'People need to catch a wake up' - Sliqe on how SA could revive hip hop

DJ and head of hip hop and R&B at Sony Music Entertainment SA Sliqe has weighed in on the conversation of reviving SA hip hop. 

With amapiano being the most sought after genre and getting international attention, there have been many hip hop artists making their contributions to the sound which sparked the conversation of rappers not respecting the culture. 

Speaking to TshisaLIVE, Sliqe said people were not being progressive and should understand that you could borrow sound. 

“People need to catch a wake up ... people are adding lock drum to a hip hop beat ... you can borrow from different sound ... so if you can do that without culture appropriating to make a quick buck then you'll be fine.”

Sliqe, who recently released a single featuring Blxckie titled Intentions, said that song was the perfect example of how hip hop could also still infuse the amapiano sound.

“Intentions is a way of mixing hip hop, Kwaito, RnB ... it's evolving Afro people. The people that can evolve a sound are the ones that created it. I made the beat last year in December and I thought about giving it to him right after I made it. So in April-May when he started popping as Blxckie I approached the boy and I told him it's either I give him a hip hop beat or I just throw him in my world. I had to get it right, I could have dropped it earlier but I think timing is everything.”

The producer went on to encourage other hip hop artists not to be afraid of exploring amapiano.

“It's really a thing of relevance and what's trending right now ... there's no need for division ... people are rap singing ... we don't need to point fingers but just make it work. Hip hop is borrowed ... music evolves over time and people need to accept that. Finally we have found a way to communicate with hip hop.”