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(Hiram Alejandro Durán/ M&G)
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Finding Your Niche: Rouge

The rapper has come far since her days studying musical theatre. Now, she can’t see herself doing anything else

Indépendance lyrique: A recovering trap addict, R?ms quit the stuttering beats for soulful chords and fuller melodies, a move that could win him new audiences. (Oupa Nkosi/ M&G)

Rams’s feet touch the ground and sky

The Johannesburg rapper, known to switch flows in a minute, has his eyes set on international swag

Rapper Mo’Molemi, also farms just outside Mahikeng. The musician has been unapologetic about using his ‘microphone as a machine gun’ to highlight the disappointment in the new SA. (Elizabeth Sejake/Gallo Images/City Press)

Rebel without a pause

For much of his career, motswako rapper Mo’Molemi has attempted to capture and make sense of the precarious position young black people occupy

“When I walked out many people approached me. They wanted to be close. I was so excited. I’ll never forget it.” (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Slice of life: ‘Most lovely night of my life’

‘I remember that I was supposed to perform about two or three songs. But the DJ ended up adding another song because everybody was just having fun’

Taking off: Shane Eagle

The sky’s the limit for ‘DIY’ Eagle

The young rapper dubbed ’Africa’s greatest artist’ is blazing a trail for his fellow indie musicians

Finding peace: Tebogo Poopedi lost his vision at the age of 14 but he hasn’t let that stop him from succeeding in the hip-hop world

Mr Tap’s vision to inspire others

Aubrey Poopedi defies the odds of blindness, and reaches the firmament of greatness as a rapper

Hamas said Trump’s decision would “open the gates of hell” on US interests in the region.

For better or worse, SA rap has become all about the money

Dodging politics, the new struggle for local hip-hop artists is for freedom through material wealth

Rapper Dope Saint Jude.

Rapper Dope Saint Jude has found her cause — it’s reimagined and redefined

One of the foremost emcees out of Cape Town is making her unique sound known on a global stage and it’s bold, unapologetic and real.

Crowds withstood the pouring rain as the 25-year-old rapper belted out his hits.

Big Sean: Coming to SA a dream come true

Big Sean, who had the crowd going at a rainy performance in Jo’burg, talks about beats, lyrics, Kanye West, and coming to South Africa.

Ice Prince seeks a new honour

Nigerian rapper Ice Prince is up for the Channel O Africa Music Video Award – Most Gifted African West title. Here’s a peek into what he is about.

Big Sean and Kendrick Lamar to hit SA

Next year will kick-off on a high note for hip-hop music in SA with Big Sean and Kendrick Lamar announcing upcoming tour dates to the country.

The 5 best Kendrick Lamar reactions in memes

Kendrick Lamar has called himself Rap King in Big Sean’s "Control", and because it’s the digital age, instead of gang signs, Twitter’s throwing memes.

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Snoop Dogg is dead, long live Snoop Lion

He is the former pimp married to his childhood sweetheart; the shrewd businessman who smokes 30 joints a day.

Omar Hammami.

Introducing Omar Hammami, the jihadist rapper

Songs such as Send Me a Cruise (Missile) have landed Omar Hammami with a $5-million bounty on his head – but he doesn’t seem too worried.

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‘First’ Afghan female rapper seeks reason with rhymes

Soosan Feroz is a surprising new phenomenon in the conservative Islamic country — the nation’s first female rapper.

Gadaffi regime battered from all sides

Rap music inspires Libyan rebels to defeat Gaddafi

Libyan rebel fighters look for inspiration from a growing cadre of amateur rappers whose powerful songs have helped define the revolution.

Exiled Somali musicians rap against al-Shabaab

A group of young Somali musicians in exile is challenging the hard-line al-Shabaab Islamists who control large swathes of their homeland.