SAMA nominations are in and AKA leads them for 2023
The Soweto Theatre in Jabulani, Soweto played host to the music industry as the SAMA nominations were announced. Albums and singles released between 1 February 2022 and 14 April 2023 were considered for SAMA29. The late AKA leads the pack with a tally of no less than seven nods for his album Mass Country in […]
Drake goes on tour for the first time since 2018 and Kabza de Small is co-producing the show
Drake took to the stage for the first show in his new “It’s All A Blur” tour with 21 Savage last night. The Chicago show marked the first time Drake’s been on the road since 2018. He took to his Instagram stories to announce that the show is produced by long-time collaborators Noah “40” Shebib […]
Between Musical Shifts; Kwesta and Kabza de Small Just Want To Speak N Vrostaan
How Kwesta and Kabza De Small’s ‘Speak N Vrostaan’ plots the future by merging the sounds of the present and the past During the early noughties, Kwaito – once the creative outlet for young South Africans in the ‘90s – was supplanted by the breakbeats, syncopated rhythms and layered lyricism of Hip Hop. Fast forward […]
Appropriation vs Gatekeeping: The Amapiano Conundrum
In light of Jorja Smith’s new release, “Amapiano to the world” is the industry’s latest catch phrase. But when is it an appreciation for the art and when is it appropriation?
Kabza de Small is the King of Amapiano with his new release
One half of the Scorpion Kings and producer extraordinaire, Kabza de Small has released a new project, I Am the King of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust. The 27-track long album continues in the Scorpion Kings tradition of giving the people what they want, sitting at 3 hours long. One of the most hyped tracks on […]
What Business Can Learn From Amapiano
Other than Siya Kolisi, amapiano was arguably the biggest thing to come out of South Africa in 2019. The name, amapiano, can be directly translated to “pianos” and is a genre of music that has taken the country and various places in the continent by storm. My first introduction to the sub-genre was when my […]
The Plug x Castle Lite present: 100 Most Influential People in Urban Culture
“There’s no argument. I am a hundred percent the reason why hip hop is drenched.” Part of his Utatakho Remix verse that shook up the fourth quarter of 2019, Riky Rick stakes his claim on the game boldly with that bar. Hubris is almost a cornerstone of hip hop, but who really got the block […]