Not so long ago, hip hop was nowhere to be seen on the charts and many were declaring the genre “dead”.
But over the past year, veterans AKA and K.O have led hip hop’s recent resurgence.
At the nominations for the upcoming 29th South African Music Awards (SAMAs) on Tuesday, the late AKA led the pack with a tally of six nods for his album ‘Mass Country’.
AKA is nominated in the categories of Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Engineered Album, Best Collaboration (twice for ‘Company’ and ‘Lemons’) and Best Produced Music Video.
Hot on his heels is K.O who garnered five nominations thanks to his platinum-selling album ‘SR3’ and the single ‘Sete’ featuring Young Stunna and Blxckie.
He is nominated in the categories of Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Produced Music Video and Remix of the Year.
Earlier in the year, the two also led the nominees list for the Metro FM Awards (Metros), with AKA coming out on top with five awards.
Both will be competing with Sjava for the fiercely contested Male Artist of the Year and Album of the Year categories. Sjava’s ‘Isibuko’ is also nominated for Best Produced Album and Best Engineered Album at the awards.
The maestros of amapiano, Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa, earned four and three nominations respectively. They also walked away with two nominations for their collaboration as Scorpion Kings.
Elsewhere, Sincerely Anne bagged an impressive three nods for Newcomer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year and Best Engineered Album for ‘To Whom it May Concern’.
The announcements were made at The Soweto Theatre in Jabulani, Soweto and hosted by television personality Nomalanga Shozi as the industry gathered to toast the finalists in this year’s edition of the SAMAs.
It was also revealed that the SAMAs will be staged at the Durban ICC on the weekend of November 17 and 18 and broadcast live on SABC1.
The province of KwaZulu-Natal will also be the home of the SAMAs for the next three years.
Full list of nominees
Female Artist of the Year
• Kelly Khumalo – From A God To A King
• Ntokozo Mbambo – Lavish Worship
• Sincerely Anne – To Whom it May Concern
• Hle – Take Heart
• Thandi Ntuli – Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë
Male Artist of the Year
• Kabza De Small – KOA II Part 1
• AKA – Mass Country
• Sjava – Isibuko
• K.O – SR3
• Lloyiso – Seasons
Duo/Group of the Year
• DJ Maphorisa and Visca – Ba Straata
• Venom and Shishiliza – Love Is Pain
• Mafikizolo – Idwala
• DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small – Scorpion Kings Live Sun Arena
• Msaki and Tubatsi – Synthetic Hearts
Newcomer of the Year
• Myztro – 2.0 Nkwari,
• Blakka Yut – Unleashed
• Sincerely Anne – To Whom it May Concern,
• Lloyiso – Seasons
• Venom and Shishiliza – Love Is Pain,
Album of the Year
• Mass Country – AKA
• SR3 – K.O
• Isibuko – Sjava
• KOA II Part 1 – Kabza De Small
• Lavish Worship – Ntokozo Mbatha
Best Engineered Album
• To Whom it May Concern – Sincerely Anne (engineered and produced by Tjaart van der Walt and Daniel Baron)
• Mass Country – AKA(engineered & produced by Robin Kohl and Itu)
• Kanniedood – Francois van Coke (engineered & produced by Taylor Soundworks)
• Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë – Thandi Ntuli(engineered & produced by Shane, Tshepo, Thandi & Clinton)
• Isibuko – Sjava, (engineered & produced by Ruff)
Best African Adult Contemporary Album
• Celebrating African Song – Dumza Maswana,
• Smile – Choko
• I am Gold – S’nazo
• Usiba Lwe Gazi – Nathi
• UbuhleUbuhle - Lethiwe Sithole
Best Alternative Album
• Glitch Vol 2: The Future Is Now – uBeyond
• Synthetic Hearts – Msaki and Tubatsi
• Blue Lawns – The Great Yawn
• Leaving All The Time – Bye Beneco
• On the Romance of Being – Buyani Mcunu
Best Amapiano Album
• Amukelani – Kelvin Momo
• Ba Straata – DJ Maphorisa and Visca
• 2.0 Nkwari – Myztro
• KOA II Part 1 – Kabza De Small
• Scorpion Kings Live Sun Arena – DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small
Best Classical Album
• Live in Europe 22 – CH2
• Fire Beast – Vox Chamber Choir and Franco Prinsloo
• One Night On Earth – Derek Gripper
• Maike – Juliet String Quartet
• Sanctuary – Carol Thorns
Best Collaboration
• K.O, Young Stunna featuring Blxckie – Sete
• AKA featuring Nasty C – Lemons (Lemonade)
• DJ Maphorisa and Visca featuring 2woshortrsa, Stompiiey, ShaunMusiQ & Ftears & Madumane – Ba Straata
• Mohigan Sun – Morda featuring Oscar Mbo andMurumba Pitch
• AKA featuring Kiddominant – Company
Best Pop Album
• Things We Don't Talk About – Jimmy Nevis
• Heard You Got Love – Jeremy Loops
• Game Over – Tyler Page
• Seasons – Lloyiso
• Petrichor – Amy Lilley
Best Produced Album
• KOA II Part 1 – Kabza De Small (producer: Leslie George Theko, Artwork Sound, Da Muziqal Chef, Mduaka TRP, Stakev, DJ Maphorisa and Felo Le Tee)
• Things We Don’t Talk About – Jimmy Nevis (producer: Darren Petersen)
• Amukelani – Kelvin Momo (producer: Kelvin Momo)
• Lindokuhle – Lindokuhle (producer: Mthunzi, Howard, Herc, Tshepo Morone, DJ Maphorisa, Masiano)
• Isibuko – Sjava (producer: Delayde, Ruff, Jah Cool)
Best Produced Music Video
• Lemons (Lemonade) – AKA featuring Nasty C (producer: Tebogo Mabaso; director: Nate Thomas)
• Sete – K.O featuring Young Stunna & Blxckie (producer: K.O, Tsholofelo Moremedi, Ted Magerman; director: Ted Magerman)
• Be Free – Desire Marea (producer: Will Nicholson; Director: Imraan Christian
• Been Thinking – Tyla (producer: Jimi Adesanya; director: Meiji Alabi)
• Shine – Elaine (producer: Shayna Gianelli; director: Jesse Ray Diamond)
Best R&B Album
• 4LUV (Deluxe) – Blxckie
• But Could the Moments in Between - Manana
• Germander II – FLVME
• Bad Weather – Nanette
• Passion Fruit – KABOMO
Best Reggae Album
• Unleashed – Blakka Yut
• Youth's Cry – Botanist Mr Lamington
• Red Carpet Live – Maximum Stylez
• Flight More Riddim – Blackness Blue Productions
• Healing – Lavoro Duro
Beste Kontemporere Musiek Album
• Sing, Hoop, Weerklink – Prop
• Skree Net Sag – Alter Ego
• Ep In F – Herman Kleinhans
• Jagvat – Jan Rhaap
• Toe Roep Ek Jou Naam – Jan Blohm & Ryno Velvet
• Katryn – Stefan Jansen
Remix of the year
• Ndinovalo – Morda
• Sete – K.O featuring Young Stunna, Oxlade & Diamond Platnumz
• Hayii Citizen Deep Remix – Citizen Deep X Mzux Maenft Yasmin Levy
• Au dede – Karyendasoul
• Tobesta Remake – Myztro featuring Focalistic, Daliwonga, Shaunmusiq and Ftears
Rest of Africa award
• Sad Romance – Ckay
• Timeless – Davido
• I'm Alive – Sha Sha
• Worry – Lyre
• Dynastie – Ferre Gola
• Sounds of Peace – Moreira Chonguiça
Best Gqom
• Meeting with the King – DJ Lag
• Fikelephi – Sizwe Mdlalose
• Love & Light – Cairo CPT
• Nande 2.0 – DJ Sandiso
• Ithuba – Newlandz Finest
Best African Indigenous faith
• Emmanuel – JTG Gospel Choir
• Mantswe A Supileng – Spiritual Gospel Choir
• Ikhoni Mfuyo – In Zion of Christ
• Ba Ya Mo Nyatsa – Wacha Mkhukhu Wachumlilo
• Ntate Le Rato La Hao – Ingqayizivele Gospel Choir