Posted by If anyone is closing 2020 on a high note, it’s South East London’s answer to Lauryn Hill, ENNY. Building a legacy birthed from the love and support of her community, the rapper and singer’s come-up has been more than pleasurable to watch.
Signed to Jorja Smith’s FAMM label, her latest single ‘Peng Black Girls’, which also features Amia Brave is an empowering ode to Black women, celebrating the beauty of Black womanhood and more. “There’s peng black girls in my area code / Dark skin, light skin, medium tone / Permed tings, braids, got minis afros / Thick lips got hips some of us don’t / Big nose contour some of us won’t / Never wanna put us in the media bro,” she raps, commemorating the skin, hair, facial and body characteristics often disregarded by society.
The remix, which sees her label boss help heighten the message behind the track is a clear reminder to Black women everywhere that not only do you matter, but you are also irreplaceable. Recalling how it was working with Jorja, ENNY tells us: “The collaboration between myself and [Jorja] came about very organically… After her manager heard the song, she started writing her verse, and then she came to the studio and recorded it.”
Written in late 2018, ‘Peng Black Girls’ has become a staple for Black women in the community. With ENNY and Jorja’s recent COLORS performance taking over social media, the response and discussion surrounding colourism, race and gender have grown, leading to more people understanding the need for the record.
“To see and hear the song move everyone is interesting. People that look like me and talk like me are going to relate to the song because we’ve all experienced the same thing – being a Black girl, especially in this climate, it’s hard.” With the global pandemic taking over 2020, she tells us of her creative process and what she has coming up for 2021. “It’s been quite a switch around for. Last year, I left my job and decided to start making music, and that’s when everything took off. I have more singles and EPs coming out next year, which I’m adding the finishing touches to now. 2021 is going to be a new chapter, and I can’t wait.”
WHAT: Rapper and singer that is empowered by life
WHERE: South East London
3 Songs: ‘Peng Black Girls’, ‘For South’, ‘He’s Not Into You’
FACT: Enny is obsessed with eating dry crackers, and only dry crackers.
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Words: Shakeena Johnson
Photography: Sophie Mayanne