Throwback Thursday: MAUDY M feat Deeba – Aware Pa
Raunchy lyrics are not the preserve of only male musicians. The ladies could be as ‘bad’ as their male counterparts. I know a few names would roll off the tongues of people if they were asked to name a few female musicians with a ‘bad’ persona. I’m not here to bore you with a list. Within the Ghanaian context, women being raunchy in their lyrics continue to raise eyebrows even today.
What account for this could stretch from the conservative nature of our society- influenced by religious principles and the accepted norm that women are supposed to live and act within (a) certain boundaries (be ladies). Any woman who openly displays her liberation especially in sexual terms is deemed ‘spoilt’. This construct end up stifling women’s actions.
In an industry, like the music industry, where female artistes (those within the secular music stream) are usually offered a pass to display their sexuality either lyrically or via videos, it’s not the same in Ghana. Even today, certain artistes or songs are viewed through questionable lenses.
One female artiste, who broke the glass ceiling and stepped into the light despite the criticism that was to come her way was Maudy M. Maudy M released her lewd-ful tune ‘Aware Pa’, in the early 2000s. The big afro wearing songstress literally broke the grounds for other female singers like MzBel and Ebony. Her daring song (at that time) celebrated love in an unconventional way. The unconventionality of the song was in the sexually heavy lyrics.
One of the beauties of the Twi language is that, you can wrap certain lewd words in proverbs to concealing their meanings from the ears of a young listener. Maudy M didn’t go that route. She was as blunt as a butcher’s knife. The bouncy drums and xylophone heavy song had Maudy M moaning over it before posing the question “good marriage, who wouldn’t desire?’. She proceeds to cite the sexual prowess of her partner as one of his admirable traits.
Rapping over the catchy beat, she further details how she isn’t left starving (sexually) because his ‘food’ is tasty. Deeba, who at that time was reigning high on the music scene, makes an appearance on this song. His verse, like those of Maury M, did celebrate the attributes of his lover. He, unlike Maudy M, coded some of his words.
The 4mins 23 second song, made some rounds on a few radio stations at that time. The lyrics of the song made it hard to permeate the not too liberal major stations . It however, was a favourite at parties and other outdoor events. The accompanying video for Aware Pa, made rounds on Metro TV’s Ad Cycle around the 2000s.
Maudy M may not be remembered by many for very obvious reasons. ‘Aware Pa’ was by far her biggest single during her active years as a singer. Sadly she exited the music scene in a puff. But in Aware Pa, she shall be remembered. She indeed, broke the glass ceiling for female singers who wanted to sound ‘raw and uncensored’ in their lyrics.
