Apple Music celebrates Mzansi hip hop with four newcomers

Rap Life Africa is home to hip hop’s heavy hitters and songs that speak to the moments that define the culture today. It’s only fitting that Apple Music closes out a year of covers by featuring rising stars, Usimamane, Tony Dayimane, Ziggy4x and KindlyNxsh.

The artists brought an exciting new energy to the hip hop scene and have dominated the charts. Newcomer Usimamane, whose viral track ‘Cheque’ catapulted him into the limelight, released his debut album through gamma. which hit number No. 1 on the Apple Music album charts, marking a major achievement for the freshman.

Tony Dayimane also dropped his much anticipated debut ‘Red October: Induction’ featuring heavyweights Okmalumkoolkat, Kwesta and Emtee, while Ziggy4x brought a fresh new sound from Cape Town with his viral track ‘Honne’ and his debut EP Gangsta Baby. In a year of notable remixes, newcomer KindlyNxsh’s ‘Eish Chief’ got the superstar treatment from none other than Nasty C.

“The streets have been dying hard for something fresh, and what makes my sound resonate with people is: relatable lyrics, soulful vocals, cultural relevance, catchy melodies and emotional authenticity,” Usimamane said. “These factors combined have helped me resonate with people on a deep level, creating a loyal fan base and critical acclaim.”

Tony Dayimane said: “We caught hip-hop at a space where it wasn’t shining like it was back in 2016, 2017 and respectfully, the genre of amapiano was everywhere and often compared to our genre because it was new and the same for hip-hop, all we needed was new faces in the game and obviously via social media it was able to introduce us to new fresh artists with a new culture being formed which is what the culture has been hungry for, since 2021 and yeah as the ‘innanet.wav’ it does seem like we are here to stay.”  

Apple Music has also released the names of the Top 10 SA Hip-Hop Artists on Apple Music Worldwide, the Top 10 SA Hip Hop Albums on Apple Music Worldwide and the Top 10 SA Hip Hop Songs on Apple Music Worldwide (Worldwide streams from November 1, 2023, through October 31, 2024).

Top 10 South African Hip Hop Artists on Apple Music Worldwide

1. Nasty C
2. A-Reece
3. AKA
4. Blxckie
5. Big Zulu
6. Emtee
7. Usimamane
8. K.O.
9. Cassper Nyovest
10. Kwesta

Top 10 South African Hip Hop Albums on Apple Music Worldwide

1. Nasty C, Strings and Bling
2. A-Reece, P2: THE BIG HEARTED BAD GUY
3. Nasty C, I Love It Here
4. Usimamane, 20th: Days Before Maud
5. A-Reece, Kill The King: the mixtape
6. AKA, Levels
7. AKA, Touch My Blood
8. A-Reece, Today's Tragedy, Tomorrow's Memory: the mixtape
9. K.O, SR3
10. Blxckie, B4NOW

Top 10 South African Hip Hop Songs on Apple Music Worldwide

1. K.O – ‘SETE (feat. Young Stunna & Blxckie)’
2. AKA – Nasty C, ‘Lemons  (Lemonade)’
3. Nasty C – ‘SMA (feat. Rowlene)’
4. Usimamane, Sjava – ‘Uvalo’
5. AKA, KDDO – ‘Company’
6. Usimamane – ‘Cheque’
7. Inkabi Zezwe, Sjava, Big Zulu – ‘Umbayimbayi’
8. Qwellers – ‘Typhoon (feat. Sastii, LaCabra, Lowfeye & Blue Pappi)’
9. AKA – ‘All Eyes on Me’
10. Nasty C, Runtown – ‘Said’