25k Wins His First SAMA for Best Hip-Hop Album of the Year

Pretoria rapper 25K has won his first South African Music Award after his album Loyal To The Plug: The Life & Times of Don Kilograms was named Best Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the 31st Annual South African Music Awards (SAMA31).

The album was among the nominees in a competitive category that included projects from Blxckie, Tony Dayimane, Loatinover Pounds, and Sizwe Alakine. Loatinover Pounds was nominated for Pray 4 Pitori, a project that also received recognition during the awards season.

Accepting the award, 25K acknowledged the significance of the moment. “This is a dream come true for me, my first SAMA award,” he said.

He went on to highlight the importance of recognising emerging artists, giving a special mention to fellow nominee Loatinover Pounds. “Honourable mention to Loatinover Pounds. I feel like we have to believe in the kids, and I feel like Pounds is one of the kids that are putting Pitori on the map in terms of the new wave,” he said.

Released in October 2024, Loyal To The Plug: The Life & Times of Don Kilograms followed 25K’s debut album Pheli Makaveli. Speaking during his acceptance, the rapper reflected on the time and effort invested in the project. “This was like three years of my life,” he said. “After dropping Pheli Makaveli, I was kind of stuck and I didn’t know how to follow up after dropping such a crazy debut.”

The album features a range of collaborators and producers, contributing to its final sound and structure. During his speech, 25K acknowledged the teams behind the project. “Shout out to my team at Sony, shout out to my management, Golden Dread Agency, and shout out to my friends also who helped me put together this album,” he said.

He also recognised individual contributors to the project’s production and development. “Shout out to Zoocci Coke Dope, shout out to Big Les, for real,” he added.

The South African Music Awards, organised by the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA), remain one of the country’s leading platforms for recognising musical achievement across genres. With this win, Loyal To The Plug: The Life & Times of Don Kilograms becomes 25K’s first SAMA-winning project, marking a notable milestone in his recording career.