Who will play the kids if we don’t?
The end of Cotton Fest marked a dark day for the South African hip hop industry. Ricky Rick founded Cotton Fest in February 2019, creating a platform for underground and emerging artists to perform on the same stages with well-known industry giants.
The fest was not only about music; fashion, lifestyle and creativity was celebrated. It was a place for the youth to connect and uplift one another. The one festival that young South Africans always looked forward to is dead, where will new voices and talents be discovered? Given that radio hardly gives them a chance but plays AI music instead. Ricky’s legacy was supposed to be as big as Coachella.
Sad Realities of SA artists
In an interview with Space Impaxt in 2023, Brotherkupa, a South African artist that got a chance to perform at Cotton Fest mentioned that he does not want to blow up in South Africa. He said the music he makes is not fit for this country.
This is definitely not arrogance but the painful realisation that Hip Hop is not appreciated enough in South Africa. And the proof is numbers. Last year he and Jaykatana went to the United Kingdom to perform at The Antagonist alongside international star Lancey Foux. They performed for hundreds and even thousands of people, yet when they host events here at home, a venue that holds 400 to 600 people struggles to even reach capacity.
Our country definitely has tools to promote local music at a global level while using radio platforms, events and market expertise. If they utilise them, they could make SA music dominate cultural conversations again instead of locking them away and using them for international stars.
A perfect example is the stunt SABC1’s popular soapie Skeem Saam pulled to hype and gain traction for the character’s Pretty and Lehasa wedding. They held a well-coordinated campaign. They advertised the wedding using Canadian rapper Drake’s Ice Man album.
What is absurd is that they promoted a multi-millionaire global superstar who doesn’t even know the soapie exists.
The truth is we don’t deserve these young artists. It is shameful to use one of our biggest tv shows and marketing tools to promote a well-established international millionaire star while our own talent starves. One show that shined light at the end of the tunnel for young upcoming artists is dead.
But I can assure you one thing. If the organizers market it properly, fix where things went wrong and bring it back, they will definitely make history because if you missed it before, why would you want to miss it again if the opportunity is presented?
The kids are ready; the talent is here. We just need to finally start playing them.
