Zakwe

Littered with alliterations and tongue twisters, Zakwe's raps are lessons in IsiZulu and Durban slang. His growing catalog tells the story of the rapper, born in 1988, raised in KwaMashu, who became one of the faces of kasi rap, a street-centric subgenre of South African hip-hop that started in Joburg townships. Cutting his teeth on cyphers in the city, Zakwe developed his style and released a series of mixtapes in the 2000s that helped establish him as an important voice in ensuring the genre's presence in South Africa's mainstream music scene. His self-titled debut album, released by influential indie label Native Rhythms in 2011, and the spot he landed opening for Kanye West in 2013 certainly helped prove the appeal of Durban's influence on kasi rap.