Durban’s Hip-Hop scene is buzzing with new rappers who are at the top of SA Hip-Hop, from Nasty C to Blxckie, Usimamane and Tony Dayimane to the likes of Lord Script, Leodaleo and MSI many others.
Those artists are currently running this shit and will go down as some of the greatest from the city years from now.
But, let’s take a moment to appreciate the G.O.A.Ts of Durban Hip-Hop. The pioneers who influenced how Durban Hip-Hop sounds, those who built the scene and took the game to new heights.
To compile this list, we gauged rapping abilities, impact, innovation, consistency, catalogue, influence, popularity and longevity.
Before you come for us, consider all of those factors, not just one. Bars alone don’t make a G.O.A.T. Neither does any other factor on its own.
Note: This list consists of rappers who call Durban (and its townships and suburbs) their home. So, even though a rapper like Shon G had a serious impact on the DBN scene, he’s not on this list because he’s not from Durban.
Honourable mentions:
Raheem Kemet, Lex LaFoy, ZuluMecca, Manelis, Black Moss
Aewon Wolf has been holding it down for Durban for years with music that’s as versatile as his moves. The rapper and producer has worked with everyone from Nasty C to Jack Parow.
In the mid-2010s, Aewon Wolf and The Wolf Pack (an eclectic supergroup he was part of alongside super producer Sketchy Bongo, R&B superstar Shekhinah and a few other members) made sure Durban’s presence in the competitive SA music industry was felt.
Not one to be boxed, Aewon Wolf caught the Pop-Rap wave with radio hits like ‘A Week Ago’ (with Tribal), ‘They’ (ft Kaien Cruz), ‘Wild Side’ (with Kyle Deutsch and Sketchy Bongo) and Khuli Chana’s ‘Walking And Dabbing’ among others.
But it was his 2017 debut album ‘M.U.R.A.L’ created in collaboration with Sketchy Bongo, that put Aewon Wolf’s versatility on full display as he blended Hip-Hop with a wide range of genres like EDM, Pop and Maskandi.
Aewon’s short-lived stint with the group Future Africa saw him stay on his ambitious musical path and continue to explore other sounds, leading to some hidden gems like ‘Potoza Game’ and ’Ntombi Endala’.
Aewon Wolf is committed as a musician and philanthropist but isn’t such a huge fan of the spotlight and the mainstream industry. Unfortunately, that means he is usually left out of conversations. His versatility may also work against him in Hip-Hop circles, but his spot on the G.O.A.Ts of Durban list is safe.
They may not get along anymore, but just a few years ago, Blxckie and Lucasraps led the new generation of not just Durban but South African Hip-Hop. Their endless string of freestyles and singles during the 2020 lockdown ushered in a new era of SA Hip-Hop. Songs like ‘Big Time Sh’lappa’ and ‘Ah Ah Ah’ will stay with us forever.
Lucasraps made a name for himself on SoundCloud before his career took off when he was spotted by DJ Maphorisa who put him on stage during some of his shows and ended up welcoming him to his BlaqBoy Music imprint.
From then on, Lucasraps has played the game in his own way and has been part of important songs and moments. He handled the hook and dropped a standout verse on Dr Peppa’s ‘What It Is’ (featuring Riky Rick and Chang Cello and produced by Tyler ICU), one of the first SA Hip-Hop songs to seamlessly incorporate Amapiano.
Lucasraps later inked a deal with Def Jam Africa under which he dropped his debut album ‘031 To The World’ in 2022. His SoundCloud mixtape series ‘Location Hurting’ also contains some of his finest rapping.
Lucasraps appeared on MashBeatz’s era-defining posse cut ‘Never Ride Remix’ and the 2022 B.E.T Cyphers. He also appeared on Snoop Dogg’s ‘Snoop Dogg Presents Algorithm (Global Edition)’ compilation in 2021 in a song (‘Make Some Money’) that featured Dave East and Fabolous.
Now running his own label, Big Qosh Music, Lucasraps continues to drop fire singles and also put on new talent.
Beast RSA colours out the lines, which is how he managed to get a share of the dance music market. Beast bridged the gap between Hip-Hop and Gqom and has appeared on Amapiano records, most notably Amapiano duo Reece Madlisa and Zuma’s monster hit ‘Iy’ntsimbi zase envy’.
The KwaMashu-born rapper was unconventional from the start; his breakout single ‘Themba’ featured late Gospel mega star Sfiso Ncwane. “I like to classify my craft as music, period. If we’re looking for a certain feel, we choose the person we think is perfect for that specific song, regardless of which genre they dominate,” Beast told Hype in a 2014 interview.
As a result, Beast’s partnership with DJ Tira’s Afrotainment, which started in 2019, felt like a natural move. His first single with the label, the motivational ‘Hello’, featuring Sjava, was a successful radio hit and made it clear that he was a rapper with substance and the innate ability to craft songs that are accessible to the general public, not just Hip-Hop heads.
Since his 2012 debut mixtape ‘Global Warming’, Beast has consistently dropped projects where he’s collaborated with everyone from Big Nuz to DJ Tira, Busta 929, Skye Wanda, Stogie T, Maraza and J-Smash. Beast just doesn’t say no to a fire beat regardless of the genre.
Duncan is the archetype of a street rapper. His delivery is raw and his storytelling is sharp and engaging. He’s not scared to step into the ring when challenged either, and he has an impressive track record. He’s 2-up in his ongoing feud with Big Zulu and each victory has felt effortless and caused frustration to his opponent and his fans.
Duncan held it down for Durban in the competitive 2010s era and dropped his debut album ‘Street Government’ in 2014 under Afrotainment which was prevalently a House and Kwaito label. The album’s hit single ‘Tsiki Tsiki’ saw him move with the times as he sampled Kwaito legend M’Du’s ‘Tsiki Tsiki’. The remix featured AKA alongside Durban Kwaito icons Professor and Mampintsha.
Duncan is still a key player in the Durban Hip-Hop scene today and still commands respect more than a decade into his career.
Zuluboy’s Skandi Hop sound (a blend of Maskandi and Hip-Hop) was ahead of its time; the approach may be different today, but it’s the very same philosophy that drives contemporary KZN Hip-Hop from Sjava to The Qwellers.
Zuluboy’s Native Rhythms era was iconic; his trilogy of albums (‘Masihambisane’ (2006), ‘Inqolobane’(2008) and ‘Igoda’(2009)), named after primary school curriculum Zulu textbooks, was a masterclass in poetic Zulu rap and what Hip-Hop can become if blended with traditional African sounds and aesthetics.
Zuluboy continued with that anthropological approach to creating music when he dropped ‘Soweto Soul’ (2017), an album that saw him and his guests rap over beats that were inspired by Mbhaqanga, Maskandi, Shangaan Electro and other forgotten South African sounds.
In Zuluboy’s raps, one gets insights about history, love, Hip-Hop and the streets, giving you a full South African perspective accompanied by interesting production.
Even though he’s not as active today, Abdus had an incredible run in the 2000s and early 2010s, and his impact can be still felt today. He became the face of KZN Kasi rap and exhibited an effortless creativity with his wordplay in battles, his 2009 mixtape, ‘The Fixtape’ and his 2012 debut album ‘The Library’.
Abdus may not have made Nasty C-level power moves (no one in his era could) but his pen alone earns him a spot on the competitive list of the G.O.A.Ts of Durban. His humorous approach to punchlines and animated delivery over aggressive beats is something you still hear in today’s generation of Durban rappers.
A visionary too, Abdus started a cypher series at the bus terminals between Pine and Commercial Street in Durban in 2004. For a whole year, Abdus is said to have never missed a single session and never lost one battle.
On top of all that, Abdus has admitted to having ghost-written for some of SA’s biggest names which he refused to mention. When he called himself insumansumane he wasn’t lying.
Get acquainted with Abdus’s old music on his Reverbnation page: https://www.reverbnation.com/abdus/songs
Four years after breaking into the mainstream, Somnyama is already an icon. From creating a serious buzz during the 2020 lockdown alongside his then-partner in rhyme, Lucasraps, Blxckie has become an African Pop star with a healthy global footprint — the DefJam signee went on a US tour with Dreamville rapper Bas early this year and appeared on his project, ‘We Only Talk About Real Shit When We Fucked Up’. Blxckie recently appeared on US Pop star Nelly Furtado’s comeback album ‘7’ as well as Earth Gang’s ‘Ghetto Gods (Deluxe)’ in 2022.
Musically, Blxckie refuses to be one thing; he hops from one genre to another with ease. Under his belt, Somnyama has rappity rap hits (‘Big Time Sh’lappa’, ‘Ah ah ah ah’), rap bangers (‘Ye x4’, ‘Uppity’), expressive songs like ‘David’ and ‘Mama It’s Bad’ as well as crossover hits like the luxurious ‘Kwenzekile’ with Madumane and his generational birthday anthem ‘Sika’. Not to mention his contribution on one of the biggest Afro-Pop songs of this decade ‘SETE’ by K.O.
While dropping Pop hits can alienate a rapper’s core fanbase, that hasn’t been the case with Blxckie who is still a respected lyricist who’s not reluctant to rap with younger rappers who he seems passionate about putting on.
Somnyama could retire today and he would still be considered one of the best to ever come out of DBN. And everything mentioned above happened in just a little under five years.
A street rap soldier that has been at it since the 2000s, the Sphethu Records affiliate is a first-generation Durban rap star. After building his name in the Durban mixtape circuit, Zakwe signed to Native Rhythms and, in 2012, dropped his self-titled debut album, a South African Hip-Hop classic that led with singles like ‘Bathi Ng’yachoma’, a quintessential Durban street rap record.
Zakwe has been consistent since then, dropping more solid albums like ‘Impande’ (2015), ‘Cebisa’ (2018) and his self-titled collaborative album with Duncan in 2020.
Zakwe has done it all; he’s rapped with Big Nuz, Zola, PRO, Kwesta, Duncan and Stogie T, dropped street records and did the New Age Kwaito thing in his own way. He’s dropped hits like ‘Sebentin’, ‘Kapteni’, ‘Thixo Wam’ and till today, the pioneering rapper is still him and it doesn’t feel like he’s planning to slow down.
“That’s the problem with you new school cats/ took your whole style from Malumkoolkat.” Supa Mega didn’t lie. Very few (if any) SA rappers have been as innovative and influential as Future Mfana. Koolkat will rap comfortably over any kind of beat from Trap to Kwaito, Gqom, Amapiano and EDM.
In the early 2010s, while part of the rapper-producer duo Dirty Paraffin, Koolkat was part of the movement that laid down the groundwork for SA Hip-Hop’s New Age Kwaito era characterised by the genre’s biggest hits to date. The 2021 single ‘Sebenza’ in which Koolkat is featured by London Electronic Music group L.V never became as big as ‘Caracara’ or ‘Ngud’’ but it was an early sign of the direction SA Hip-Hop would take a few years later.
To this day, you hear Koolkat’s influence on uncountable rappers especially from Durban, from Robin ThirdFloor to Nasty C. His catalogue and long list of guest verses is a display of natural charisma and innovative rhyming that borrows from various styles. His verse on Kwesta’s ‘Maybabo’ belongs in a museum. On ‘Amantombazane Remix’, he spazzed. On ‘Bump The Cheese Up Remix’, he floated. On ‘Gusheshe’ by Cassper Nyovest, he simply took charge.
Over the years, Okmalumkoolkat has built a solid catalogue of EPs, mixtapes and albums with each project being a showcase of his unmatched talent and ability to adapt and innovate.
Beyond music, as a cultural and fashion icon, Koolkat has been a torchbearer since his time with BoyznBucks, a supergroup that changed how we dress, how we speak and approach music. Think about The Qwellers on steroids. Koolkat’s impact in the game is simply unmatched. Ushukela etiyeni for real.
Very few (if any) rappers are as accomplished and versatile as Nasty C in South Africa — he’s one of the most technically skilled rappers of this era and his Afrobeats run (‘Particular’, ‘Said’, ‘Coolest Kid In Africa’ etc.) comes second only to AKA’s.
In his albums, Nasty C has played around with R&B, Pop and most recently Amapiano. He’s at home over a Trap beat but also sounds like money over Boom-Bap (‘Vent’, ‘U Played Yourself, ‘Release Me’).
The rapper/producer’s catalogue of albums, mixtapes and EPs is among some of the best in the country. ‘Strings And Bling’ is a South African Hip-Hop classic and a noteworthy release from the mid-2000s, while ‘I Love It Here’, which showed substantial growth, is his fighter for the 2020s. In his albums, he’s rapped poignantly about his family, his relationship, parenthood and social issues.
Nasty C’s collaborator list is not to be fucked with either; ever since Davido and Cassper Nyovest jumped on the ‘Juice Back Remix’, Nasty has been collaborating with reputable artists like A$AP Ferg, T.I., Ari Lennox, Runtown, Ami Faku, AKA… all the big guns while making time to jump on songs by emerging artists such as KindlyNxsh, crownedYung and Nanette.
Nasty C’s pen has been refined since his classic mixtape ‘Price City’; the quality of his rhymes and delivery puts him in the African Hip-Hop G.O.A.T conversation. Nasty C has monster hits like ‘Juice Back’, ‘Hell Naw’, ‘Jack’, ‘King’ and has monumental guest verses; ‘’Way It Go’, Wuz Dat?’, ‘Lemons (Lemonade)’, ‘Vapors’…
Durban, and one could argue South Africa, has simply never seen a rapper who ticks every single box the way Junior does. He’s simply the greatest the city’s ever seen.
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