Strings and Bling hitmaker Nasty C (Frennie Shivambu/Gallo Images)
The South African rap industry has continued to thrive, despite the tired conversation of “hip-hop is dead”, as a result of competing with Kwaito in the 1090s, afropop and afrobeats, and now the global phenomenon that has become amapiano.
Still one of the most streamed music genres, local rap music has evolved since its inception. In celebration of hip-hop turning 50 this year, here is our list of the top 10 rappers in SA.
- Nasty C – The 25-year-old rapper made his first mixtape when he was just 14. However, after it was released in 2012, and his first EP in 2014, he failed to break into the highly competitive hip-hop industry.
It was his second mixtape Price City which produced his breakthrough track Juice Back, which finally got the streets talking. Since then, the Zulu Man With Some Power has dominated the SA hip-hop scene, bagging several awards. He has recorded with international rap artists and musicians such as T.I., French Montana, and A$AP Ferg.
The Strings and Bling hitmaker has had a string of life changing moments: in 2021 he performed his hit track Black and White with American R&B star Ari Lennox on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and in 2022, made history as the first African artist to perform at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
- AKA – Leaving a trail of controversy in 2021, Kiernan “AKA” Forbes had another phenomenal year in music and business, even though he was out-rapped on his own song Lemons (Lemonade) with Nasty C.
Last year was a year of collaborations for the hitmaker and his latest single Paradise featuring Musa Keys and Gyakie is topping the charts.
His last album was 2021’s You’re Welcome, in collaboration with Costa Titch, but Supermega hasn’t mentioned anything about a release in 2023. Being an astute businessman as well as an artist, Forbes entered into a new business deal in 2022, a partnership with Canna Trade Africa and The Green Side Farmacy on a range of CBD oils and vapes.
- Blxckie – Blxckie’s meteoric rise to fame has made him the leader of the new wave of South African rap. Also known as Somnyama Yena Yedwa, he is Mzansi’s finest example of how a staunch fan base and a social media following can catapult you to stardom.
After studying, and making music on and off, the Durban-born rapper decided to focus on music. He visited Johannesburg to record just before the initial 21-day lockdown was announced in 2020.
In April 2021, he released his single David and the song was certified gold in SA. Since then it’s been nothing but wins for the 23-year-old — he’s released a slew of hits that all easily crossed the one million stream mark. Spotify named him the fourth most streamed artist on their 2022 Wrapped list, which showcases the songs, albums and artists that were most streamed on their platform.
- A-Reece – In 2022, the Young King A-Reece shed his “most underrated rapper” title and became part of the hitmakers crew. His latest album Deadlines: Free P2 has received rave reviews, alongside his collaborative single Sneaky with fellow rapper Blxckie.
The Pretoria-born rapper shot into the spotlight when he left the controversial company Ambitious Records in 2015. A-Reece got into a dispute with management before the paperwork was finalised, leaving him to become an independent artist.
Since 2016, he has released two albums, Paradise and From Me To You and Only You, as well as many mixtapes and singles. His bad luck with record labels ended when he launched Revenge Club Records in October 2022, with his brother Jay Jody.
“We want to inspire people to think bigger than that and think to themselves and say, ‘You know what, I can do what they did,’ because that is what we told ourselves and here we are now,” A-Reece said during the launch of his record label.
- Cassper Nyovest – Judging by the house and cars he posts on instagram, Cassper Nyovest is the hardest working man in the music industry. The Mahikeng-born rapper made history selling out tickets for his concert Fill Up the Dome, which was held at Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg. The concert’s success prompted the rapper to “fill up” more stadiums including Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban and Royal Bafokeng in North West.
As a businessman, Nyovest established the record label Family Tree Records and in 2021 founded sneaker company Root of Fame, under Drip Footwear. He also launched his own liquor brand Billiato that year.
In between building his business empire, Nyovest never stops making music, he even had time to get into an spat with fellow rapper Big Zulu. He released a response to Big Zulu’s diss track 150 bars with his own hit diss track, 4 steps back.
- Big Zulu – has been releasing number- one singles since his massive hit Imali Eningi featuring Riky Rick and Intaba Yase Dubai in 2020. In a bid to stay relevant in the very competitive hip-hop industry, he released a diss track 150 bars aimed at the entire industry.
Following in the footsteps of other rappers, Big Zulu signed an endorsement deal with retail brand Spitz, as ambassador for Carvella. He is also a record label owner — in 2019 he founded Nkabi Records and signed Lwah Ndlunkulu and Mduduzi Ncube, among others.
- K.O – The man behind 2022’s song of the year Sete, Ntokozo Mdluli, professionally known as K.O, is a rapper, producer, businessman and the former frontman for rap group Teargas. He has been an integral part of the South African music industry for almost 20 years.
Mr Cashtime also has a successful streetwear brand Skhanda World, which he co-owns with business partner Tsholofelo Moremedi. The Caracara hitmaker is one of the most respected artists in SA, admired for his consistency since the Teargas days.
- Nadia Nakai – the South African-born Zimbabwean rapper has been one of the very few successful women in SA hip-hop.
Nadia Nakai Kandava made her first television appearance on the e.tv hip-hop show Shiz Niz, where she was the first woman to win the Mixtape 101 competition. After she left Cassper Nyovest’s record label Family Tree in 2021, she signed with Def Jam Africa.
The award-winning musician is also a talented presenter who hosted the red carpet special for MTV Africa at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards. In 2019, she co-hosted the MTV Base hip-hop show Yo! MTV Raps, and in 2021, hosted the first season of Channel-O’s Gen-Z show. At the moment, Nadia can be seen on the Netflix Original reality show Young, Famous & African.
- Emtee – Unfortunately, Emtee is known more for his controversies than for his rapping skills these days. In 2017, he was trending on social media when he accidentally exposed his genitals on Instagram Live.
Although conflict seems to follow him, he is still one of Mzansi’s hottest talents. Emtee is also one of many artists to depart from infamous record label Ambitious Records, establishing his own eMtee Records. Since his debut album Avery (2015), He has been a sought-after rapper, collaborating with several artists and bagging awards.
- Gigi Lamayne – real name Genesis Gabriella Tina Manney, had an amazing year in 2022. She won best female artist at the South African Hip-Hop Awards and dropped a christmas song Ho Ho Ho, which was a first for an SA rapper.
Lamayne also collaborated with Rock & Co footwear brand for a new range — the first female artist to have a shoe range. This year, the rapper will be starring in a South African animation series on Disney+ titled Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, alongside other entertainers such as Pearl Thusi, Tumi Morake and Nasty C.