Have you ever wondered who the best South African rapper is? I have and after doing a lot of thinking about it, I’ve arrived at a definitive list. Now some of these rappers might seem obvious until you realize that one of these words is not like the others.
Rapping is not just a profession or hobby in South Africa, it’s a culture. South Africans take their rap music very seriously. With the high levels of crime in South Africa, rappers help express how they feel about the wrongs that are happening in their country. Here are the top ten rappers in South Africa today.
10. Okmalumkoolkat
Okmalumkoolkat is a rapper, producer, and a graphic designer who in fact has worked with Nike before. His real name is Smiso Zwane and was born in Umlazi, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Okmalumkoolkat has been active in the rap game since 2007 and he came to the limelight back in 2013 after he collaborated with Cassper Nyovest in the single “Gusheshe”.
“Mlazi Milano” is his only album at the moment which is certified Gold and released in 2016.
Did you know: Okmalumkoolkat is also known as Future Mfana, DJ Sharp Sharp, Smart Mampara, Mlazi Milano Malume wengane.
9. Emtee
Emtee, whose real name is, Mthembeni Ndevu is best known for his debut single ”Roll up” featuring AKA and Wizkid. The single won Song of the Year at the 2015 South African Hip Hop Awards. He later released his debut album in 2016 named Avery after his son and took home Metro FM Music Awards.
One could think that Emtee’s music career took off fast but that is far from the truth, he released his first mixtape in 2008 title “The Introduction”.
Did you know: Emtee first stepped on the stage to perform when he was just 9 years of age at a talent show in Yeoville primary school.
8. Kwesta
Senzo Mfundo Vilakazi Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng and is currently signed to his own record label known as Rap Lyf with Kid X as the co-founder. His Song Ngud featuring Cassper Nyovest went 5x Platinum which was on his third studio album DaKAR II released in 2016. He has also had songs with International acts like Kelly Rowland and Wale on ‘Spirit’ which also went platinum.
Did you know: Kwesta and his girlfriend(now wife) got matching ring tattoos way before they even thought about marriage. Isn’t that cute?
7. Priddy Ugly
His real name is Ricardo Molo and was born on 2nd April 1992. Other than being successful in Music Priddy Ugly was also been an accomplished Sportsman during his childhood.
Priddy Ugly released some amazing songs from his 2018 album, EGYPT(Everything Godly Yearns Patience and Time) which earned him a lot of listeners across Africa and some great reviews.
Did you know: Priddy Ugly is the first-ever African ambassador for Italian retail clothing company, Diesel.
One of the youngest rappers to make it in South Africa. Besides being a rapper, he is also a songwriter and record producer signed with Ambitiouz Entertainment in 2015. A-Reece started his label(RubberBand Gang) after having disagreements with Ambitiouz Entertainment.
His real name is Lehlogonolo Ronald Mataboge. He currently has 3 albums with his latest one dropped early in 2020. You can find all his songs on his youtube channel.
Did you know: While other kids were dreaming of being Doctors, pilots, e.t.c A Reece always dreamt of being a rapper since eight grade. (he achieved his goal, don’t give up on yours).
5. K.O
Also known as Ntokozo Mdluli who is also a businessman in South Africa. K.O came into the limelight after releasing hits with the Hip-hop group Teargas, they released a couple of albums from 2006 t0 2012.
He released his debut album in 2014and another one in 2017 under Sony Music Entertainment Africa. K.O has being nominated for many awards for his hit song Caracara which he released back in 2014 featuring KId X.
Did you know: He was influential in the career of fellow rapper Kid X.
4. Shane Eagle
Shane Patrick Hughes (born 7 June 1996) is best known for his song ‘Way Up’.
He rose to fame after being one of the top four contestants on the South African television show Vuzu: The Hustle, where most South Africa rappers came from. He released an album in 2017 under his own Record label.
Did you know: Meek Mill is his all-time favorite rapper.
3. A.K.A
AKA is a rapper and entrepreneur from South Africa. He also goes by the name Kiernan Jarryd Forbes. In 2014 AKA signed a multi-album deal with Sony Music. He has also opened for Ed Sheeran and 2 Chainz on their South African tours.
AKA has released quite several albums, as a matter of fact, his 2015 album ‘Levels’ went Certified Gold. Beside AKA being a decorated artist he is a father.
Did you know: His Rap career started back in high school(2002) when he started a Rap group ‘Entity’ with his friends.
2. Cassper Nyovest
Cassper Nyovest is one of Africa’s favorite who is popularly known for his first hit songs ‘Gusheshe’ and ‘Doc Shebeleza. The two songs earned him awards and since then he has been getting awards across the world like its nothing. Cassper Nyovest became the first South African Musicians to fill up a stadium with 72,000 fans during his concert.
Did you know: Cassper Nyovest is also a Business Man and in In 2018, he made it to the list of Forbes Africa’s 30 under 30 list.
The man of many awards at only 22 years of age, a lot of rappers cant relate. He is not only the Best Rapper in South Africa but also the best in Africa. Besides being a South African Rapper he is also a songwriter and Producer.
Nasty C has been nominated by BET Awards before for Best International Act: Africa and has won many other awards across Africa. He has really changed how we look at the Hip-hop genre here in Africa. Nasty C’s real name is Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo. He currently has albums, Bad Hair and Strings & Bling.
Did you know: Nasty C started his rapping career at only nine years old
(That should go to the people who think Rome can be built in just one day)
As far as I am concerned, South African hip-hop is currently in a healthy state. With so many fresh and underrated artists emerging left right and center, it is hard to list who are the best rappers in South Africa right now.
It seems that almost everyone on the lists below has been overlooked, yet we think that these MCs have all earned a special place in SA hip-hop. These lists will likely be updated on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, but then again, we might just leave them as they are for eternity.
In an era when plenty of hip hop chases whatever trend is loudest, Mr.Reaper arrives with something darker and more inward looking. “My Escape” is a haunting new single that moves between psychological pressure and spiritual reckoning, turning fear into the starting point for a deeper kind of release.
At 2 minutes and 37 seconds, the track wastes no time building its world. From the opening moments, the atmosphere feels cold, eerie, and cinematic, like a signal coming from somewhere far away. It pulls the listener into a shadowed mental space where reality feels unstable and escape is less certain than it first appears.
That tension comes through clearly in one of the song’s most memorable lines: “We’re in a simulation, I don’t think they understand…”
The line lingers because it feels philosophical without becoming abstract. It speaks directly to the song’s central struggle, the need to break out of unseen mental and emotional traps.
As the production expands, heavy hip hop drums take control. Booming 808s, rumbling bass, and sharp hi hats give the track a tense, cinematic weight. The beat feels alive, built with purpose, and it gives Mr.Reaper the space to step fully into his darker lyrical persona.
Once he enters that space, he owns it.
Mr.Reaper moves across the beat with control and conviction. His voice is deep, steady, and commanding, carrying each line with emotional force. When he delivers:
“I can’t see, I can’t breathe, I’m surrounded by this mystery praying to God…”
“From darkness to light, we must choose what is in the light…”
“Walking to my destiny…”
the words feel like pieces of an inner conversation. They capture the pull between despair and hope, confusion and clarity, pain and transformation.
At its core, “My Escape” is a song about liberation. Not from a place, but from the prisons people carry inside themselves. It explores fear, betrayal, pressure, self doubt, and the identities that can form around pain. The track plays like a psychological and spiritual battle, where the hardest enemy to face is often the one within.
Still, there is awakening inside the darkness.
The title “My Escape” does not feel like a retreat. It feels like recognition. Freedom, in this song, comes from facing what hurts, understanding it, and turning that struggle into strength. The message is rooted in resilience, growth, and self mastery.
The cover art sharpens that idea. Its half human, half skeletal portrait reflects the tension between life and death, identity and shadow, reality and illusion. The skull suggests mortality and inner demons, while the human side points toward consciousness and awareness. Like the song, the image is bold, unsettling, and symbolic enough to stay with you.
With “My Escape,” Mr.Reaper delivers a release that feels deliberate, emotionally charged, and thought provoking. In a crowded musical landscape, his voice cuts through because it sounds committed to something real.
The journey inward may be the darkest path, but Mr.Reaper presents it as the one that leads toward true freedom.
Eye’z launches Kickstarter campaign to fund debut album “…The Album…”
RICHMOND, Calif., May 3, 2026, Pop singer, pianist, actress, and creative artist Eye’z has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund her long awaited debut album, “…The Album…,” a full length project rooted in soul, personal expression, and artistic independence.
The campaign is now live on Kickstarter and has raised US$1,145 toward its US$20,000 goal, with 7 backers and 38 days remaining at the time of this release. The all or nothing campaign must reach its funding goal by Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 9:03 AM UTC+3 in order to receive funding.
For Eye’z, this album represents years of dedication, growth, and determination. After several attempts to record the project, she is turning to listeners, fans, and supporters of independent music to help bring the album to life with the care and quality it deserves.
“I’m Eye’z, a pop artist with my own style that rings through my soul,” says Eye’z. “I don’t like being compared to other artists even when there are similarities because what I create is my own.”
The album is intended to capture Eye’z as she hears herself, with more creativity, freedom, and emotional honesty than she has been able to fully realize before. Her influences include Judy Garland, Aaliyah, Michael Jackson, Fats Waller, Marian Anderson, and Jackie Wilson. While reflecting on the project, Eye’z says she was especially inspired by Jackie Wilson’s album “Beautiful Day.”
“Music isn’t just music from me, it’s artistry. It’s completeness,” she shares through the campaign. “This campaign is to help me finally create my full length album.”
Funds raised through Kickstarter will help cover studio production, recording in a studio with a grand piano, compatible audio engineers, music video production, marketing, promotion, and live performance expenses. Eye’z also plans to celebrate the album’s debut with a special live performance in the Bay Area, bringing together supporters, musicians, and fans for a release event filled with music, energy, and gratitude.
“One of the most exciting parts of this project will be celebrating the album’s debut with a live performance for fans,” says Eye’z. “I plan to organize a special concert in the Bay Area to mark the release, an unforgettable night filled with music, energy, and gratitude.”
The Kickstarter campaign includes several reward tiers for backers. Supporters can pledge US$25 for an early digital listen, US$50 for a sneak peek package, US$275 for exclusive VIP livestream access, US$300 for an album release party invitation, US$750 for limited exclusive merchandise and a personal call, US$1,000 for a personalized album shoutout, and US$10,000 for the opportunity to executive produce the debut album.
Eye’z says she plans to keep backers updated throughout the album making process and views supporters as an essential part of the journey.
“For the most part I plan on diving in and keeping in contact with all backers to update you on the progress of my album,” she says. “BECAUSE YOU ARE THE RECORD LABEL! LOL”
For Eye’z, the campaign is about more than funding an album. It is about creating a meaningful body of work and sharing it with the people who believe in her voice, her artistry, and her story.
“Let’s make some memorable music together,” says Eye’z. “It’s SHOWTIME!”
About Eye’z Eye’z is a pop singer, pianist, actress, and multifaceted creative artist based in Richmond, California. Her music is shaped by soul, pop, theatrical expression, and classic performance influences. With “…The Album…,” Eye’z is working to complete her debut full length project and share a personal, emotionally honest body of work with listeners around the world.
Let me tell you about Dutch 3Times, a genre-fluid lyricist and melodic craftsman whose music sits somewhere between Southern reflection and Detroit pressure. He has a sharp instinct for rhythm, moving between rap, melody, and tightly cut lyricism with ease. Whether he is working over heavy trap drums or slow, atmospheric production, Dutch 3Times knows how to make a beat feel alive. He does not simply settle into the pocket, he reshapes it. Welcome aboard, ladies and gentlemen.
The independent artist returns with “Distant Lover 4: Love, Lust & Heartbreak,” a bold and intoxicating 9-track project that runs 24 minutes and 14 seconds. It marks another strong chapter in his ambitious six-part “Distant Lover Saga,” a conceptual run built around the emotional extremes of love, lust, longing, and heartbreak. Seductive, reflective, dangerous, and thrilling, this latest release is a genre-bending statement from an artist willing to blur lines, bend sound, and follow feeling wherever it takes him.
Before the music even begins, the cover art sets the mood. Washed in luminous neon green, it feels like a futuristic dreamscape where passion and heartbreak have become their own coded language. Three glowing feminine silhouettes stand at the center, part muse, part memory, part mirage. They suggest desire, mystery, and emotional complication, while streams of digital text form a matrix-like backdrop repeating the album’s core themes, love, lust, heartbreak. The image is sleek, haunting, and cybernetic. In Dutch 3Times’ world, romance feels electric and elusive, deeply felt yet always slightly out of reach.
The music is just as immersive.
The opener, “No Stress” featuring Neisha Neshae, sets the tone with futuristic minimalism that actually works. Over a clean, sharp beat built from rubbery basslines, crisp percussion, and spacious melodic restraint, Dutch 3Times shows one of his strongest gifts, his ability to lock into the production until he feels fused with it. His flow moves with smooth confidence, calm and unbothered, while Neisha Neshae brings a sharper feminine edge that strengthens the chemistry without breaking the track’s hypnotic cool.
Then comes “No Secrets,” an explosive, hook-driven anthem powered by booming 808s and sliding drill basslines that tap into the raw force of UK and New York drill. Its refrain, “Girl you know what I mean, don’t keep no secrets from me,” gives the song instant replay value. Dutch’s commanding cadence and unmistakable voice push it even further, making it one of the project’s clear centerpieces.
“BackStreet Girls PT2” moves into darker territory, a woozy nocturnal trap trip that feels like wandering through a psychedelic after-hours haze. Warped synth textures, rolling low-end, and a slow hypnotic bounce give the track its pull. Dutch 3Times leans into melody here, letting his voice dissolve into the atmosphere until he feels less like a rapper in front of the beat and more like another instrument inside the mix, ghostlike, fluid, and intoxicating.
Tracks like “All Day All Night” bring polished modern rap swagger. Dark atmospheric keys sit against punchy, clean drums, leaving enough space for the bars to breathe. The song’s stripped-back confidence and easy hook give it anthem potential. It is simple, catchy, and hard to ignore.
“Do For Me” is one of the project’s most compelling moments. Cinematic, haunting, and experimental, it carries real danger in its DNA. The production feels deep, drugged, and immersive, covered in shadow and dramatic tension. Its repetitive hook stays with you after the song ends, circling in the mind like a temptation that refuses to fade.
What makes “Distant Lover 4: Love, Lust & Heartbreak” land is its range. Dutch 3Times builds a world where sleek hip-hop minimalism, explosive drill energy, hazy trap psychedelia, polished rap bravado, and cinematic experimentation sit together naturally. There is sensuality here. There is swagger. There is vulnerability. There is edge. More than anything, there is intention.
This is music for late-night drives, smoke-filled thoughts, reckless passion, quiet obsession, and every blurred feeling in between.
With “Distant Lover 4: Love, Lust & Heartbreak,” Dutch 3Times keeps shaping the “Distant Lover Saga” into something bigger than a sequence of releases. It is starting to feel like a living universe of emotion and sound.
There is something here for everyone. Find it now by streaming this project.
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