The Year in Music

The Namibian music industry keeps growing and changing. Sometimes for the good, sometimes not so much. Here are a few moments that stood out this year…

Some Drama

Let’s start with some drama, when one of Namibia’s greatest creations, Mega Slaughterhouse’s song ‘Pikkewyne’, was almost stolen by a comrade from across our southern border. Apparently the dude featured on the remix didn’t like the way Mega was handling the promotion of the track and took it upon himself to pretend it was his song. Meneer C says no ill will was intended, but so many videos of the track worldwide have South Africans in the comments claiming it as theirs. Thankfully, the issue was sorted between all parties. The online titles now correctly list Mega as the owner, and Namibians are quick to correct any misconceptions, even in the furthest reaches of the internet.

An Oopsie with the Law

And now a moment of silence, before addressing rapper KK and his oopsie with the law. From my understanding, it is alleged he committed fraud by forging a signature and photoshopping a health ministry letterhead on an order form for N$2.6 million. Wild. He was granted bail of N$65 000 and is awaiting trial with a plan to expeditiously pay back what he owes. No word yet on if we’ll be getting any more albums any time soon.

Paying Big Bucks to Win?

A South African podcaster (I’m using the term loosely) posted a video to TikTok and Instagram hinting that a Namibian musician paid serious bucks to win big at a major music award ceremony. The internet did its math and came to the conclusion that he must be referring to Waters scooping Pan African Artist of the Year at the 2023 Metro FM Awards.

I cannot confirm or deny the allegations, but I do have some qualms. Firstly, the man who made the accusation said he knew the artist personally and even gave him a place to stay in South Africa for a few days. This tells me this is some personal beef or vendetta, meaning he cannot be trusted to be unbiased and entirely truthful. Secondly, the guy has very few social media followers. The short clip was cut from a longer video and posted on both Instagram and TikTok. It was his most-viewed piece of content, with everything else being largely ignored. That tells me he just likes attention. Thirdly, the most outrageous part of everything was how many Namibians were willing to throw our boy under the bus. Without even an ounce of proof!

Passing the Baton

Radio personality and DJ Paula Christof says for her, the most notable aspect of Namibian music this year was the rise of the new-school artists.

“Seeing [them] on posters, performing everywhere … you can see there’s a moment of passing on the baton … to continue with this music thing,” she says.

She says she witnessed many such moments this year, including when she hosted the Harders Cup at Lüderitz, where most of the line-up were newer artists.

She mentions the likes of DJ Spuzza and Miss Gideon, whom she praises for her live performance at New York’s Apollo Theatre, DJ Castro, The Musketeers and DJ Candy.

“I know for the longest time our people have been [telling older artists] ‘your time is up’. No, nobody’s time is up, but it’s also nice to see the transition happening right in front of our eyes.”

She singles out Latoya Stella as a newcomer doing big things.

“I predict that this young lady is going places. She’s stylish, young, cute, makes great music, dances and is relatable. She’s practically the full package and she illustrated this in 2024 as her name kept popping up on posters, on social media and on the airwaves. Everyone wanted a piece, and my advice to her for 2025 – advice I won’t be giving anyone else – is to increase her quote.”

Well-Deserved Kudos

Television presenter and model Aina Raiza Kweyo is also excited about some new faces, like DJ Vuyo, who scooped artist of the year at the Content Creator Awards.

“It was truly well-deserved. After he was announced as winner, he took the stage to perform the very song that won. It was a special moment for him and his fans. The crowd loved it! Everyone was on their feet in the room,” she says.

Teasing New Music

Not everything is about the rise of Gen Z, though. This year also saw the long-awaited return of rapper Snazzy to the stage. She made a name for herself locally and outside our borders two decades ago as a teen, before stepping away from the limelight. Now it seems she’s ready for us again, as she has been teasing new music. In the meantime, she has been dazzling as a model and working on other projects. We can’t wait to see what comes of her return, because when it comes to penmanship, she’s practically unmatched.

A New Agent of Chaos

This year was a big year for international acts, too. Maybe not as big as last year, when The Catch was leading the flock, or the years before when AKA was still alive and in love with the Land of the Brave, but in 2024 we got a new agent of chaos – the Swapo Party of Namibia. Yes! That’s right. They are who you can thank if you’re a fan of Master KG or Heavy K.

We also had Uncle Waffles touch down on our soil for the first time for a show that looked wild as hell, as well as Awilo Lomgomba, who had thousands of hips across the nation twisting and turning.

Pushing It On TikTok

Media professional and music critic Shona Gava says a musical highlight for him this year was the rise of artists using social media platforms like TikTok.

“[It] has become a huge platform for music. It’s something I’ve been paying close attention to, especially how it’s helping break in new Namibian artists. It’s also become a great way to measure how well songs are doing. It was awesome to see Namibian tracks go viral on TikTok,” he says.

Gava mentions Latoya Stella, as well as renowned group One Blood, who have both gone viral on the app.

TikTok, he says, was also the place to discover new local artists like Stake Boy, Daymenmet and Levie Tieties.

Anne Hambuda is a writer, social commentator and poet. Follow her online or email her at annehambuda@gmail.com for more.