Male rappers have been the norm in the past, but a norm is not a measure of excellence or dopeness. Sex is not the competitive advantage – creativity, skills, passion, drive and talent are some of the attributes all dope MCs bring to the table.
"This idea of 'lack of female spitters' is an outdated way of thinking," Mavi says.
When SA hip - hop was becoming bigger than kwaito and house music in SA, rap/MCeeing became the only element to take the main stage, and the other elements went back into the fringe.
With the departure of most of those who laid the foundation for the SA hip - hop industry came a major rise of a new age of rappers, artists with an acute acumen for business.
These are the kind of artists who have proven that one does not have to choose between fortune and fame in the music industry as the two are kin.
“My journey is blessed. I’ve learnt a lot about myself and the world I live in, thanks to hip - hop . I started performing at open mic sessions around Cape Town, meeting the Cape Town hip - hop scene, sharpening skills and inspiring each other. There have been various challenges of course – mainly around financing projects. However, I have been surrounded by people who believe in me and my vision.”
SA hip - hop still moving millions
Image: Moeletsi Mabe
Brian Rose: "You are always encouraging people to use their own language when they make their own hip-hop… why were you such a proponent of people using their own language?"
Afrika Bambaataa: "Because many was trying to all rap American style and using the English language… so by telling them to rap in their own language and speak about their own issues, we understood that it will come out better. " - London Real Interview, 2016.
The first decade of the the 21st century dawned with a hallowing hailstorm of SA hip - hop , the culture and the genre made its presence felt and transformed South African popular culture in its entirety.
SA hip - hop was unapologetic of its existence, finding its own voice and identity through motswako, kasi rap, spaza, and later through skhanda.
The year 2012 saw the re-rise of women rappers in SA hip - hop , a baton that moved from rappers Yo Girls to Goddessa was now in the hands of meticulous MCs such as Ms. Nthabi, and Kany Mavi.
In a conversation with the ever dexterous Xhosa rapper Kanyi Mavi, she says: “There have always been women in SA hip - hop . I’m talking from way back in the ’80s when hip - hop first got to this country. The crew Yo Girls from Cape Town had eight members. The rate at which rappers are now showing up has definitely increased and that’s changing the dynamics of the industry for the better.
Exploring the evolution of the hip-hop culture in SA
Golden age of hip-hop a memory trip
Male rappers have been the norm in the past, but a norm is not a measure of excellence or dopeness. Sex is not the competitive advantage – creativity, skills, passion, drive and talent are some of the attributes all dope MCs bring to the table.
"This idea of 'lack of female spitters' is an outdated way of thinking," Mavi says.
When SA hip - hop was becoming bigger than kwaito and house music in SA, rap/MCeeing became the only element to take the main stage, and the other elements went back into the fringe.
With the departure of most of those who laid the foundation for the SA hip - hop industry came a major rise of a new age of rappers, artists with an acute acumen for business.
These are the kind of artists who have proven that one does not have to choose between fortune and fame in the music industry as the two are kin.
“My journey is blessed. I’ve learnt a lot about myself and the world I live in, thanks to hip - hop . I started performing at open mic sessions around Cape Town, meeting the Cape Town hip - hop scene, sharpening skills and inspiring each other. There have been various challenges of course – mainly around financing projects. However, I have been surrounded by people who believe in me and my vision.”
The question of whether hip - hop is dead or dying is a redundant one, from it’s original meaning the role of the rapper/MC is to “move the crowd”, SA hip - hop is moving millions across the African continent, it has found its own identity and keeps morphing, as any growing thing should.
One would have imagined that with the advancement of technology and easy access to music downloads, album sales would decline tremendously, but never before have SA artists constantly sold as many records as SA rappers have in the past eight years, and never before has corporate and government invested in the value of SA artists as they have SA rappers in this decade.
When Senyaka Kekana was rapping franticly on the first SA hip - hop song, African Rap, in 1986, I don’t believe he imagined how far the hip - hop genre would travel.
SA hip - hop is a force that will influence the whole country for generations to come. We salute Prophets of da City and all the other pioneers and the fallen legends.
RIP to Mischif, Ben Sharpa, ProKid, and Jabba.
Rapper Nasty C is cream of crop
Cassper on being the biggest rapper to ever come out of South Africa
Timeline
Prominent Groups:
Teargas | Die Antwoord | Driemenskap | Last Days Fam
Prominent Solo MCs:
Tumi (Stogie T) | ProVerb | PRO (RIP) | Tuks | JR | Reason | Ms. Nthabi | Khuli Chana | AKA | KO | Cassper Nyovest | Kwesta | Nasty C | Emtee | Okmalumkoolkat | Kid X | Kanyi Mavi | Zakwe | Yugen Blakrok | Ricky Rick | Da Les | iFani | L-Tido | Maggz | Gigi Lamayne | A-Reece | Fifi Cooper | Youngta CPT | Nadia Nakai | Shane Eagle | Rouge | Anatii | Stilo Magolide | Saudi | Moozlie | Aewon Wolf | Sho Majozi
2011 - 2018
2011
2012
Boity springs lyrical surprise with new song 'Wuz Dat'
Moozlie unlocks her mega talent
Best in the game
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
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