Online Reporter
JOHANNESBURG. – South African hip hop has continued to evolve over the years.
While a new generation of artists experiment with different sounds and global influences, many of the genre’s pioneers remain rooted in the style that first built the culture locally.
The difference between the two eras recently came up during a conversation on the New Gen Podcast, presented by the “L-Tido Network”.
Hosts Bruce, Siv, Fargo and Domingos sat down with several seasoned artists to discuss the current state of the genre.
One of the guests, rapper and podcaster L-Tido, reflected on what he believes was hip hop’s most dominant period in South Africa.
Looking back at the era when he rose to prominence alongside artists like AKA, Riky Rick and Cassper Nyovest, L-Tido said the genre held a powerful position in the country’s music landscape.
“When we were doing hip hop, it was the number one genre,” he said.
According to him, the artists from his generation entered the industry with a deep respect for the pioneers who came before them. He pointed to veterans like HHP and Pro Kid as artists they admired growing up.
“We looked up to HHP, Pro Kid. We never beefed with them. There was never a time when we were beefing with them,” he recalled.
While rivalries did exist among artists from the same generation, he said they rarely defined the culture as a whole.
“SA hip hop wasn’t beefing,” he explained. “My generation, we all became family too.”
The “Dlala Ka Yona” hitmaker also touched on what he sees as a growing disconnect between older artists and the newer generation of rappers.
“The youngins will ask if you know a certain person, and if you don’t know them, they say the OG isn’t tapped in. But if an OG asks the same question and you don’t know the person, it’s suddenly acceptable,” he said.
For the artist, the achievements of earlier generations should not be overlooked, especially considering the role hip hop once played in the local industry.
“Hip hop was the number one genre in South Africa. You can’t diss the older guys because when they were on, hip hop was number one,” he added.
His comments come at a time when conversations around the direction of South African hip hop continue to surface online, particularly as genres like amapiano dominate mainstream charts.
“You always hear, ‘amapiano to the world’, whatever to the world, but it’s always really good to celebrate where you come from, never forget where you come from, never forget where you started. That magic that you found at home, that’s the thing that people are going to relate to,” she said. – IOL
