The Best Southern African Songs Right Now

We're past the halfway mark of the year, inching closer to December. We've already had our winter solstice and are ready to fully embrace spring. With this come new waves of inspiration, which we tend to feel in both the weather and the music.

For July, we've got music from Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Lesotho. These are the best Southern African songs right now.

Rachel Chinouriri - "One song away from crying" (Zimbabwe/United Kingdom)

"One song away from crying" is trial without error, a premise that arrives fully formed. Rachel Chinouriri's knack for the right words is iridescent, and her luminous gift shines yet again. "I've got this feeling…" she sings, barely enunciating, allowing her voice to be but another aspect of the musical experience: overpowering nothing, one with everything. The funk keeps her safe as she takes flight, refusing to bow to any categorization regarding what her art can and cannot do.

Modise Sekgothe - The One And The All [LP] (South Africa)

Modise Sekgothe is one of the most engaging, consistent poets working the South African creative underbelly right now. His sentences refuse to be feeble, his extended metaphors wrap around the block, and his vivid imagination delivers ready-made solutions to pre-packaged problems while reaching beyond for some semblance of newness. His dues have been paid on small stages that he leaves in abject abandonment. He's joined here by accomplished musicians Siya Makhuzeni and Shane Cooper, who help him unlock an improvisational edge that confronts and comforts, refusing to be compartmentalized.

Zian Sz - "Pamone" (feat. Stevo Rap Guru) (Zambia)

Zian Sz didn't come to play. The call-and-response on "Pamone" is just the tip of the long drop, preparation for a rough flight packed with punchlines that land ("so fly, I don't need airflow to lift up," she reminds us). Joined by Stevo Rap Guru, the track's hard-edged production is exactly what whets our appetites.

Scripmulla - "Yowerere" (feat. Baba Harare, Voltz JT, Bagga, Madedido) (Zimbabwe)

Done right, posse tracks are concrete showcases of skill that benefit the whole. Each part contributes to the result; every bit counts. Such is the case with "Yowerere," which sounds like a marching band entered the studio and started chanting. Truly fresh, live, and direct from the vibrant Zimbabwean hip-hop scene.

Sarnilo - "Sekuphelile"

Sekuphelile, meaning "it's done," sounds final, like an ending that offers no prospect of rebirth. Sarnilo flaunts her skill on it; "sinking deep in these waters, don't know how long I have to catch my breath,"  she whispers, always gentle, always aware of the spiritual portals she opens. Amidst guitars and basslines and drums that remain locked like dreads, she disregards the flimsy in favor of stacked flavor and meaningful tunes.

Ntate Stunna - "Hothoe Ho" (feat. Litshepe Lr)

The unfortunate aftermath of the advent and rapid uptake of AI-generated music has seen elements of it across genres. Here, producer Flash Cortez uses it for the chorus, and even that is a jarring experience to the trained ear. And while Ntate Stunna's lyrics more than make up for the blunder ("my father told me ska nyala mosali a le mong," he raps), the initial stain refuses to relent. Irrespective of anyone's holdups, instances like this one will keep showing up, and the conversation now is about how to make space for this reality.

ZuluMecca - “7Colours” (feat. Priddy Ugly, Loatinover Pounds) 

Seven Colours is the beloved South African spread where every dish brings its own hue: beetroot, spinach, rice, carrots, chakalaka, and more. On "7Colours," ZuluMecca assembles an equally colorful cast, recruiting two of the country's sharpest lyricists in Priddy Ugly and Loatinover Pounds. "I got red in my cup, green when I puff, Benz tinted up, speed in a rush," she fires off from the opening bars. What follows is a masterclass in lyrical precision, with verses so zesty they threaten to sink the beat beneath them.