Nota Accuses Blxckie of Disrespecting Focalistic
Music industry figure Nota Baloyi has publicly called out rapper Blxckie, accusing him of showing disrespect toward fellow artist Focalistic. The comments come after Blxckie referenced Focalistic in a social media post aimed at clarifying his stance in an ongoing debate surrounding a Pro Kid beat and recent freestyle controversy involving K.Keed and DJ Speedsta.
Blxckie responded to public backlash over a statement he made in a recent interview, where he commented: “Personally, I’m not rapping on a ProKid beat in 2025.” The remark drew criticism from some who interpreted it as dismissive of South African hip-hop legend ProKid’s legacy.
In an attempt to explain his position, Blxckie took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account, where he shared an example of Focalistic performing a freestyle over a beat that he argued did not suit Focalistic’s musical style. Blxckie wrote, “Now if they just him a beat that suits what he was doing at the time, which is piano and/or afro vibes, he would’ve killed it better. That’s all I was saying and y’all just chose to think I’m disrespecting a legend. But that’s fine, I know what I said.”
In the same thread, Blxckie referred to Focalistic as “my guy,” a comment that drew the attention and criticism of Nota Baloyi.
In a direct reply to Blxckie’s post, Nota wrote:
“FOCA is your OG… He earned his stripes in the streets & made his mark on our hearts. ‘Foca is my guy’ is disrespectful. Foca would never say NOTA is my guy, he was well raised to respect a grootman. Introspect & come back with a proper apology.”
Nota’s response was widely circulated on social media, with users debating whether the phrasing used by Blxckie was inappropriate or merely casual. Nota emphasized the importance of maintaining respect between emerging artists and those who came before them, asserting that certain language, even when intended as complimentary, could be seen as undermining the achievements of senior artists.
Blxckie responded shortly after, questioning the basis of Nota’s criticism. In a follow-up post, he wrote: “How is that disrespectful? that’s my guy, and we had a conversation just yesterday…” The rapper’s response appeared to reaffirm his personal relationship with Focalistic and challenge the notion that referring to someone as “my guy” inherently implies a lack of respect.
While Focalistic has not commented publicly on the exchange, the online discourse has reignited ongoing discussions in the industry about how younger artists engage with established figures and the perceived responsibilities around paying homage.
Blxckie had intended to use Focalistic’s freestyle clip as a case study to support his argument that musical beats should align with an artist’s style in order to be effective. However, Nota’s remarks shifted part of the narrative to focus on interpersonal respect and perceived generational roles in South African hip-hop.
