Zakwe says Mzansi rappers need beef to keep hip-hop alive

06 May 2024 - 15:50 By KGOMOTSO MOGANEDI
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Zakwe weighs in on the state of hip-hop in SA.
Zakwe weighs in on the state of hip-hop in SA.
Image: Tladi Kotelo

Fresh from his US tour, Zakwe feels Mzansi rappers should up their game.

Zakwe, real name Ntokozo Zakwe, was on a month-long tour in New York and Washington DC with other artists from different parts of the world.

Shortly after Zakwe landed at King Shaka airport, he expressed his views on the status of South African hip-hop on his social media: “Kumele ngivule i-whatsapp group entsha sha la zizokhuluma khona nge hip-hop, ngiluza i-touch nento engiyenzayo. Akukho nje la engikwazi ukukhuluma khona ngale beef ka Kendrick no Drake, wonke lama group awazi nix nge Rap”.

 Speaking to TshisaLIVE, the Bathi Ngiyachoma hitmaker said hip-hop is a “competitive sport” and there's a lot  South African rappers need to do.

“I feel like what can resurrect hip-hop in South Africa again is to have beefs, to keep the fire blazing in the genre. We all know the story of Biggie and 2 Pac and our generation is witnessing one  of the biggest and best beefs between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, all the attention is on them.” he said.

“Big Zulu did it when he released his 100 bars single and it sparked a lot within hip-hop, it happened between AKA and Cassper Nyovest and they were at their peak, hence I feel we need beefs to keep the genre alive.

“There's a beef I had with Duncan because we are too close and our families know each other well, so we ended up squashing it and now we record music together. We need beef to keep us recording new music. Two years ago South Africa witnessed a series of beefs from rappers which raised the bar of the genre to another level.”


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