“Na Na Benz” arrives like a rallying cry carved into rhythm. French Cameroonian artist and producer James BKS steps forward not simply to make music, but to resurrect a legacy. His new single honours the Nana Benz: a lineage of Togolese businesswomen who, between the 1940s and 1980s, turned wax print textiles into political leverage, economic autonomy, and cultural influence. They weren’t just traders; they were architects of identity, commanding fleets of Mercedes-Benz cars (hence the name) and shaping West African commerce with unapologetic power. Musically, “Na Na Benz” is taut and bravely hybrid. Built on the kinetic structure of drill but rooted in the hypnotic polyrhythms of Cameroonian bikutsi, it becomes a sonic metaphor for the Nana Benz blueprint: move strategically, trust your instincts, and build something no one can take from you.
