On 12 May 2016, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) committed itself to playing 90% local music across the 18 radio stations (public broadcasters)in South Africa. This came after a couple of local artists complained about the lack of South African content on local radio stations. The SABC then decided it was necessary to nurture and promote home-grown talent.

 

 

The music to be played will be across all genres, with a special focus on genres such as kwaito, jazz, reggae and gospel. This sparked a series of emotional reactions; some were upset, others joyful. The abrupt implementation of the decision may have been the cause of the initial uproar. South African artists were happy about the move as that means they would gain a wider audience and have a chance for their music to be show cased.
South Africa has great artists and we are not short of any home-grown talent. Perhaps it’s a great idea that we get a chance to sample our own stuff… even if it’s forced upon us. There are South African artists who dominate various genres and even top their international counterparts.
Since the quota started, we have been hearing more South African songs and have been introduced to artists we may not have known otherwise. The complaints have died down and we are at a stage where I feel we can compare ourselves internationally, instead of seeing SA music as inferior. In some instances, it would be hard to choose between local and world-famous songs e.g. Wololo or Formation. At the end of the day, we all know “local is lekker”!
Pick your favourite out of these artists.

 

 

 

Dance

Babes Wodumo vs Beyonce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rap
AKA vs Drake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

House
Black Coffee vs Calvin Harris