Ivorian Doll, aka Vanessa Mahi, is a 23-year-old rapper who is German-born but now resides in London, being one of the very few female artists to take over the UK’s drill scene. She hasn’t always done music, though. The rapper’s first taste of fame was when she started her YouTube channel, where she told stories about getting cheated on and fights she had in her youth. Her videos would frequently cause controversy online, but she enjoyed being scandalous and saying things that would make other people talk.
Making other people talk was exactly the inspiration behind her debut single, “The Situation,” which she released in collaboration with fellow rapper Abigail Asante. The song was a response to some beef that Ivorian Doll had with another online content creator, Miss RFabulous. And the shade didn’t stop there. Gossip was also the driving force behind Ivorian Doll’s 2020 breakout track “Rumours,” which went viral for its unapologetic and shocking lyrics. On the track, Ivorian Doll rhymes, “Oh shit, I heard a rumour IVD is a thot / They said I'm leaking from the STDs that I got.”
Ivorian Doll wants to be the bridge that connects the UK and US drill scenes, and it’s unlikely that her abrasive, in-your-face attitude will fly under the radar anytime soon. Not a lot of female drill artists have been able to take their music globally, but it wouldn’t be the first time Ivorian Doll was a pioneer.
