South Africa's history is steeped in the politics of apartheid, struggle
and survival. For decades it was common for public gatherings to be
dispersed violently, as witnessed by the Sharpeville massacre of 1969,
the student uprising of 1976 and numerous other public protests. When
speaking about hip-hop in South Africa, it is important to consider this
back-story of suffering and overcoming adversity, as it was against
this backdrop of apartheid that hip-hop gained its foothold in South
Africa.
The Roots of South African Hip-Hop (80s-90s)
Perhaps the most definitive act in South African hip-hop and the group
largely credited as forerunners of the movement were Prophets Of The
City (POC), formed in Cape Town in the late 1980s. Founding member DJ
Ready D recalled those early years in the documentary FedeFokol: 25
Years of South African Hip Hop: “I was your typical Cape Flats kid,
running around and doing what Cape Flats boys do. I didn’t really think I
would assume the role of an activist within our communities or through
music.”
POC released their first album, Our World, in 1990. Today they are
credited as the first hip-hop crew in South Africa to record and release
an album. Led by the inimitable voice of Shaheen Ariefdeen on raps, POC
would carry on carving a niche for themselves on the South African
hip-hop landscape, performing overseas in the 90s as well as at Nelson
Mandela’s inauguration in 1994.
Around the same time, another hip-hop crew with a similar vision
arose from the Cape Flats. Led by the dynamic rap talents of Emile XY,
Black Noise would go on to carve their own path in South African
hip-hop, despite changing their lineup as time went on. Formed in 1988,
the group soon found a loyal following in Cape Town and Joburg. In 1992
they signed to the label Tusk (the local subsidiary of Warner Elektra
Atlantic) and released their debut album Pumpin’ Loose Da Juice!.
Emile has been the mainstay of the group, going on to champion events
such as the annual African Hip Hop Indaba, which showcases the different
elements of hip-hop (breakdancing, graffiti, MCing, DJing) over three
days.
Importantly, political consciousness was always at the centre of
their vision. Adam Haupt, Associate Professor of Media Studies at the
University of Cape Town, sums up this early period of South African
hip-hop in his book, Stealing Empire: “Like POC, Black Noise
has always aligned itself with black consciousness thinking, hence the
crew's consistent reference to black – as opposed to coloured –
identity. This, in part, is what the term 'conscious' hip-hop indicates,
but it also alludes to the idea of raising critical consciousness via
hip-hop as a lifestyle, philosophy or art form. It is in this area that
POC and Black Noise have been active.”
Popular discourse around South African hip-hop typically centres on
the overarching influence of POC and Black Noise. While these crews –
cultural movements in their own right – deserve their place in history,
it is important to not overlook other regions in South Africa which
served an equally important role in raising awareness about hip-hop
culture, such as Def Boyz in the Eastern Cape, whose grassroots
initiatives continue to reverberate through small communities and
inspire a new legion of rappers. One of the founders, Xolile Madinda, is
involved in literacy projects and community debates to uplift his
community.
In Johannesburg, hip-hop took centre stage at Le Club, a mecca of
sorts (similar to The Base and Club Fame in Cape Town) where the current
cream of South African hip-hop cut its teeth. Founded by DJs Bionic and
Blaze, Le Club's centrality to the scene cannot be over-emphasised.
Vouks, a legendary breakdancer who is still active on the scene, had
this to say about the significance of the club, which has since been
converted into a clothing store: “I would call it the hip-hop hub for
all youngsters, your top MCs and your underground MCs. This is where the
cyphers and the B-boys and everything went down every single weekend.”
Other musicians experimented with hip-hop during the 1980s and early
90s, long before it entered the mainstream. As early as 1984, the late
bassist Sipho Gumede was dabbling in hip-hop as The Boogie Man, rapping
in isiZulu on tracks such as ‘Jika Jika’. Senyaka had a hit in the late
80s with ‘Go Away’, a song that bridges the gap between 80s
bubblegum/disco, hip-hop and the kwaito genre that would dominate the
local music industry in the 1990s. Rapper Taps released albums such as Let’s Go (1990) and Young Hip And African
(1991). Natano Braché rose to prominence in Cape Town as a club and
radio DJ going by the name DJ Natdog. His maxi-single ‘B-boys’ was
released in 1990. I.N.T.R.I.B.E, a group from Johannesburg, released Bubblegum In My Afro in
1992. Their name stood for Intelligent Natives Teaching Revolutionary
Intellectual Black Education, a nod to movements like Public Enemy and
the Jungle Brothers, as well as POC and Black Noise, whose music carried
a message of self-awareness.
An important factor in the rise of hip-hop in South Africa is the
emergence of YFM, the Gauteng-based regional radio station which
launched towards the end of 1997. The Sprite Rap Activity Jam, an
hour-long weekly segment co-hosted by Kalawa Jazmee co-founder DJ Oskido
and Rudeboy Paul, heralded another phase for the evolution of hip-hop.
Suddenly rappers had an attentive audience who would listen to their
music. However, for the latter part of the 90s, hip-hop did not manage
to make a dent on the broader South African music industry. Kwaito had
taken a strong footing, followed closely by house music (which
eventually overtook it in the early 2000s). As a result, hip-hop in
South Africa was sidelined for long time. In retrospect, this allowed
the movement to re-organise itself and establish its identity.
The Rise of Hip-Hop (2000s)
Picking up from where Cape Flats pioneers POC and Black Noize left off,
Brasse Vannie Kaap (BVK) were one of the leading hip-hop crews in the
country during the late 1990s, releasing albums like BVK (1997), Yskoud (2000), Super Power (2004) and Ysterbek (2006)
and frequently representing the country overseas. Their use of
Afrikaans and Flats slang set the trend for South African rappers to
shed the genre’s American influences and start rapping in local
vernacular languages, and in doing so forge a uniquely South African
sound. BVK’s brand of socially-conscious hip-hop addressed issues from
the downtrodden communities of the Cape Flats. They kept all elements of
the hip-hop culture alive, performing with B-boys, a DJ and an MC, with
their imagery heavily steeped in graffiti culture. Along with other
grassroots movements – Red Antz in the Eastern Cape, for example – their
focus was less about commercial success and more focused towards
community development.
In the rest of the country, hip-hop gained momentum towards the end
of 2002. There was a sense that something big was about to happen,
something that would transcend the bedroom where rappers used to record
and release music independently. Skwatta Kamp, once a 12-member crew
that had been trimmed down to six individuals by the time their album Khut En Joyn
received a SAMA award in 2003, set a blueprint for how to succeed as a
hip-hop artist in South Africa. One of the group’s members, Siyabonga
Metane (alias Slikour), spoke on the reasons behind their decision to do
everything independently: “Recording companies weren’t signing so we
became the recording company. There wasn’t any deep thinking to it at
the time, but in retrospect we were ahead of our time.”
Elsewhere on the South African rap radar, artists began releasing
projects which would go a long way in changing public sentiment towards
the genre. Amu, another pioneer, collaborated on songs and did live
shows with kwaito star Zola. His debut album, The Rap, Life and Drama (2003),
received mixed reviews from listeners still steeped in the traditional
‘boom bap’ rap. Tumi Molekane linked up with two members from 340ml and a
bassist with a background in funk to create Tumi and the Volume. Their Live At The Bassline
(2004) garnered a legion of followers and kickstarted the career of
what it still South Africa’s most recognizable live hip-hop band.
Mixtapes and compilation albums found their way onto the market, most notably Outrageous Records’ Maximum Sentence and Expressions offerings.
While the former catered for hardcore hip-hop heads, the latter
featured a more varied set of songs. The music was less brash, and the
list of collaborators – from Skwatta Kamp to Zubz and Neo Muyanga –
accurately captured the mood of that era.
Television also help spread hip-hop to a mass audience. The late Mr.
Fat from BVK hosted Hip-Hop on the now defunct channel MK, while rapper
Proverb also had a stint hosting Nasty on the continent-wide Channel O.
Between 2004 and 2006, rap in South Africa was in a healthy state.
Skwatta Kamp’s breakthrough album, following quickly by Mkhukhu Funkshen’ (2003) and Washmkhukhu (2004) enjoyed combined sales of around 100 000 copies. Pitch Black Afro was the first rapper to go platinum with Styling Gel (2004). Corporate brands started showing interest in the culture and a new generation of hip-hop artists began to emerge.
Current and Future Trends
As South African hip-hop established itself, numerous sub-genres and
scenes emerged. Motswako originates from Mmabatho in the North West
province, the former capital of the apartheid homeland of
Bophuthatswana. Stoan of the group Bongo Muffin was the first one to
publicise rapping in Motswako during the mid-90s. Around the same time,
groups such as Baphixhile and Crowded Crew emerged – all from roughly
the same area and representing new sound called Motswako. It’s not clear
who coined the term – ‘motswako’ is Setswana for mixture, implying that
the sub-genre is a mixture of many musical styles. While Stoan
pre-empted the arrival of Motswako, rapper HHP embodied the lifestyle
and gave it its own style. He dressed it up and made it a movement,
inviting artists such as Tuks, Mo’lemi and Morafe to fortify it.
Currently, a new wave of Motswako rappers is emerging, influenced by the
ideologies of the forerunners. Artists such as Cassper Nyovest are
cultivating a solid mainstream profile while touring relentlessly
throughout the country.
While Motswako is dominated by the Setswana language, kasi rap is
dominated by the Nguni languages of isiZulu and isiXhosa. The themes of
kasi (township) rap revolve around hardships, family and the desire to
‘make it’ - to aspire to something else other than the desperation which
surrounds them. Pro (formerly Pro Kid) is the figurehead of the scene.
His second album, Heads And Tails (2005), released on the
influential independent label TS Records, solidified his standing as the
champion of kasi rap. In the Western and Eastern Cape, kasi rap becomes
spaza (meaning tuckshop), although the same themes are addressed.
Driemanskap is the most prominent act on the scene, while other notable
kasi/spaza artists include Maxhoseni, Kanyi, Red Button, Manelisi and
Deep Soweto.
The Cape Flats and the greater Western Cape also have a burgeoning
Afrikaans rap scene. Influenced by the brazenness of BVK, the philosophy
of POC and the image of Black Noise, artists such as Jitsvinger, Cream
and Jaak are breathing new life into Cape hip-hop. Also using Afrikaans
in their lyrics is one of the most recognisable musical exports of the
past few years: Die Antwoord, a rap-rave outfit consisting of Ninja and
Yo-landi Vi$$er. Ninja is the alter ego of Watkin Tudor Jones Jr., who
honed his skills with hip-hop acts The Original Evergreen in the 90s and
Max Normal in the early 2000s before deciding to take a new direction,
adopting a uniquely South African sense of style called ‘zef’, long
associated with working class Afrikaners, and drawing on aspects of Cape
Flats culture. Vi$$er describes zef as ‘being poor yet fancy; being
poor yet stylish’. Afrikaans rapper Jack Parow is another noteworthy
rapper in this genre.
Also worth mentioning are the young artists who may not be directly
associated with hip-hop but who apply a hip-hop aesthetic to their
music. These include Toya DeLazy, Spoek Mathambo, Dirty Paraffin, Big
FKN Gun and others, many of whom are now making waves overseas. Most of
them started out as artists either aligned with rap artists, or as
hip-hop artists themselves. Between 2007 and 2011, this new wave started
making further inroads into the mainstream. Brand relationships were
solidified, allowing artists to earn extra income from endorsement
deals. Large-scale rap-oriented shows became common and mainstream radio
finally bought into a culture which had been seeking acceptance for
decades. Hip-hop in South Africa, after some 25 years, has well and
truly arrived.
2012 saw the launch of the annual South African Hip Hop Awards. Khuli
Chana is currently one of the biggest rappers in the country. His album
Lost In Time earned him three South African Music Awards in
2013, including the coveted Artist Of The Year award. In 2014, hip-hop
is in a healthy state. Johannesburg still drives the music industry in
terms of both the media and record companies. The coming years should be
interesting in terms of decentralising the movement. Cape Town is
making fresh and exciting new hip-hop, but other regions still lag
behind when it comes to making a wide-scale impact.
