Zulu Mecca and Loatinover Pounds clap back after Dlala Thukzin shares his thoughts on what makes a hip hop hit in SA.
Image: Instagram
The long-running conversation around what makes a South African hip hop hit has popped up again, and this time it is sparked by DJ and producer Dlala Thukzin.
Drawing from years of experience in the music game and his experience working with some of the country’s biggest names, the producer shared what he believes is a practical formula for making music that connects with the masses.
In an attempt to give hip hop artists some constructive criticism on how to revive the genre back to its glory, his message was that if artists want hits, they need to think about accessibility.
According to the “iPlan” hitmaker, hip hop songs that are catchy and easy to remember stand a better chance of breaking through. He pointed out that less can sometimes be more, especially when it comes to verses.
“If we want to bring back SA hip hop to rise, number one, if you want a hit, don’t rap too much,” he said. “Be like AKA. Make it simple so that we are able to sing along. People should be able to remember it and vibe to it easily.”
He further made a comparison to American rapper Gunna’s production style and beat selection, saying the secret to his successful songs is the rapper’s producer.
“Try nice mellow beats such as R&B beats, not trap beats,” he concluded.
Of course, not everyone agreed with him, especially artists who have put their heart and sweat into their pen game.
SA rappers Zulu Mecca and Loatinover Pounds were not pleased with Thukzin’s advice and have responded with their own thoughts.
Zulu Mecca took to X to clap back against the proposed idea. In a series of posts, she argued that trying to box artists into one sound does more harm than good.
“Let artists do what they want. There’s sub genres in hip hop and talented artists in each of them. Constantly comparing one to the other is stunting the growth of hip hop.”
Pretoria rapper Loatinover Pounds also shared the same sentiment, using sarcasm to make his point.
“And when ya’ll are done, tell Kelvin Momo to make ‘Sgicha’ music. Tell Kabza De Small to make ‘Sgidongo’ music or leave us alone, and let those who wanna rap, rap and those who want to make hits, make hits.”
Hip hop DJ Zan-D also entered the chat, siding more with Thukzin while acknowledging the sensitivity around criticism in the genre.
“SA hip hop doesn’t like criticism, even if it’s constructive. What Dlala Thukzin said is what many people have been saying in different ways,” he said, adding that he would remove the mention of trap from Thukzin’s original statement.
This is not a new debate in the streets of hip hop. Cassper Nyovest has spoken on this before as an artist who has managed to balance hit-making with staying rooted in hip hop by being versatile and tapping into other genres.
Over the years, Nyovest has leaned into different sounds without abandoning the genre that introduced him to fans, and that creativity has kept his fans loyal.
He has also openly acknowledged the dominance of Amapiano in the music scene, encouraging hip hop artists to get creative and adapt rather than feel threatened by a sound that has reshaped the local music landscape as a whole.