Opinion - Google this past September celebrated its 20th birthday.
Seems like only 10 years ago that we really started paying attention to the search engine giant since the digital age revolutionised itself again with the advent of the social media age.
The same comparison can be made when the South African hip-hop industry is mentioned. Slow uptake, but right now it seems like it was always there. Now it’s booming!
AKA, one of the household names in the industry, recently promoted Fela in Versace, the new single from his third studio album, Touch My Blood.
The social media posts came flying through about the song like an Airbus 380 landing at OR Tambo International.
Radio stations across the country and continent gave this song the attention it deserved, while people on the ground only just remembered that some of the songs on the album were released as far back as 2016!
Ardent fans became familiar with the song, but prominence came via AKA’s selection which he thought would deserve airplay.
Johannesburg played location for the music video accompanying this song and it got critical acclaim from as far as the US. It’s certainly a proud moment for South Africans as director Nate Thomas put a unique local touch to the video. When it’s from Africa, it somehow shows up.
My colleagues in the radio industry suggest this song will be in the top five for 2018. Only time will tell.
I secretly hope it proves to be successful. And it leads up to the question that begs answering.
Which artist will be the “Destruction Boyz” of 2018? Cast your mind 11 months back to the blaring sound of Omunye Phezu Komunye and you find a tough challenge to live up to the popularity of this hit.
Anonymous sources suggest that it’s the year of Kwesta! The 30-year-old released his new single Vur Vai, which I believe will grow on the mainstream contemporary market here and abroad. Be prepared to catch it in cars across carwash facilities this summer!
Where’s Cassper Nyovest in all of this? I would think planning his next “fill up the stadium” campaign. However, there’s no doubt he’s still a crowd-pleaser at live events.
Mention the name Bonang Matheba and instantaneously you get this image of fame, beauty and money. And it’s the money that Sars is allegedly after from the South African diva. She is said to owe the government coffers nine years’ worth of unsubmitted personal tax returns, while there’s three years of unsubmitted business tax returns.
Matheba is no stranger to controversy and this only shows that we are human and that death and taxes are the only guarantees in this mortal life.
I’m looking forward to seeing if the celeb shows up to court since time runs out tomorrow. It’s quite ironic to host global leaders on the biggest stage of them all, the UN, while affairs at home leave much to the imagination of the South African public.
Naturally, Bonang’s insiders have criticised the claim and rubbished the allegations. I hope for the sake of Bonang and her credibility that they are right.
Mention sexual assault and Bill Cosby in the same sentence and I would have said there are more chances of Julius Malema going back to the ANC.
Unbelievable as it may seem, the geriatric actor was sent to prison after being tried and found guilty.
Now former prison inmate and infamous OJ Simpson has suggested that certain crimes are frowned upon inside state penitentiaries and sexual assault is no exception.
The guilty verdict thankfully shows that no one should get away with crime, irrespective of who you are.
Lastly, congratulations to Somizi and fiancée Mohale Motaung on their anniversary.