca responded “it’s exciting go get that limelight. It is even good news in that the five before me are American and I was listed as the first UK artist. So, this is a big achievement making it for United Kingdom and Malawi.”
Lavida Loca’s fame is a result of euphonious songs including: ‘Big Boy Stunting’, ‘Loca SZN Freestyle’, ‘One Mic’, ‘Juice’and ‘I Been’, just to name a few. Her music has caused a frenzy. It’s impossible to hear a song by her and not let out a “jeeeeez”, bop your head or genuinely ask who this is, because you not only want to, but you NEED TO download all other songs.
Most recently however, Lavida Loca has trended after her interview with YouTube personnel and the brand herself, ZezeMillz on the Zeze Millz Show. In this interview, they delve into situations such as her unfortunate encounters that led her to jail. Lavi found herself being convicted for arson and caught an additional charge whilst in jail for assault. When she finally got out, she expresses that it was an uncomfortable feeling and that she wanted to escape by finding herself back in jail. She craved the familiarity that came with being detained for 4 years.
Thankfully, Lavi chose to pursue her career instead. She say she is now less impulsive about her decisions and emotions. Since she has been out, she has been successfully working on and being a top tier lyricist and creating a brand for herself. She speaks about how she looks up to successful female rappers such as the Queen herself; Lil’ Kim, Nicki Minaj, Steff London and even Ms Banks.
On the other hand, they reminisce about their previous run ins where they spoke of colorism and the image that women are inclined to uphold of in the industry. Lavi speaks on how she has grown musically and within herself and her ‘look’. Granted she always loved having the beckoning nails and the flattering eyelashes, however, she was more accustomed to tracksuits before her transition to more ‘feminine’ outfits. When asked if that was a result of the pressures of the industry, she decline and emphasized that it was a result of her personal growth and how she wants to look and feel about herself.
Further on the subject of looks, Zeze and Lavi speak about how the industry has normalized being thick or going under constructive surgery to be what makes you worthy of being an influential woman. If your are a little more on the skinny side of life, you are subject to derogatory statements such as “you know if you just had a bigger ass, yeah, your body would be banging.” Or “you know I would pay you to get your body done to look fire”. Does that then mean that you can only be attractive if you are above a size 10 and above but simultaneously look like you wear a waist trainer for a living and post yourself living a voluptuous life with flashy clothes, or lack thereof?
With this being discussed, Lavi still states that she feels no pressure to succumb to the false perception of being ‘attractive’. Not only does she not want to put her body through that, but it is also dangerous. Zeze and Lavi then discussed the example of a woman who went for a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) and ended up dying and leaving three children behind. Looking like a ‘flame’ is not worth losing your life. Skinner women have been deemed the bottom of the chain. Zeze and Loca discuss that overweight women have additionally been normalized as a result of the hate directed at skinnier women. This is not to say that people cannot choose a thicker body, it is just to reinforce the ordeal of skinny shaming.
These pressures have not just applied to the music or influencer industry. It has managed to seep its way into the minds of everyone, therefore also having more ‘normal’ women straining themselves at the gym if they cannot afford constructive surgery. This is not to say people cannot gym for themselves, however, some influencers have brainwashed people into thinking their bodies are a result of doing squats, deadlifts and sit ups, instead of their surgeries. More so, women have even been seen to use FaceTune to make their bodies look more ‘defined or curvy’ inorder to be seen as ‘attractive’.
Skinny shaming is a global pandemic altogether. Even in Malawi, people make genuine jokes about your weight. Asking questions like ‘koma mwadya lero? (did you eat today?).’ Or generally insulting you to your face by saying things about your size or how ‘mabele mulibe, nthiti zokhazokha (you don’t have boobs, you’re all ribs)’. The false perception of what beauty is or being attractive has hexed and poisoned the minds of different people in different countries and hierarchies.
Lavi goes on to say that people have gone out of the way to skinny shame her under her comments. Of course, she has let those slide because her maturity has helped her understand that people do this with the intent to break you down. She knows exactly what she wants for her career and she will not allow anyone to stop her, especially people who have nothing but malice to offer. Lavi has also received a vast amount of support from people who have experienced the same type of bullying, as well as those who are slim and looking for a role model in her. It would be hypocritical of her to support slimmer women in the beginning, for her to do exactly what she reprimanded after becoming such a monolith.
King Lavida Loca has even gone out of her way to celebrate slim women by dropping a song called ‘Little Booties Matter’. She has learned to love and accept her body and there is a vast number of women who should take a page from her book.
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