“Hip-Hop is in the air, is time to put your hands up.” Local rapper Zeus famously said on the song #datswassup which features South African acts, AKA and Tumi (now Stogie T). A decade later since the release of the track, Hip-Hop will be on the spotlight on April 2023 as the first ever Hip Hop awards are to be held. The genre has ‘pulled away’ from the rest for the first time ever to honour the excelling players in the game at an award ceremony dubbed the ‘2023 Botswana Hip-Hop Awards’ to be held on April 29, 2023. The venue for the award ceremony will be decided at a later stage.

Speaking to Arts & Culture, one of the organisers of the event, George Magapa said the Hip-Hop genre has long needed a stand-alone award ceremony due to its progression by local Hip Hop artists from local shores to abroad and the genre’s ever increasing popularity on local entertainment scenes.

“Botswana Hip Hop is a brain child of the local industry players and it’s been a long time coming. It was developed by a group of local Hip Hop contributors with experience in their respective fields under the entertainment umbrella. The awards will be a

first of its kind and the industry will never be the same.” “Statistics have continuously shown many Hip Hop artists locally making headlines in big festivals to winning other awards to hosting their own events.

This over the years has proven how the genre has now solidified itself in Botswana especially with its rich history and bright future as the rising artists’ quality, streams to business acumen,” Magapa said.

There are 11 categories for the first edition of the Botswana Hip Hop awards including Lyricist of the Year, Best Hip Hop Video, Project of the Year and Best New Comer amongst others.

The nominees were finalised by a team of nine various contributors. Magapa explained that the criteria used entailed aspects as Impact, Lyrics/Content, Sales, Buzz, Style and Intangibles. While for the Social Media Icon award the organisers looked at social media users with reputable brands that usually promote local Hip Hop.

The winners will be voted by the public while the Life Achievement Award will be decided by a panel while they will be gifted trophies and cash prizes.

Magapa said the awards are an initiative that will be annual and the youth will be empowered towards and after each edition. William Last KRM has the most nominations with six while the late Hip Hop queen, Sasa Klass has three.