The Hip-Hop culture is not just what you see and hear in the place you live. It stretches beyond the next city, town and even state. It’s present in all countries across the globe. It is Hip-Hop ( or music in general), that connects different people in a great way; greater then one may think. As a fan of Hip Hop, I immediately began comparing the Hip Hop culture in the United States with the Hip Hop culture in my home country; South Africa.

I’ve come across people in the United States asking me if people in South Africa know about American mainstream/commercial Hip-Hop artists. My first response (after shock), is to tell them that Hip-Hop fans in South Africa fall in to two categories: people who love the music and only care about the commercial artists (mainly American artists), and the second group of people who care about all the elements that make up the Hip-Hop culture. The latter are the people who are fans of underground Hip-Hop artists from any part of the world. Of cause like with anywhere else in the world, people sometimes aren’t in any “category” and just love Hip-Hop.

The Hip-Hop industry in South Africa is a young and small one. Back in the early 90’s, there were some emcees in South Africa who wanted to be signed artists, but record labels did not think that South Africans would buy into the idea of “South African Hip-Hop”. That was based on the facts that people were listening and buying music from American artists and local Hip-Hop would have to compete with the more popular genres of House music and Kwaito (a genre unique to South Africa). Fast track to the beginning of the year 2000 and South Africans wanted to hear South African Hip-Hop artists’ music on the radio and buy it. All this led to more artists getting record deals and getting their sound out there. Now people were analyzing Hip-Hop in South Africa; what makes it “South African” Hip-Hop? That is an issue that always comes up in any discussion. The crux of the debate is what differentiates a Hip-Hop artist from South Africa and one from the United States. That comparison is made because the American Hip-hop industry is the largest in the world and it is one that the rest of the world is most exposed to. I think what makes S.A Hip-Hop different from U.S Hip-Hop is the lyrical content and sometimes the beats (there is obviously more than that). The lyrical content will contain issues that South Africans can relate to and even though quite a few of the songs are in English, they will contain any of the other 10 official languages for the “S.A flavor”. The beat quality on some songs is up there with international productions and some others are not. Some songs will also have sampling from songs that are South African classics. The industry is growing and there are artists that are gaining ground not only in South Africa but also around Africa and certain parts of the world. Right now the artists’ focus is trying to gain international recognition, with most artists getting a chance to perform at international music festivals (in Europe and the U.S.).

Before an emcee can get signed they need to have the hunger and drive to get to the top. Since S.A hip-hop is so called “big” now, there are more events that unsigned artists can use to get their music out. An artist’s biggest goal is to gain “street credentials”. For an artist, they know that they have to have a lot of people talking about their skills before they can get a slot on radio or a positive respond from crowds at an event. An emcee uses open-mic events, battles and mixtapes to get exposure “on the ground” before they get signed and get their songs on radio.

Since Hip-hop culture is not just about the music, the other parts of the culture (breaking, graffiti and djing) are also huge in South Africa. B-boys and B-girls in South Africa are as common a sight to see at any Hip-Hop event and teams compete on the local and international scene. DJ’s are a vital part and are respected to the fullest degree by fans and artists. This is because they expose people to new sounds and promote any artists they believe to be worth it. Some DJ’s are also known to compete at international competitions.

The growth of the Hip-Hop culture in South Africa is not only determined by the work of the artists and the support from the fans, but by other people as well. Right now getting people to invest in the local Hip-Hop culture is a struggle for those working in the industry, but people are determined. International Hip-Hop acts (mostly Americans- Talib Kweli, The Roots, Dead Prez and many others), that have been to South Africa have positive things to say about the Hip-Hop culture in South Africa. It is through the international connections and the work of South Africans that more people in other countries will be aware of the South African Hip-Hop culture and support it.

For more info on African Hip-Hop visit www.africanhiphop.com

For more info on the South African Hip-Hop scene and the urban culture visit www.yfm.co.za, www.peakperformances.co.za, rage.co.za

– By Reba

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