Photo Credit: Matthew Cowen
Ghanaian-American rapper Vanessa Tha Finessa shares her debut EP, CURRENT, available today at all DSPs and streaming services HERE.
Heralded by the sultry video for “It’s You,” CURRENT is a look into Vanessa’s fast-moving life, shaped by her experiences as an African woman in America. Full of empowering bad bitch anthems and inspired by the afrobeats music of her childhood, this debut EP is just the beginning for Vanessa Tha Finessa.
LISTEN TO CURRENT
WATCH THE “IT’S YOU” MUSIC VIDEO
“I’m so excited to be releasing my debut EP. CURRENT represents my life over the past 3 years, and it’s an honor to have been able to work with so many incredible close friends and collaborators on the project. The EP really serves as an introduction to who I am, and teases what is to come,” said Vanessa Tha Finessa.
“I’m especially excited to be premiering the video for my single “It’s You” today, shot by my friend Bryan Ramos (Karats). This was a labor of love that we got done with the homies in LA and it’s an ode to my musical roots.”
Vanessa Tha Finessa is not your typical rapper. Born and raised in Accra, Ghana, Vanessa had a unique and eye opening upbringing. As early as she can remember, hiplife (pre-contemporary Afrobeat) music was played in the home. Her uncle regularly listened to dancehall and reggae music, and she was exposed early to American pop music through TV and regular pop culture discourse. This amalgamation of sounds and genres heavily influenced her ear and later helped inform her own personal artistry.
When she was 10 years old, her family moved to Mount Vernon, NY and later to Pittsburgh, before eventually returning to New York. It was during this time in her life that she became exposed to a wider range of American hip hop and rap, specifically the burgeoning indie rap mixtape scene that included greats like Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa.
After attending college in the states, she began a young adult stint in modeling, after being discovered by the influential casting director Sarah Benjamin. Throughout her time as a model, she covered numerous magazines including 10 Mag & WWD, and was featured in campaigns with Nike, Coach and Milk, amongst others.
Vanessa eventually moved across the country to Los Angeles, where she is currently based. It was in LA where she met her closest and most consistent collaborator, the DJ/producer Smiles Davis. It was Smiles that encouraged Vanessa to bring her witty personality and dynamic style to music, and in 2019 they recorded her first ever song “Run it” (which was later released in 2022, and featured in the TV series Flatbush Misdemeanors).
“Run it” was later followed up with the Bollywood-influenced electro rap track “Talk Tha Talk” (produced by Falcons) and freestyle “Bad Bitch Steppin’” (produced by Karats). Both tracks were accompanied by dazzling visuals shot in Los Angeles.
Already having made a bold and explosive impact on the Los Angeles music scene, Vanessa is ready to take her career to global heights and reach new audiences, just like the artists that were able to reach the speakers in her childhood home in Accra.
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