Mlindo The Vocalist on Friday made a big return to the music scene through the release of his brand new single ‘Imali’. This time the KZN native has partnered with Nathi.

Of the collab, Mlindo the Vocalist said: “ I am a big fan of Nathi and I am so honoured to have him on the song with me. I actually can’t really believe that I have a song with Nathi!“ said the ‘Egoli’ hit maker.

The song soulfully explores the age-old experience that countless South Africans have had to undertake of moving to Johannesburg to work and support their families back home. It also describes the pain of becoming successful and people only see you as a meal ticket.

“A lot of people know how it feels to be financially responsible for your family – black tax – and sometimes even your friends. You don’t even enjoy going out anymore because everyone looks to you when the bill comes,” said Mlindo.

Stream or Download ‘Mali’ here: Mlindo.lnk.to/MFN

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South African celebrities don’t miss a beat when it comes to reading each other for filth. And not even the global pandemic stopped a couple of our faves from engaging in some good ol’ mudslinging.

Beefing regulars AKA, Cassper, Prince Kaybee, and more showed up as expected to drag each other on social media, bringing their private mess on the timelines for all to witness.

For starters, it’s quite clear that the culture is worn out by the AKA vs. Cassper beef, but the two reached new lows when parents were dragged into one of their explosive Twitter rows. In March this year, they did what they know keeps them in the headlines, but it’s now “draining to the culture”, Riky Rick opined. They must dead it.

DJ Speedsta and Nasty C went for each other on multiple occasions, while the ‘God Flow’ rapper and A-Reece had one of the weirdest non-beefs of all time. DJ Maphorisa, Prince Kaybee and more, also made quite a splash on the list of the year’s most talked-about South African celebrity beefs.

Here’s the roundup of the Top 10;

CASSPER VS. AKA

The beef is old and boring. It’s also profitable and keeps both rappers in the hot topics, so they aren’t letting it rest that easily. But in March this year, their occasional squabbles reached a new low that left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth.

What started with AKA sliding in Cassper’s DMs, where he left a litany of profanities, devolved into a bizarre spectacle of back to back insults. Each one more vicious than the previous. The rapper challenged Cassper to a boxing match and followed it with some nasty comments.

“Somebody please tell and tag Tsibip That his father is a deadbeat dad for allowing him to drop out of high school “, he tweeted. Adding “And his mother is just as bad for allowing it. #signthecontract …. immediately. (sic)”

Broer @casspernyovest sign the papers you short stubby piece of dog shit.

— AKA (@akaworldwide) March 19, 2020

By May, the likes of Riky Rick, Ms. Cosmo, and more had been speaking out on how this beef is now draining to the culture. “It might exciting for Twitter but behind the scenes, it’s something most rappers keep quiet on because it’s draining the life out of the culture”, he said. We are hoping to never have to talk about this never-ending oversupply of silliness.

DJ SPEEDSTA VS NASTY C

Hands down, Nasty C was one of the most talked-about rappers in 2020.

It’s not without reason; this year, the 23-year-old Durban native delighted his fans with an EP and the long-awaited Zulu Man With Some Power album. What’s more, he inked a record deal with Def Jam, marking inroads into the much-coveted global market.

But outside the music, he’s also made headlines for a few fallouts in the industry. The most prominent of these is his beef with DJ Speedsta. In April, the two butted heads over the ownership of Nasty C’s 2016 single ‘Bamm Bamm’.

Their strife escalated into a bitter Twitter squabble after Speedsta had claimed the song was initially his. Nasty C didn’t take too kindly to the claim and slammed the famed hit producer for not being truthful.

By September, their dispute had devolved into a full-blown beef, with disses flying all over interviews and on Twitter.

We are guessing these two won’t be dropping a surprise December collaboration then.

NAAK MUSIQ VS PRINCE KAYBEE

In many ways, Naak Musiq and Prince Kaybee are quite similar.

They both make hits, love working out, and aren’t shy about showing off their ripped bodies all the time and whenever they get a chance. They also love collecting luxury sports cars and flaunting that on their social media platforms. But in September this year, just before Naak lost his Twitter account to a massive hack, they exchanged some harsh words.

It all started when Prince Kaybee threw shade at Naak’s latest SUV, IOL reported. A video with the SUV struggling to surmount a steep road hill led Kaybee to tweet, “BMW engineering is k*k like k*kmusiq”

BMW engineering is kak like kakmusiq… https://t.co/VS2R2PCrhc

— PROJECT HOPE (@PrinceKaybee_SA) September 19, 2020

To cut a long story about a hectic, random twar short, it ended with Naak threatening to beat Prince Kaybee up. Black Coffee and DJ Tira had to intervene. The end.

BIG HASH VS. J MOLLEY

New school SA rappers Big Hash and J Molley shook the table with their diss tracks this year. It’s rather sad they haven’t continued staying on the radar as much since then.

The Big Hash vs. J Molley beef is believed to have started when the Big Hash dished the first shot on a song called ‘I’m Sorry’.

The song, which surfaced on the rapper’s Soundcloud “Carried a coffin big enough to carry Mooz’ and Molley. That’s no disrespect to anyone if you are offended, sorry!” . The track is taken from Hash’s EP, Life + Times.

J Molley hit back with a lethal retort. Pallbearer (The Big Hash Diss) charged towards The Big Hash, taking him from several angles. Their back and forth went on for a while, and they’ve yet to reconcile their differences.  

AKA VS SIZWE DHLOMO

This beef might have led to a record for the fastest a public apology came out of AKA’s mouth. But after the two bickered back and forth for a day, both AKA and Riky Rick came back on Twitter to humbly apologize.

To dish out a quick summary, here’s how it all happened: Sizwe slammed AKA’s approach to business after the rapper had publicized his strife with a sportswear brand he’d been endorsing for allegedly close to nothing in actual revenue.

Days later, AKA came back with some disses. They both had an exchange. Where things went downhill is when AKA posed a question that dragged Sizwe’s family into the fray.

Which people of color owned farms In apartheid? …. tricky.

— AKA (@akaworldwide) May 19, 2020

In a tweet that has since been deleted, Dhlomo expressed that time for Twitter had ended right there. We were never furnished with the details of how AKA and Riky Rick, who’d also weighed in on Sizwe’s ‘undue’ involvement in Hip Hop, ended up apologising almost at the same time.

BLACK COFFEE VS. PRINCE KAYBEE

Black Coffee may have conquered the world, but he really hasn’t lost an ounce of his ability to throw the occasional shade. He put a few of his spicy ways on display in May, when he came for Prince Kaybee.

It happened after Kaybee tweeted about “local celebrities” always falling for the same trap of trying to sound all-wise. That’s when the Ibiza resident pounced; “Here’s a question without the “urge of sounding intelligent “…..are you a celebrity?”

All hell broke loose.

Hosh Coffee…

I see myself more as a servant of the people, if people wish to call me a celebrity or celebrate me it’s a blessing. I’m an artist and creator first, I don’t care much about the definitions of the industry because I know who and what I am😊 https://t.co/w9xwhHtEyy

— PROJECT HOPE (@PrinceKaybee_SA) May 28, 2020

Black Coffee hit him with the dreaded “OK”, and kept it moving.

DJ MAPHORISA VS. PRINCE KAYBEE

Between Porry and Kaybee, who has sold more records? Who has amassed bigger streaming numbers? Who has a bigger career? Who’s better? All these questions were at the centre of their twar in September.

Porry had all day to be petty. When Kanye West took on Universal music over his masters, the hitmaker took on local artists over the same matter. He lambasted the likes of Lady Zamar and Mafikizolo for not owning their masters. He also took the time to tease Prince Kaybee, who we know is always ready to fire back.

If No Masters was a per……. mxm let me Tool https://t.co/xZSbqYgL6t pic.twitter.com/kkbAMQCmQF

— Madumane (@DjMaphorisa) September 16, 2020

NASTY VS. A-REECE

Long before Nasty C dropped Zulu Man With Some Power, A Reece gave us Sotho Man With Some Power. Well, at least for a few minutes before the rapper’s team petitioned Apple to take the record, which consisted of his existing catalogue, off the streaming platform.

Later that night, Reece confirmed that the shady upload was the scheme of an external party who sought to stir up the waters. Whoever that was, he was successful in shaking up the internet and triggering a reaction out of Nasty C. “Sad, sad, sad, sad”, the rapper wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted.

While neither Reece nor Nasty have ever fired any direct shots at each other, it’s clear the industry has pitted them against each as arch-rivals, and stans love nothing more than fuelling fires of a potential beef.

SIZWE DHLOMO VS VUSI THEMBEKWAYO

Successful entrepreneurs Sizwe Dhlomo and Vusi Thembekwayo are both known for dishing occasional advice about life and business. They are both known for calling a thing a thing, and have had to live with wild perceptions that they are arrogant.

So their nasty twar in August came as a bit of a surprise, particularly because of how it went left. The two were in a back and forth about how they acquired wealth when Vusi Thembekwayo posted a screenshot of an old tabloid troll headline about Sizwe having ‘beat up his gay lover.’

As he should, Thembekwayo was dragged for the homophobic undertone in his charge. Fortunately, he later apologized.

I shouldn’t have posted this. Very very bad taste.

Terrible language.
Hugely insensitive.

Unreserved apologies.

— VT (@VusiThembekwayo) August 10, 2020

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It was inevitable that the first Friday of December would set the tone for the rest of the festive season. And a bunch of South African music faves lavished the soundscape with new albums, EP’s and singles. As they should.

SUN-EL MUSICIAN 

We’ve been saying this for a while now; Sun-EL Musician is the most consistent music producer in the land. What started with his breakout hit Akanamali back in 2017, has kept picking up in velocity.

Not even the fact that he’s building his own stable, where he’s crafted and nurtured the careers of fresh voices Simmy and Mthunzi, has compromised the quality of his musical deliverables.

That’s why on his second studio album, To The World and Beyond, Sun-El has been able to deliver 15 fire bangers that will likely see him continue to mark his territory through 2021. The album features ‘Ubomi Abumanga‘, the soul-stirring anthem of faith with Msaki on guest vocals.

Let’s bet on some Rands that ‘Chasing Summer‘ will be another blockbuster smasher from the album. It’s beautiful to see Sun El putting on his production virtuosity on display. Msaki layers her sun-drenched vocals over electric synths on the joint, Claudio x Kenza are credited as collaborative production dab-hands.

Go ahead and stream this record, it’s a lush delight.

ZAKWE & DUNCAN 

Right now, the future of SA Hip Hop is a hot subject of debate. Just this past July, K.O mourned the slow decline in the relevance, impact, and commercial viability of the genre that not so long ago, dominated the charts. Of course, there have been a few triumphs in between the dry gaps, but it’s hard to ignore the plunge in consumer interest.

Zakwe and Duncan’s eponymously titled joint project brings to the surface another element that should be the focus – substance. On the 15-track project, the rappers deliver the kind of storytelling that is both moving and thought-provoking. Heart and Mind. See?

In this authentic piece, the collaborators take it back to basics. They tug at the heartstrings of Conscious Rap and the best of Kwaito, shunning the clout glazed seductions of drill and trap. The production quality is stunning, the confidence in their delivery is inspiring, and the record as a cohesive set is coherent and seamless.

This is some good music and the album is a strong contender for Best SA Hip Hop album in 2020.

SHA SHA 

When it comes to the First Lady of the Yanos, we have no choice but to stan! Having owned early 2019 with a slew of chart-toppers spawned by her solo projects and collaborations with Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa, she went away.

You’d think she was hibernating. Maybe she was, but all within the creative confines of the studio.

The Zimbabwe-born singer takes herself seriously, and she understands that she’s a business. For her latest track Woza, she teamed up with world-renowned visual artist Trevor Stuurman for the constellation of visual themes on the music video and single artwork.

Personally, Woza is my favourite of the new single drops that landed on Friday. It’s got every ingredient of a hit that can sustain a long streak in the streets. It’s that mellow side of amapiano, which finds Sha Sha melting her soft voice over Kabza’s rhythmic instrumentals.

We love this for her.

FOCALISTIC 

Pitori Maradona is having his supreme moment of encounter with destiny. On the same day that his hotly anticipated album Sghubu Ses’ Excellent dropped, he also got crowned MTV Base’s Hottest MC in South Africa.

The panel, consisting of culture pundits Scoop Makhathini, Nota, Ms Cosmo and DJ Speedsta, came to the conclusion that his ascension has been the most epic to witness.

Still, many people keep asking about whether he falls under Hip Hop or Amapiano. There’s no doubt that he’s gained most of his prominence from the latter sound. That’s the thing though, the definition of an MC has evolved through the years to encompass a vast range of varying styles.

Cassper Nyovest did this with Sweet & Short, and kept his rapper hat. Now the likes of Riky Rick are singing and rapping of piano instrumentals.

Focalistic, though, is the leader in the particular sound. He’s found a way to straddle both cultures seamlessly, and his album backs this fact. Over 14 tracks, he collaborates with a house music incumbents Vigro Deep, Junior Taurus, Jazzi Disciples, DJ Maphorisa, Reece Madlisa and amongst others Mas Musiq.

These are the hottest names right now. Focalistic wanted to make the perfect hit album, and there are several dancefloor fillers here.

SJAVA 

The singer must be in a different headspace right now. According to reports, the sexual assault case against him was allegedly thrown out of court. This is, of course, a complex topic that we could have another time. But Sjava, the artist, releases this EP within an interesting and tricky atmosphere.

Entitled ‘Umsebenzi’, the EP consists of just four sweet songs. It will take you not more than 17 minutes to flow through richly abundant poetic justice, a display of emotive vocal technique, authentic storytelling and an elevated expression of his overall musicality.

The first single ‘Umcebo’ is the lead from the handful, and has already risen up quite high on digital charts (currently in the top 10 on iTunes).

Sjava is talented, and the music here could have easily formed the groundwork for a fuller album. But he knows what he is doing and it shows.

BOITY 

2020 has been a busy year for Boity. She rolled out a few projects, fiddling with the dials across different industries.

She’s now navigating retail, what with a perfume line in partnership with a luxury perfume producer, the season 1 debut of her ‘Own Your Throne’ reality show on BET, a haircare line, and a few other endeavours here and there.

On Friday, she proved that music did not slide down her list of priorities. After adding the ‘rapper’ title to her long list of gigs within the SA media business, she took on the scene and ran as far as she could with two singles.

Entitled 4436, the EP features 9 tracks and a slew of collaborations. Yanga Chief, Maggz, Riky Rick, Ginger Trill and Maglera Doe Boy. There’s Nasty C on the previously released Wuz Dat.

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