Rouge blames male rappers for not enough female collaborations
South African rapper Rouge is pushing for a new era in hip-hop, one where female artists unite, collaborate, and silence the noise that’s long kept them apart.
In a recent interview following the release of her fiery new single Juicy, featuring Nadia Nakai and Moozlie, Rouge opened up about the scarcity of female collaborations in the local hip-hop scene.
Rouge didn’t shy away from addressing the root of the issue.
“Honestly, I think it’s just the culture, it’s a competitive sport,” she said.
But rather than placing the blame on the women themselves, she turned her focus to the men in the industry.
“I actually blame the guys, because even when me, Nadia, Gigi Lamayne, Fifi Cooper and Moozlie were coming up, it was actually a lot of the guys who were pinning us up against each other, not actually the girls. And I think it kinda fed into that energy.”
With Juicy, Rouge is rewriting that narrative.
The track isn’t just a powerful collaboration, it’s a clear message that women in hip-hop can stand together.
“My coming up with my single Juicy featuring Nadia Nakai and Moozlie was so important to show that we actually can [collaborate] and we don’t have to listen to what people are saying on the outside,” she explained.
She praised the professionalism and unity throughout the creative process, noting how the energy in the studio was unlike anything she had experienced before.
“This has been the easiest roll-out I have ever had. The professionalism that comes from the girls in the game, setting up on time, coming to the studio, putting our heads down,” Rouge said.
“This wasn’t a situation of sending the verses, no, they came to the studio and everyone was writing together. We were showing up for each other, and we were going to events.”
For Rouge, this moment feels like the start of something bigger. She’s excited to work with newer names like K.Keed and Zulu Mecca and made it clear she’s not in competition, she’s rooting for them.
“People think that I’m competing again, no. I look up to those girls even if they came after me,” she said.
Her final words drove the message home, with the kind of power and conviction that’s becoming her trademark.
“I think we are able to make music. It’s not about listening to the noise. Don’t listen to boys, huns.”
