Angie oeh puts Afrikaans mumble rap on the map

_{[Angie oeh crowd surfing at Liefde By Die Dam 2022. PHOTO: Wayde Flowerday]}

When talking about the Afrikaans rap scene, few are making waves like Angie oeh — the rebellious Pretoria-born mumble rapper. Angie has made it abundantly clear that she is coming to shake things up by releasing songs like “Big Booty Bitch”, rocking tank tops, bleached hair, and some stylish face tattoos. We spoke to her about where she draws inspiration from, her views on fashion, and even which of her lyrics she loves most.

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At the end of 2021, Angie released her debut single, ‘Dis Jou Wyfie’, which was recorded on her beat-up Samsung A23. It quickly became a TikTok phenomenon. According to her, social media plays a massive role in today’s music industry. “Especially TikTok for young starting artists like myself. If you’re not on socials yet and you’re an artist — get a TikTok account!” she says.

Angie met Wynand “Valkie” Myburgh after her debut single dropped and made noise on TikTok. He contacted her and they haven’t stopped working together since. On a daily, they work on expanding her brand, improving it and getting Angie’s name out there. “[He] is an amazing man and someone I look up to as a mentor, teacher and manager. He’s helped me so much and he’s still helping me every day. […] He’s just amazing is what I’m trying to say,” she says laughing.

Since the TikTok success of ‘Dis Jou Wyfie’, local rapper Loufi also made a remix of the song and it featured in the first Afrikaans series to stream on Netflix, Ludik. When asked about this experience, Angie jokingly says she might have cried a little. “It’s just the coolest feeling in the world and the scene it was used for was perfect as well,” she adds. The song creates the perfect atmosphere for a strip club scene in the third episode of the series.

Stirring the pot

Many have described Angie’s lyrics as “controversial” or “raunchy”, but the rapper feels those individuals should “grow the fuck up”. Even though she does say this in jest, Angie feels strongly about the fact that she wants to make music that provokes. “I do that intentionally. I’d like to normalise girls singing about girls and tittys. I love tittys and a woman’s body is my muse. If you don’t like it skip the song and if you do like it, cool,” she adds.

_{[Angie oeh on the set of her first music video for ‘Sex in Afrikaans’. PHOTO: Jaco S Venter]}

In the South African music industry, there are a handful of artists who thrive off standing out from the crowd — including Jack Parow, Van Pletzen, and now Angie oeh. According to Angie, this has always been her intention, which is why she puts a lot of effort into her “brand” and the image she portrays. 

“[However,] at the end of the day, tattoos are beautiful and I’d have them regardless of being a rapper or not. I don’t like the stigma around lesbian girls and women and I’d like to change people’s way of thinking about that,” she says. Angie has countless tattoos, including a few face ones, but she says her favourites are the smiley on her face (which was also her first), the care bear on her neck, and the “baby Jay” tattoo on her upper arm around her shoulder.

Even though this was never her intention, Angie has become a powerful representative for the LGBTQIA+ community in South Africa. “It was definitely not intended, but I love it. I love my community and the people in it and I think we need a voice. Although we might have [some] there could never be enough,” she adds.

Knocking our socks off

Angie used to record and produce all of her own music, but her recent music was produced by Peach van Pletzen aka Die Groothond’s studio Planet Awesome in Sandton. “I do my own work like making beats and then I take what I have to Peach and he puts it on steroids,” explains Angie.

She is also very involved in the vision and filming of her music videos. “I like being in control of things. For the newest music video for my song, ‘Altyd Op My Vibe’, I did the treatment and helped with directing as well as styling,” says Angie.

_{[Angie oeh performing at Fokofpolisiekar’s 19th Birthday Party at Loftus Park on 20 August. PHOTO: AJ Howard]}

Most of Angie’s tracks are more focused on having a good time, but she also has some deeper songs, like ‘Omdat Ek Wil’, which are as important to her. “I love to party but won’t necessarily listen to party songs in my free time. I put a lot of effort into making my songs sound international because someday that’s where I’d like to be,” she explains.

With her tank tops, elevated crocs, denim jackets, beanies and extravagant glasses, it is clear that Angie’s style and aesthetic play a big role in her artistic image. Before she became a rapper, she worked at a streetwear shop, Dirtylolli, in Wonderpark Mall in Pretoria North, as a stylist. “Fashion and clothes are hobbies and making a fashion statement is what I live for. My aesthetic means a lot to me and it’s something I put a lot of effort into,” she says.

Due to her love for fashion, Angie would love to collaborate with sportswear and streetwear brands like Puma, Vans and Adidas. “I like anything! I wear anything — even a “rokkie”. If it looks nice I wear it,” she says laughing.

The world is her oyster

Collaborating with local acts like Nasty C and Moonchild is also on top of Angie’s bucket list. “I love both their music and their way of rap. They’ve achieved so much and I’m always interested in learning,” she adds.

However, growing up listening to artists like Justin Bieber, and now being into names like Post Malone, A$AP Rocky and Travis Scott, making an international name for herself has always been Angie’s dream. “Obviously, South Africa will always be my home and I will always come here to perform, but making an international name is definitely what I want to do,” she says.

_{[Angie oeh performing at The Armchair Theatre in Observatory, Cape Town on 14 October with Van Pletzen. PHOTO: Die Vetman]}

Starting as a bedroom artist, Angie hasn’t had much time to think about where she would like to travel, but at the moment the USA and Netherlands are top of the list — the USA because it suits her sound best and the Netherlands because of their love for Afrikaans music. 

Her show with Van Pletzen on 14 October at The Armchair Theatre in Observatory was her first show in Cape Town, but she hopes to be on her own bill very soon. “At the moment, I spin around other artists’ bills, so it would be freaking lovely to have my own shows and shit eventually, but I think we’ll maybe squish one in before the end of this year,” she says grinning.

We couldn’t let Angie leave before asking her what her favourite lyric is, which she says is, “Hoor die fokken bass; Kom sit hier op my kuif.” It’s a line out of her newest single called ‘Mooiste Meisies’, which is dropping on 27 October. 

For now, Angie is just focused on doing what she loves, which is “riding the wave, enjoying herself and doing what she needs to to get her name out there”. Go watch her newest music video for ‘Altyd op my vibe’ on YouTube and catch her at her next show on 28 October with Jack Parow and Fokofpolisiekar at Snowflake in Potchefstroom.