Bad Hair & Bad Decisions

by Phil Chard

Friday September 23rd was meant to be the day that marked another significant step forward in South African Hip Hop, a day that would signify the passing of the guard as a new, young and extremely talented artist who seemed to have the support and adoration of all was poised to cement his arrival and carve the first major etch of his career. Nasty C's début album Bad Hair was poised to be a seminal offering. However not everything always goes to plan.

After announcing on Thursday the 22nd of September that his album would be delayed due to clearance issue Nasty reappeared late on Friday evening to declare that the album was now available for download and streaming via audiomack - a free streaming service. The same platform that he uploaded his breakout Price City Mixtape.

Decided to release Bad Hair for free. This is for my family 🙏🏾☔️😤: https://t.co/8WqHyWg7Xu

— Bad Hair 👇🏽 (@Nasty_CSA) September 23, 2016

The response on social media reflected just how extensive the demand for this project was. At the time of writing this Nasty C has the biggest song and album on Audiomack across all genres. In just over 48 hours Nasty C's Bad Hair has generated 245,000 streams and is more popular than releases from Juicy J, Young Thug, Fabolous and TI's Hustle Gang. That in itself is an incredible achievement and a testament to how popular Nasty has become. A teenager from Kwazulu-Natal released an album that has more INTERNATIONAL appeal than releases from some of the world's biggest rappers including Young Thug who is one of Nasty C's idols. This achievement supersedes those of his compatriots who celebrate reaching the top of the iTunes chart, as that chart is limited to purchases made from users with South African Apple IDs.

This is the kind of impact that @Nasty_CSA's Free Album #BadHair (#1 Album on Audiomack) is having on his fans!

— audiosnap on the app (@audiomack) September 24, 2016

So if Nasty C managed to release his album and it basically went Diamond on Audiomack shouldn't we all be celebrating and hailing Nasty C for the Hip Hop messiah that he has clearly proven himself to be? In short- Yes and No.

This is what led us to this point.

Nasty C dropped Price City, one of the best mixtapes to ever grace South African Hip Hop in early 2015. Word of a rap wunderkind soon spread and Nasty's song Juice Back helped break him into the mainstream. He followed that up with a series of notable features, the Juice Back Remix and a 2015 SA Hip Hop Award for Rookie of The Year. In 2016 Nasty then dropped the Price City Deluxe project which was a re-release of the 2015 mixtape of the same name including 5 new songs. Nasty then announced that he had received a call from Jay-Z's Roc Nation which triggered a rumoured bidding war for the rapper's signature behind the scenes. Surprisingly the rapper opted to sign with the relatively unknown label Mabala Noise which opened a completely new set of questions. Nasty then announced that he would be releasing his debut offering Bad Hair on September 23. At this stage Nasty's position as the heir apparent to the SA Hip Hop thrown was all but guaranteed. All was left for him to produce an album that fulfilled all the promise and potential he had shown up until this point. Early reviews from the album suggest that he managed to achieve that.

[button url=https://www.africanhhb.com/2016/07/mabala-noise-just-turned-the-industry-on-its-head-we-try-make-sense-of-it-all.html target=blank icon=windows]Read More About Mabala Signing Nasty C [/button]

So where is the problem?

Well the first sign of trouble came on September 22 when Nasty C announced via Twitter that the album would be delayed due to a sample clearance issue. Clearing a sample is not a new a issue in Hip Hop, it is in fact the bedrock in which the sound of the culture was built. Since sample clearance is such a fundamental part of compiling an album it was a surprise that this would hold the project up. Surely someone in Nasty's team or Mabala Noise had budgeted for this occurrence?

Nasty C fans, myself included, took the news with disappointment. As long as Bad Hair dropped in good time we would all show support and buy it. September 23rd rolled around and Nasty then announced that Bad Hair was now available for free download on Audiomack.

Had the sample been cleared? Had the young rapper decided to release the album without confirming with the label ? Why release an album for free?

While I made an attempt to contact the relevant parties to get some answers I speculated about the details of the album release on Twitter. On early Saturday morning I got my answers from an individual intimately acquainted with the situation.

According to him, Universal Music South Africa had partnered with Mabala Noise on a Production And Distribution deal with Mabala Noise for Bad Hair. What this means is that Universal would pay for the pressing of CDs and distribute the album across various physical and digital outlets. Once those costs had been recouped it would then share the profits with Mabala Noise dependant on whatever deal they struck. Track 10 of Bad Hair titled A Star Is Born features a sample from Grover Washington Jr. This sample failed to be cleared on time and Nasty, possibly overcome with frustration or a desire not to disappoint his fans (probably both) decided to release to the album for free.

There are several reasons why this was short sighted. Firstly, Nasty C is no longer an independent artist. He is now signed to a label that is rumoured to have given him a more than a substantial signing bonus to secure his talents. One of the ways Mabala would get a return on their sizeable investment would be via album sales.

Secondly, Nasty C circumvented the distribution deal with Universal Music who signed onto distribute a paid album based off the demand they estimated it had. Now that the album has been released for free this demand is no longer as high as it was a day before the album dropped. According to this report from Rapport the cost to produce and distribute a Bad Hair CD without royalty considerations is approximately R19 a disc. Based off recent sales and the demand for this album as displayed by its high stream count, let's say Universal printed 10,000 CDs of Bad Hair for a first run. If that math holds up Nasty C cost his label and universal R190,000 just off the top in input costs for CDs that were printed but may no longer be purchased. No to mention costing himself a potential R83,000 in mechanical royalty payments.

A brealdopwn of revenue splits from a R100 CD via Rapport SA Music Report

There is no way to tell how many of the fans that have generated the 244,000 streams or the thousands of direct downloads of the album would have actually bought the album . But it is hard to imagine a scenario where a casual fan who might have purchased Bad Hair legally had it been released via a store, still opting to spend $10 on it, when they can download it for free with Nasty C's tacit consent.

The Real Cost

But all these costings are hypothetical. Let's look at the real costs here. Firstly Nasty C still went ahead and released a song with a sample in dispute. Even though he released it for for free, as we've seen with lawsuits filed against Kendrick Lamar and Mac Miller he could still find himself in court for using the sample. Nasty had so many other options available to him with regard to that sample, such as getting a Jazz musician to recreate the Grover Washington sample and produce what is called an interpolation or sourcing another sample altogether. Releasing the album while the song was in dispute was the worst option.

Nasty C could also find himself being sued by Universal and even his own label if they fail to recoup the expenses incurred on this album.

The biggest cost caused by this disastrous release however will be felt by the music industry at large. Particularly the South African Hip Hop community who are looking to build a sustainable industry that pays its members. Without a doubt Nasty C's album was the most commercially viable South African Hip Hop release in recent years. Possibly ever. Nasty C was and still is Sa Hip Hop's chosen one in many respects. He represents the nexus of intricate, skilled lyricism with commercially viable hit making. That is a rare skillset that few artists before him have possessed.

Nasty has built a throng of fans who were clamouring to support him and buy into his brand. I personally feel Bad Hair was poised to go double platinum within 6 months of release. It's hard to argue with that when Nasty C is generating more streams than established American artists who have marketing budgets that far exceed that of Nasty. When the most commercially viable artist in an industry who is loved and revered by a whole new generation who are poised to become the next wave of Hip Hop fans, releases the most anticipated project in recent history history for free, he is essentially devaluing the whole market. What Nasty C has done is tell his fans that an album that takes untold hours to make, with 16 solid tracks and a hit single, is essentially only worth the megabytes it costs you to download/stream it. As it stands the cost of a good album is free ninety nine according to Nasty. If you are a rapper looking to break into this industry or feed your family this does not bode well for you. When the rapper who is literally at the top of the totem pole releases work for free what message does that send to young fans when another artist tries to charge them for an album that is not as popular?

Some might argue that releasing the music for free doesn't affect Nasty because he could easily make back these losses on performances. That is true. But what happens when Nasty is 40 and tired of touring? Or when his music isn't as commercially viable? It is at those times that royalty cheques for PAID releases help sustain an artist. Long after their career has had its time.

There are others who might point to other artists who have released free albums that later found their way onto paid platforms. However in those instances those artists did not violate existing distribution deals when releasing their work. You will also find that artists release free projects to help build interest and awareness in their brand. This interest is then converted into demand which then justifies the release of a paid project. There is a long list of artists who started by releasing free mixtapes before offering a fully commercial debut. With Nasty C, his Price City projects were the appetisers, the streams on Bad Hair prove he created incredible demand, enough to justify a paid release.

Releasing this album may have helped appease Nasty's fans and display his incredible talent to the world. But this was a highly short sighted decision that could prove to be very costly in the long run. There is no way Nasty will sell as many copies of Bad Hair as he would have had the album dropped first for purchase. Ultimately, the streaming numbers may look incredible but NBasty was in ooaition to achieve much more and possibly smash a number of records in the process. He still do it, but we may also never know.

Nasty is only 19. He is young, handsome and talented. Every weekend he goes out and performs to thousands of adoring fans screaming his name and reciting his lyrics. Everyday I'm sure his phone is filled with messages from fans expressing their appreciation for his talents in various ways. That alone is a powerful drug, sometimes it can prove to be too much for someone that young. Therefore I don't expect Nasty to know any better. He is a kid. His job is to enjoy life and produce good music. He fulfilled his end of the bargain. However, his team and record label SHOULD know better. Where was his manager and legal advisor to detract him from going through with this idea? Why didn't someone call him immediately after he initially released the project and instruct him to delete the tweet and album? Why is it that a whole two days later the project is still available for streaming and free download? Even though Universal has scrambled and managed to get it into stores for purchase, Mabala Noise is losing revenue every minute it remains up for free download or streaming? There seems to be a real lack of leadership in Nasty's camp and my biggest concern is if the people who are paid to protect his interests actually have Nasty's interests at heart.

Mabala Noise Just Turned the Industry On Its Head. We Try Make Sense Of It All

by Phil Chard

In a surprising press conference called earlier today South African Entertainment stable Mabala Noise brought out 12 new acts who were all dressed in some snazzy Mabala Noise varsity jackets to announce that they had all signed to the label. The new additions to their roster include

Malabala'ss new artists are

Nasty C

Gigi LaMayne

Zakwe

Zola

Pro

Major League DJz

DJ Finzo

Letoya Makhene

Jay Spitter

Kay Sibiya

Khanyi Mbau

DJ Finzo

The news that the relatively unknown label managed to snag the most sought after artist in South African Hip Hop - Nasty C was a massive surprise. I managed to call Nasty C’s publicist Pierre Ball who had this to say on the signing.

“Mabala Noise is trying to do something very amazing with these artists...they're trying to create platforms where artists in South Africa [are given] a chance financially and support wise to allow these artists to become artists that can compete on an international level. Being one of the flagship artists on Mabala Noise Nasty C is very excited, we have people like Gigi LaMayne, legends like Zola and Major League DJz, we're very excited to see what's gonna happen in the future. “

Mabala Got The Juice

Nasty’s signing comes on the eve of his highly anticipated debut album and months after the highly speculated links between him and Jay Z’s Roc Nation. Granted he did spark those rumours with his tweet.

Got a call from Roc Nation recently to schedule a meeting 🙌🏽.. I owe it all to you! 🇿🇦 for believing in me. Thank you 🙏🏾

— Bad Hair (@Nasty_CSA) May 1, 2016

The Roc Nation meeting is still in the plans. I haven't met anyone from the label, I haven't signed any deal.

— Bad Hair (@Nasty_CSA) May 14, 2016

Gigi LaMayne who also signed to the label still has a management deal with Refiloe Ramagose’s Dreamteam South Africa imprint following her Jack Scouts win in 2014. After graduating from Wits, Gigi had also announced the formation of her own digital media agency - Hart Roc Entertainment, which she says is “aimed at eradicating youth unemployment in the arts sector “. How she will handle these 3 separate business arrangements is still unclear at the moment.

Zakwe who made his name under Sipho Sithole’s Native Rythms Label where he released his self titled debut album and 2015’s Impande now departs for the upstart label.

Pro and Zola who are both highly respected veterans in South African Hip Hop are clearly intent on releasing new music. The legends will. Also be joined by socialite cum presenter cum general Queen of Slayage Khanyi Mbau. But can she rap tho? My only introduction to her Hip Hop offerings was her verse on the Shabang Remix.

The most intriguing thing about all these signings is the question of how incredible the value proposition that Mabala is presenting to these artists. Nasty C was the bell of the ball and could pick and choose his destination. Major League DJz and Riky Rick (yeah don't forget they signed him too last month) were both successful independent artists. The Banele twins are also successful event promoters in their own right. Though new to the Hip Hop arena, Khanyi Mbau is a powerful brand on her own that should be able sell a few tickets on that alone and Zola has been very outspoken about his disdain for the industry and the role labels play in them.

All these artists join a roster that includes Ms Jones, Lvovo, DJ Chynaman and Du Boiz..

What Is A Mabala Noise?

So who is running Mabala Noise and how have they been able to progress from general obscurity to forming one of Africa's formidable labels in just a few months?

Well the company Mabala Noise (Emabalabala) is co-owned by Bongani Dlamini -Ngcobo more affectionately as DJ Bongz (who has the best dance ever) and Reginald Nkabinde. Mr Nkabinde is a flamboyant businessman, politician and philanthropist who has been known to throw a killer party or two. His 31st birthday party lasted three days. Mr Nkabinde is also a director at Urban Dynamics -a Joburg based construction and housing development firm. In 2015 Mr. Nkabinde was also appointed as the Treasurer General of The ANC’s Youth League.

Yes, this one is different. It IS better than suchnsuch. Plenty of sit downs were had. Da papers shoulda been made outta candy if u ask me

— Bad Hair (@Nasty_CSA) July 21, 2016

To whoever even cares. Yes I'm EXTREMELY happy with the deal. Back to work it is. ✌🏽️😊

— Bad Hair (@Nasty_CSA) July 21, 2016

Aside from acting as a label Mabala Noise is also an events promoter, they were behind the recent concert at the Durban July that brought Chris Brown, Eve and Tinashe to South Africa. They have also organised events such as the Donalds Dam Picnic Explosion.

It is very clear that Mabala has a vision and and an expense budget impressive enough to convince all these artists to sign up en masse. Whether or not they will be able to fulfill their promises or achieve their lofty goals is yet to be seen.

We live in very interesting times and I for one can't wait to see how this all unfolds

Nasty C Involved In A Car Crash

by Phil Chard

One of South Africa's most promising and talented young artist's Nasty C was involved in a serious car accident last night( Friday July 8). The rapper posted a series of tweets and images on his Twitter page that displayed the damage sustained by the vehicle he was travelling in as well as two other vehicles involved in the incident.

I contacted Nasty C’s publicist Pierre Ball who had this to say on the accident

“The car is written off but the guys are fine... We unsure on the condition of the driver that hit them though. We unsure if the guy was drunk. They were crossing an intersection when this guy shot the robot. We unsure if the guy was drunk. They were crossing an intersection when this guy shot the robot.” [sic]

Thankfully the Durban rapper walked away without sustaining any serious injuries.

What we had to go through last night. Thank God I'm okay. Thank you all for the well wishes 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/ASNN1Vj6Fm

— Bad Hair (@Nasty_CSA) July 9, 2016

The drunk driver drove straight onto my door side and knocked our car off the road pic.twitter.com/wBCe4IIieu

— Bad Hair (@Nasty_CSA) July 9, 2016

THANK GOD IM NOT TOO COOL FOR A SEATBELT!

— Bad Hair (@Nasty_CSA) July 9, 2016

Mixed Bag Mondays XLII | The Best Of Soundcloud Vol II

by Phil Chard

Vol II Front

The AHHB is always looking for new ways to ensure we are providing with our fans with the most exhaustive and comprehensive coverage of the music from the continent . With that in mind we have created a new mixtape series that will feature some of the best music on Soundcloud that we have come across that has not featured on the blog.

The Best Of Soundcloud mixtape series shares some of our favourite African Hip Hop songs from Soundcloud and is precursor to a lot of exciting things that we have planned.

In our second mixtape we have music from the budding musical back and forth between Sarkodie and M.anfest, as well music from Modenine, Wizkid, E.L, Holstar, Xtatic, Cassper Nyovest and many more. The full track list is below, enjoy the music and be sure to share your thoughts and opinions for what we should include on Volume 3

Sarkodie – Kanta

Xtatic – Composure Featuring Lazr Beam

GZE - Vavhurirei Mukova Featuring Sister Flame

Cass – Soudy Soudy

Shane Eagle – Cutting Corners

Tshego – Tell Em Say Featuring. Cassper Nyovest, Gemini Major & Nasty C

Tay Grin – Kanda Featuring Sonye & Orezi

Karizma – Shisha Pipe

Xtatic – BIGH Featuring Devour Ke Lenyora

E.L – Talk Don’t Bother Me

WizKid – Shabba Featuring Chris Brown, Trey Songz & French Montana

Shakes – All Night Featuring Kick

Holstar – Nipempako Featuring Jane Jonanzi

M,anifest – god MC

FOKN Bois Talking Drum

Nathi Mankayi - Nomvula Saga Featuring Naakmusiq, ShoutOutSA & Kwesta

DJ Azuhl – Gimme That Gem Featuring. EJ Von Lyrik, Ben Caesar, Teba

Cassper Nyovest – Same Chair As Kanye

Frank Casino – Whole Thing

Boybreed – Slowly (Remix) Feauring Patoranking

Modenine – No Matter What Featuring Maka

Medikal – Connect Featuring Sarkodie, E.L, Joey B, Kofi Kinaata, Criss Waddle, Omar Sterling & Yaa Pono

VOL II Tracklist

Nasty C Just Dropped His Video FOr Switched Up: Here Are Our Thoughts

by Phil Chard

As South African Hip Hop continues its astronomical rise into the mainstream, a number of young, talented, and hungry artists have presented themselves as the next crop of youth culture ambassadors. One of those acts is the extremely talented Durban born Nasty C.

Boasting a string of recent radio hits like Juice Back (its remix included) and Hell Naw , Nasty has positioned himself as the lyrical alternative in the complex trap music zeitgeist permeating the current Hip Hop scene.

Where other new acts seemed to have struggled and bristled under the pressures of their new found fame and the scrutiny that comes with it, Nasty has always presented the persona of an artist born to be famous. His hushed and gentle voice, demure frame and boy band good looks are a marketers dream and his penchant for lacing together complex flows and wordplay that can translate into radio friendly hits have made him an unmistakable force in 2016.

With all that in his favour, Nasty C dropped Switched Up at the beginning of the month along with two other surprise releases. The song had Nasty switching effortlessly between a catchy hook and bridge while dropping multi syllabic verses with a stagnated flow.

Three weeks later Switched up now has a video but after viewing it a few times I have to ask the question, “Does Nasty C know that he his famous now?” The video is a drab and disappointing affair whose only real highlight is Nasty krumping in the middle of a quarry.

Well clearly he does, as he declared on his impressive verse on Anatii’s Jump “What you think they taking photos for? I am very important bitch. Please call all the curtains for me. They might be recording this”

Clearly the aspects of his new found fame are not lost on the artist but the question as to whether he fully understands the gravitas of the moment and his brand need to be asked.

Outside of the Sesan and Uprooted Media produced video for the Juice Back Remix , Nasty C has yet to produce a set visuals befitting his current trajectory. My sentiments were echoed by famed host Scoop when he spoke to Nasty C on his show Turn Up after Nasty C released his video for Hell Naw. Nasty is too famous and skilled to be releasing videos that don’t leave an indelible mark in the mind of fans living in an age of microwaveable news and content. Sentimental significance aside the video for Hell Naw, which has become a massive radio and online hit was a forgettable offering and sadly the video Switched Up looks like it will leave a similar imprint.

Scoop and I could very well be picking at the insignificant minutia, an incredible video won’t mean much if the artist can only deliver a constant stream of struggle bars. But of Nasty C is an incredible rapper, with a great deal of momentum and mainstream interest. If he is to truly make a memorable mark on the scene it has to be done though his music, performances AND his videos.

@Nasty_CSA

The New Scamble For Africa

Chris Brown is not a small fry in today’s musical reckoning, a highly successful, albeit controversial pop star known the world over.  So when he chooses a Nigerian Afro-Pop act like Wizkid as his sidekick on his on-going World Tour, he may be falling in line with the new thinking in the industry.

Ice Prince & Jay Z. Image Courtesy of Ice Prince's Instagram

In 2015, renowned audit behemoth: PwC, in one of its futuring exercises confirmed one of the suspicions of music industry practitioners by predicting that proceeds of entertainment and media will gross $8.5 billion US dollars in Nigeria by 2019, of which music is a major part.

In Africa, Nigeria’s huge population makes it an easy ground for the sampling of different sorts and in most cases, if it sails there, it will have a high likelihood of flying elsewhere on a continent that is now grossed over 1 billion people. By implication, Africa’s next big commercial export will be calibrated in musical notes and we are witnessing the early days of a new scramble for these new artistic resources.

After winning a Grammy in the Best World Music Category earlier this year, Benenoise Angelique Kidjo said: "I want to dedicate this Grammy to all the traditional musicians in Africa, in my country, to all the young generation,”. Now based in New York, Kidjo has had a front-row seat to witness the growth and newfound love for African music in the first world. Late last year Kidjo also collaborated with Nigeria’s Omawunmi, signifying her willingness to collaborate with the rising tide of Africa’s new crop of artists.

The global music business has responded well to the beats from the black continent too with Sony expanding its operations across Africa particularly in the West and Roc Nation’s newfound interest in African acts being the biggest bellwethers of the new trend. As for the former, the business model for Africa has been evolving over the past five years. First, it was Sony Music Africa (an SPV to run their interest in Africa) that has engaged talents. But now, the parent brand Sony BMG has waded in with two offices in quick succession. Some of the artistes that have courted their interest included D’banj (Nigeria), Xtatic (Kenya), Davido (Nigeria), and Alikiba (Tanzania).

RocNation on the other hand still seems to be dipping their toes in the pool, with no deals being signed as yet but there is strong evidence to suggest that they are keenly interested in entering the African market. Jay Z has already had meetings with Ice Prince, Don Jazzy and Tiwa Savage. Last year he sent his cousin and business partner Briant Briggs and Jay Electronica on a talent scouting trip to Africa. South Africa’s Nasty_C has also claimed that the Roc has expressed interest in him and contacted him personally last month.

It’s a new age for African artists, especially for talents that have been able to fuse the right contemporary elements into their sounds. Even without the support of major labels or structured industry artists are now money-generating brands within their own rights. Nigerian Davido gawked on his Snapchat that his Pepsi deal was worth 100 million Naira (~$500,000 USD). Cassper Nyovest bragged that he grossed over 1 million Rand in show revenue last year and is rumoured to have signed a deal with MTN worth 7 figures.

Back to Chris Brown’s “One Hell of a Tour” in Amsterdam last weekend, he performed a yet to be released collaboration with the Nigerian titled “African Bad Girl”. From the title to the beat and stage act, it was obvious the world is ready to be entertained by everything the continent has to offer.

As acts like Wale, Swizz Beatz, and Drake have now shown, the tide is shifting. Gone are the days when African artists had to travel abroad with large sums of cash in hand hoping to convince international acts to collaborate with them. The world has begun to take notice and respect the talents of Africa, and they are now more willing to collaborate on mutually beneficial musical offerings.

The biggest challenge, however, is for the industry to be strong enough to trap down most of the proceeds for the benefit of the continent and the artists themselves.

The New Scramble For Africa

by Phil Chard

Chris Brown is not a small fry in today’s musical reckoning, a highly successful, albeit controversial pop star known the world over. So when he chooses a Nigerian Afro Pop act like Wizkid as his sidekick on his on-going World Tour, he may be falling in line with the new thinking in the industry.

Ice Prince & Jay Z

In 2015, renowned audit behemoth: PwC, in one of its futuring exercises confirmed one of the suspicions of music industry practitioners by predicting that proceeds of entertainment and media will gross $8.5 billion US dollars in Nigeria by 2019, of which music is a major part.

In Africa, Nigeria’s huge population makes it an easy ground for sampling of different sorts and in most cases, if it sails there, it will have a high likelihood of flying elsewhere on a continent that is now grossed over 1 billion people. By implication, Africa’s next big commercial export will be calibrated in musical notes and we are witnessing the early days of a new scramble for these new artistic resources.

After winning a Grammy in the Best World Music Category earlier this year, Benenoise Angelique Kidjo said "I want to dedicate this Grammy to all the traditional musicians in Africa, in my country, to all the young generation,”. Now based in New York, Kidjo has had a front row seat to witness the growth and new found love for African music in the first world. Late last year Kidjo also collaborated with Nigeria’s Omawunmi, signifying her willingness to collaborate with the rising tide of Africa’s new crop of artists.

Jay Z, Tiwa Savage Don Jazzy

Global music business has responded well to the beats from the black continent too with Sony expanding its operations across Africa particularly in in the West and Roc Nation’s new found interest in African acts being the biggest bellwethers of the new trend. As for the former, the business model for Africa has been evolving over the past five years. First it was Sony Music Africa (an SPV to run their interest in Africa) that has engaged talents. But now, the parent brand Sony BMG has waded in with two offices in quick succession. Some of the artistes that have courted their interest included D’banj (Nigeria), Xtatic (Kenya), Davido (Nigeria), and Alikiba (Tanzania).

RocNation on the other hand still seems to be dipping their toes in the pool, with no deals being signed as yet but there is strong evidence to suggest that they are keenly interested in entering the African market. Jay Z has already had meetings with Ice Prince, Don Jazzy and Tiwa Savage. Last year he sent his cousin and business partner Briant Briggs and Jay Electronica on a talent scouting trip to Africa. South Africa’s Nasty_C has also claimed that the Roc has expressed interest in him and contacted him personally last month.

It’s a new age for African artists, especially for talents that have been able to fuse the right contemporary elements into their sounds. Even without the support of major labels or a structured industry artists are now money generating brands within their own rights. Nigerian Davido gawked on his snapchat that his Pepsi deal was worth 100 million Naira (~$500,000 USD). Cassper Nyovest bragged that he grossed over 1 million Rand in show revenue last year and is rumoured to have signed a deal with MTN worth 7 figures.

Back to Chris Brown’s “One Hell of a Tour” in Amsterdam last weekend, he performed a yet to be released collaboration with the Nigerian titled “African Bad Girl”. From the title to the beat and stage act, it was obvious the world is ready to be entertained by everything the continent has to offer.

@THEREALSWIZZZ vibing to @RealBlackCoffee | there are levels to this life thing yo pic.twitter.com/pBpjP1U9qJ

— Phlynt Phlossy™ (@PhilChard) April 22, 2016

As acts like Wale, Swizz Beatz, and Drake have now shown, the tide is shifting. Gone are the days when African artists had to travel abroad with large sums of cash in hand hoping to convince international acts to collaborate with them. The world has begun to take notice and respect the talents of Africa, and they are now more willing to collaborate on mutually beneficial musical offerings.

The biggest challenge however is for the industry to be strong enough to trap down most of the proceeds for the benefit of the continent and the artists themselves.

Check Out Our Playlist of The Best Back To The City Performances

by Phil Chard

Back To the City was two weeks ago and it was undoubtedly one of the biggest Hip Hop festival events we have ever witnessed. Mary Fitzgerald seemed a lot smaller than usual as 25,000 fans crammed their way into the event to enjoy the show that featured three stages, a basketball court, a mini trampoline sports set up, stalls, skateboarding, and a lot of great of music.

Check out our YouTube playlist featuring some of the best performances on the night from Reason, Kwesta and Nasty C

@BacktothecitySA @ReasonHD @Nasty_CSA @KwestaDaKAR