Yanga Chief Explains How iFani Made Xhosa Rap Acceptable In SA Hip Hop

Yanga Chief Explains How iFani Made Xhosa Rap Acceptable In SA Hip Hop. Breaking into the hip-hop genre can be challenging, as success often hinges on offering a distinctive sound that sets you apart from the rest.

Nevertheless, iFani successfully entered the South African hip-hop scene and built a substantial following thanks to his unique rap style and notable appearances. In a recent interview on Choppin It With Bhuda T Podcast, Yanga Chief opened up about the transformative role fellow rapper iFani played in making Xhosa rap widely accepted in SA Hip Hop.

“I’ve always stood on the fact that iFani is one of the icons of Xhosa rap. Without iFani it almost sounds like any other kind of rap,” said Yanga Chief. “Xhosa rap in itself, I think iFani when he came in, he helped to make it distinct.

“Apart from obviously the Spaza rap that was already happening, but like in the mainstream and it being like a successful mainstream type of jig, he didn’t just rap in Xhosa, but he had a distinct which was different from Motswako, different from Soweto,” Yanga Chief added.

The Ntoni Na hitmaker expressed that iFani wasn’t taken seriously by people, not because of his music but primarily because of his choice of outfits and overall appearance. “I guess the reason people looked down on iFani is not purely because of the music, but maybe like the outfits,” Yanga said.

iFani burst onto the scene with his debut album “I Believes in Me (1st Quadrant)” in 2013, making waves with his unique approach to rap and unapologetically embracing his Xhosa identity. The rapper later took a 6-year musical hiatus but he is back to reignite his brand with a forthcoming album 3rd Quadrant.