“Hold It Down: Why the Growth of South African Hip Hop Is Our Responsibility”

In a recent episode of Choppin’ It With Bhuda T, DJ Sliqe didn’t mince his words when he said, “We need to stabilise the growth of South African Hip Hop in the next coming years, because the ups and downs don’t feel nice.” And if you’ve been paying attention, really paying attention, you’ll know exactly what he means.

From stadium-filled concerts and chart-topping anthems, to viral debates about the genre’s “death” or “comeback,” SA Hip Hop has lived through more waves than a beach town. But the point Sliqe is making isn’t about nostalgia or gatekeeping, it’s about accountability. And that responsibility? It belongs to all of us.

The Genre Is Alive. But Is It Well?

SA Hip Hop is alive, but living doesn’t mean thriving. Every year we see flashes of brilliance: a hungry new emcee, an indie rollout done right, or a veteran dropping a verse that shakes the table. Yet just as quickly, things quiet down. Support dwindles, artists burn out, and infrastructure gaps show face.

This isn’t due to a lack of talent. It’s due to inconsistency, in investment, in platforms, in attention. The genre surges ahead one moment, then falls back into “almost-there” territory the next. These highs and lows might make good conversation online, but they’re exhausting for the culture. And unsustainable for the artists trying to build careers.

So, What Does Stabilisation Look Like?

To stabilise something means to make it reliable , not boring, but consistent. For SA Hip Hop, that could mean:

• Media commitment: Covering Hip Hop stories beyond beef and chart rankings. Highlighting rollouts, entrepreneurial ventures, and community impact.

• Listener loyalty: Playing your favourites, buying merch, showing up at shows, even during quiet spells.

• Artist development: Creating space for growth, not just viral moments. Encouraging quality, not just output.

• Label accountability: Labels and distributors investing in long-term careers, not short-term wins.

• Digital fluency: Creators and fans leveraging platforms like YouTube, Spotify, TikTok and X for storytelling, collaboration, and global reach.

Stability doesn’t mean stagnation, it means a stronger floor to stand on. A culture that doesn’t collapse when it isn’t trending.

It’s Bigger Than the Artists

We can’t put all of this on rappers. Culture is shaped by community. When we treat Hip Hop as disposable, only showing love when it’s convenient or when someone “crosses over”, we’re complicit in its instability.

Fans, DJs, media platforms, producers, playlist curators, clothing brands, videographers, we all have skin in the game. If we want this thing to last, we have to protect it, fund it, promote it, and evolve it together.

The Time Is Now

We’re at a critical juncture. A new class of SA rappers is rising. The ones who grew up watching Pro, AKA, and Khuli are now behind the mic, and they’re telling our stories, with our accent, on our beats.

If we don’t build with intention now, this generation will face the same cycles of hype and neglect. And then the next one. And the next.

As DJ Sliqe said: the ups and downs don’t feel nice.

Let’s stop waiting for SA Hip Hop to “come back.” It never left, it just needs all of us to hold it down.