The Never-Ending Debate: Cashtime Fam vs. The Wrecking Crew

South African Hip-Hop Twitter is at it again, debating which crew was superior between Cashtime Fam and The Wrecking Crew, essentially who can win a verzuz battle between the two.

Cashtime Fam reigned in the early 2010s; remember songs like ‘Goodbye’, ‘Stundee’, ‘Number 1’ and ’M.I.A’? All massive records. Helmed by veterans K.O and Ma-E, Cashtime Fam incubated the likes of KiD X, Smashis (now Zingah) and AB Crazy. 

The Wrecking Crew, on the other hand, a supergroup / collective of like-minded Hip-Hop artists and producers — A-Reece, Ecco The Beast, Ex Global, FLVME, MashBeatz, Wordz B3nchMarQ —  mostly from PTA was an internet sensation and amassed a cult-following that is still ranging to this day, taking their side in the Twitter debate. TWC’s strength was mostly in their solo projects and collaborative records — MashBeatz’s ‘Collec’ Call’, A-Reece’s ‘Meanwhile In Honeydew’, FLVME and Reece’s ‘Money Today’ and countless others. All with high YouTube views.  

TWC never dropped a group project while Cashtime Fam’s label compilation album, ‘Now Or Never’, remains one of the most under appreciated gems in South African Hip-Hop history. For a taste of TWC, peep this fan playlist on Spotify.

The debate has gone from just being a fan conversation to artists chiming in. Ex Global brought the receipts to shut down naysayers who feel the two crews can’t be compared as Cashtime was a mainstream success as opposed to TWC who were rather niche. 

Which ever side of the debate you take, we can’t deny that both crews were successful in their own way and each contributed to the story of South African Hip-Hop and music over-all.