Considering how the SAMAs snubbed as as an entire culture last year by not giving of the Best Hip Hop award on television, and the previous year when they tried to merge the Bes House/Kwaito award with the hip hop one because apparently our music “appeals to the same market”, local rap music hasn’t exactly had the best luck with mutli-genre awards committees in the past few years.
But given the all the nods KO, Cassper Nyovest, Duncan and AKA collectively received last night at the Metro FM Awards ’14 nomination party, things might just be turning around for us.
What was particularly dope was not so much who was nominated but more the fact that there are hip hop songs nominated in every category that is not genre specific. This is testament that as a genre, the music that is being released locally is competing with genres like House and Kwaito which have always been considered to be on a much higher level because of the numbers they do on digital/album/singles sales and also the widespread commercial appeal.
Check out some of the categories:
Best Music Video
AKA – Congratulate
Cassper Nyovest – Doc Shebeleza
Afrotraction – Angeke
DJ Fisherman – Callout
K.O – Caracara
Best Male Album
AKA – Levels
Cassper Nyovest – Tsholofelo
K.O – Skhanda Republic
Donald – Black & White
Afrotraction – For the Lovers
Best Hip Hop Album
AKA – Congratulate
Cassper Nyovest – Tsholofelo
K.O – Skhanda Republic
Duncan – Street Government
DJ Dimplez – Zeal
Best Hit Single
Cassper Nyovest – Doc Shebeleza
K.O – Caracara
DJ Clock – Pluto
Beatenberg – Rafael
DJ Watermelon – Koze Kose
Song of the Year
AKA – Congratulate
Cassper Nyovest – Doc Shebeleza
Cassper Nyovest – Phumakim
Euphonik – Bus
The Soil – Susan
Beatenberg – Rafael
DJ Fisherman – Call out
DJ Dimplez – Yaya
Black Motion – Rainbow
Kelly Khumalo – Asine
Of course an undertone of the competitive rivalry between AKA and Cassper was present on Twitter when both boasted about their accolades.
For the full nominees list, visit www.metrofm.co.za