Teargas

Teargas are one of South Africa’s biggest hip-hop crossover successes of the 2000s. The group was formed in 2004 by Ntokozo “K.O” Mdluli and brothers Ezee “Ma-E” Hanabe and Bantu “Ntukza” Hanabe while all three rappers were students at Vaal Triangle Technikon. Breaking into the scene with the motivational anthem “Chance” in 2006, Teargas owned the hearts of South African music lovers for several years by incorporating Afropop into their hip-hop base on a string of singles that told stories many South Africans can relate to, such as the 2009 megahit “Mhlobo Wami” (a song detailing infidelity) and 2012’s “Wake Up” (a joyous encouragement to hustlers). As South African popular music progresses and SA genres are meshed with hip-hop, R&B, and other Western genres, the role played by crews such as Teargas in creating a lane for modern artists to occupy becomes increasingly obvious. Their discography, which includes the albums K’shubile K'bovu (2006), Wafa Wafa (2008), Dark or Blue (2009), and Num8er Num8er (2012) isn’t just a blueprint for younger generations, it’s a display of the crew’s undeniable chemistry.