The Best Southern African Songs Right Now

The first quarter of the year is behind us, and we march on with the full knowledge that great music is always there beside us — cheering us on in moments of victory, comforting us in times of sadness, and empathizing with our collective humanity in the face of the world’s condition. As the warm months wither away, and the gentle chill that defines autumn mornings and evenings becomes part of the lexicon shaping how we dress, we’ve gathered songs from across the region to help soundtrack those decisions. 

These are the best Southern African songs right now.

Internet Athi - Polymorphism [LP] (South Africa)

Internet Athi spent the past 18 months or so building his audience. He released “Wena,” a love song dedicated to ‘the one,’ and never really looked back, dedicating each step to moving further away from the things he feared and closer to the visions shaping his dreams. He sold out multiple shows across the country, collaborated with like-minded artists, and kept shoveling away at the weeds covering his destiny. His debut LP, Polymorphism, feels like hard work finally paying off. It sounds like being cradled by caring hands, with a flow state so constant you’ll find yourself playing it over and over again. This is how you announce yourself to the world.

Mila Smith - “Cake” (South Africa)

Mila Smith’s latest single, “Cake,” is something of a rabble-rouser moment, shimmering with the angst of early adulthood, encased in ambers of a fire that refuses to die out even when the storms are blowing hardest. “I live at home, don’t pay the rent / checked my card, I’m in the red,” she sings, singing and rioting at once, embodying a punk aesthetic that has soundtracked many a personal rebellion. When she sings — no, rages — “I wanna be part of your world,” it’s with the clear-eyed awareness that race and class, especially in the South Africa she inhabits, will always intersect to fuck over the most ambitious among us.

Golden Oldie - Less Is Enough [LP] (Eswatini)

Hip-hop producers of the ’90s really gave us something timeless with boom-bap, and it’s the template Golden Oldie employs on Less Is Enough, a ten-track compilation featuring raps from some of Eswatini’s sharpest artists. “Take Your Time” with BluuJay and Swiss is an early favorite; it kicks the album off and lays the foundation for the level of lyricism to expect throughout. Does it live up to the promise? We’ll leave that up to you to decide.

Kanif the Jhatmaster - Aztec Drum Machine [LP] (South Africa)

Kanif the Jhatmaster is one of South African hip-hop’s most distinctive producers, having crafted a sonic identity that has powered the work of artists such as Yugen Blakrok. He also releases dub-reggae-influenced gems from time to time, a natural progression from his bass- and vocal-sample-heavy production aesthetic. This time around, though, he extends the sonic terrain to encompass the drum & bass and junglist riddims that soundtracked his youth, lending the entire project a gaming feel, like the headphones are your console and the music a portal to worlds unexplored.

Namakau Star, Daev Martian - “Let It Be” [South Africa/Zambia]

“Million-dollar baby, I hope that you know you’re enough,” sings Namakau Star on “Let It Be,” her collaboration with Daev Martian that takes us from the heights of innocence to the depths of searching for self, then right back up again, where self-knowledge and wisdom keep us connected to the world around us. It sounds like what walking barefoot on grass feels like: like a swim on a hot day; like exhaling after waiting anxiously. Namakau Star lets the soul guide her, and Daev Martian, an accomplished musician in his own right, follows close behind.

Kanu Ntshoko - African Pulse [LP] (South Africa)

Kanu Ntshoko comes from a long line of musical royalty. Rooted in Cape Town, he has the distinct honor of being among the younger musicians mentored by Louis Moholo-Moholo, a champion of free jazz and a close friend of Ntshoko’s grandfather, Makhaya Ntshoko. African Pulse is his debut project, a collection of five songs anchored around freedom made manifest through sound. He gathers a quartet of some of Cape Town’s most conscientious musicians to help realize the vision, and the result is a clarity of purpose that stands firmly on its own.

Jnr Spragga - “Mhuka Huru” (Zimbabwe)

Jnr Spragga is a decisive lyricist. He rides a beat relentlessly, dishing out lyrical nuggets like it’s second nature, like it’s breathing, and he just has to get it out of the way. He leaves skeletal fragments on the floor, cracked pieces from doubters who still don’t appreciate the range. “Mhuka Huru” is him reminding us of what he has in his closet: enough weaponry to last through extensive battles. The armor is impressive.

Phillip Mweemba - BAR UP! [LP] (Zambia)

Phillip Mweemba’s modus operandi is all about bars, and that’s exactly what he gives us across eleven songs on his newly released LP, BAR UP!, which features fellow countrymen such as Holstar and K.R.Y.T.I.C. But he does most of the heavy lifting; the collection is part solo exhibition, part group project, and 100% certified.