Rouge is back — and South African hip-hop just hit its reset button.

After nearly a decade away from the limelight, the Congolese-South African rapper is returning with fresh music coupled with a fierce purpose. Her comeback isn’t just about reclaiming the spotlight; it’s about stepping up with clarity, growth, and realness.

In a game that’s changed, Rouge, whose real name is Deko Barbara-Jessica Wedi, proves she still packs the lyrical firepower to stand tall among the new wave.

Her latest single, Juicy, featuring Zimbabwean-South African rapper and television personality Nadia Nakai and rapper and TV show host Moozlie, flips the script on female rivalry, promoting unity over competition, with one mission in mind: women in hip-hop thrive louder and longer when they rise together.

She caught up with Sowetan at the weekend after her six-year-long hiatus. 

Yes, it is. I’ve been away from the game for almost five to six years. In those years, I’d dabble here and there, perform at events such as Miss SA, but it's been six years of being out of the game, most of which was due to Covid. 

Covid was such a crazy time. It opened my eyes as our entertainment industry was the most hit. We went from gigging a lot to not at all, which, as a result, meant there was no income coming in. This period made me realise that anything could happen, and I looked at my talent to see how it could generate longevity and wealth.

It’s such an exciting time because we know how quiet it’s been, and this year, we’re starting to see it wake up again. From the new kids who are getting me so excited as well as my peers who we’re also learning from, to the girls who are claiming their spot in the industry.

I love how unapologetic they are. Especially having come from the era of being naked just to grab attention or getting a guy to co-sign that I’m dope. To see the likes of K.Keed and ZuluMecca, who are fully clothed, kill it to an impressive magnitude gives me so much pride.

Girls like Anele Zondo are literally the front liners of SA hip hop right now. It’s not like back then when I needed AKA to say, “Rouge is the best in the game”, or Nadia needing Cassper to vet her.

I’ve been back in album mode, and I have plans to release one by the end of the year. My team and I are in the process of rolling it out. So, being in the studio, I’ve been trying to think of the first thing I can put out, considering the diverse climate we find in SA hip-hop.

For Moozlie and me, it was a full circle moment... but I wanted to open the chat with Nadia, she’s a powerhouse within herself. People have been waiting for us to get together, and more than anything, I wanted to bring girls on and reimagine what it will be like without us being pinned against each other like we have been for all these years.

I’m all about creating longevity within wealth — to be able to create generational wealth. I’m not trying to rap till I’m 50. So, my husband and I created a company called Tri-Nation and Global that helps give creatives a platform to perform and show off their talents. It has since expanded to other things, which has helped us to work in the NGO spaces.

In the female rap aspect of things, I feel like things are exactly the same. Being a female within the rap space is the same chat... the moment I drop, they were comparing all of us.

Also, what is different is the rollout plan and how people are consuming music now. I used to be in a space where you make the song, create the link and put it out on Twitter, which then came with all these opportunities on TV and being able to perform on LiveAMP or Shiz Niz... that’s not there any more. .

Instead, we’re all now on our phones, and we have to create TikToks and make sure our content is up to date by posting daily. It’s become a rat race as opposed to how traditional it was... so yes, things are entirely different. Anybody can pop now and make it... they just need to create a really dope post or video.

It was a collaborative process... There was no: “I’m sending a verse.” They literally said, “We’re going to come and sit together and help each other write this song.”

I would say it was among my top two processes of making a song in my whole career. Moozlie and Nadia have been so supportive and professional in showing me how much they care about the coming together of women.

The time is different now. It allows us to enjoy being musicians. So, expect more music... I’ve fallen in love again with music, which I’m so excited about. It’s good to be outside again, like I was in my 20s.