Understanding the A-Reece and Emtee situation: no beef, just hip hop rivalry

Rappers A-Reece and Emtee have found themselves at the centre of a heated conversation after a string of social media exchanges that got fans talking about respect, rivalry and the unwritten rules of hip hop support.

It all started when the “Roll Up” went live on Instagram to respond to A-Reece’s fanbase, known as “The Slimes”, who had questioned why he did not promote A-Reece’s new album.

Never one to hold back, Emtee said, “The Slimes are mad at me for not posting A-Reece’s album. Who posts my s***?

He went on to explain that the genre has always been competitive, adding, “This s*** is a competitive sport. I f*** with everybody but I ain’t no fan of nobody. Reece is my young n**a, I ain’t no fan of his, but I know he can rap for sure.”

His comments quickly made the rounds on social media and reignited a long-running debate about whether the South African rappers should publicly show support for one another.

Emtee clarified that admiration doesn’t mean obligation, and reposting another artist’s work shouldn’t be seen as a requirement.

A-Reece soon weighed in with a response that mixed humour with a hint of shade in a since-deleted post.

He re-shared the clip of Emtee’s remarks on his Instagram Story with laughing emojis, writing, “I ain’t posting nobody’s s*** no more the GOAT says this s*** is a competitive sport.”

He then tagged Emtee and asked, “Is that why you didn’t come to my birthday celebration? U foul for that twin.”

That last line got people talking. What started as a discussion about the culture of reposting albums suddenly felt personal. Emtee later clapped back with an unfiltered message that made it clear he wasn’t happy about the direction of the conversation. 

“What was foul? Me not coming to fonem birthday nton nton or postin blud new project? Aren’t you n***as tired of sucking me dry? I’m not y’all h**!” he wrote.

His response drew even more attention as fans dissected every word. Emtee fired back against what he saw as unfair expectations, the idea that artists owe each other public displays of support. His point was that every artist has the right to control their own space, time and platform.

The back-and-forth had social media buzzing, with fans wondering if a new beef was brewing. 

However, A-Reece later put the speculation to rest. When one fan asked whether he and Emtee were really beefing, the “One Time” rapper simply replied, “No.”

He went on to share that despite moments of tension, he still holds deep respect for Emtee. “Bro been subtly flagrant, seldomly, but that n***a helped change my life. I don’t want smoke with bro unless he passing me a joint you heard?” he wrote.

Both artists share a long history that goes back to their time at Ambitiouz Entertainment, where they each made their mark on the local hip hop scene. They even worked together on the popular track “Couldn’t”, which remains a fan favourite.