Fashion
Meet Deto Black, the Lagos-Based Rapper and Creative Polymath Going Global
Deto Black is the Nigerian rapper, writer, and fashion muse with a unique—and proudly feminist—take on style and creativity….
To sum up her creative output, the Lagos-based rapper, artist, and model Deto Black points to her Twitter bio, which reads simply: ‘Yung Everything.’ It might initially sound like a throwaway comment, but it turns out it’s her guiding philosophy. “I don’t believe in titles at all,” she says over the phone. “I find them quite harmful.”
Born Deto Tejuoso, the 25-year-old artist has already rapped sex-positive verses on alté tracks, racked up writing and acting credits on viral films Three Pills and Vengeance of Love, become a muse to her childhood friend Mowalola Ogunlesi, and even headed up her own photography series. Deto’s technicolor wigs, knee-high boots, and mini-skirts may have earned her style icon status in Lagos, but her audience is increasingly international, with 20,000 followers on Instagram alone. And her interests extend even beyond these creative fields: Deto is about to become a chartered accountant, with a degree in social anthropology and a master’s in global governance under her belt.
“Really, my first degree made me realize there are no answers,” Deto explains of her sporadic career. “Everyone’s just winging it, to be honest.” It’s difficult to describe her as anything other than a woman on the ascent.
Most recently, for last month’s Nigerian Independence Day, a freestyle featuring Deto Black, Skepta, Lancey Foux, and Unknown T rapping over the beat from Travis Scott’s new track “FRANCHISE” dropped online to instant fanfare. With lyrics like: “I’m a beast, I’m a beast, I’m a motherfucking monster / I broke up with my ex and I turned into a rock star,” the newcomer confidently asserts her position among the other musical heavyweights. The inspiration from her bolshy verse came from Skepta himself, who encouraged her to “go brazy and shit on the world.”
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