Stogie T is '#MakingSARapAgain' with #FreestyleFriday Series

South Africa's finest lyricists are participating in Stogie T's #FreestyleFriday series.

Stogie T posing behind a car with an open trunk, wearing shades.

South African rap veteran Stogie T wants to keep the art of lyricism alive.

Photo by Sabelo Mkhabela.

For the past few weeks, South African hip-hop veteran Stogie T has been giving rap fans something exciting to look forward to every Friday. The rapper picks a beat and laces it with a freestyle verse. The challenge is then passed on to lyricists he handpicks himself.


Asked what inspired the series, the rapper simply says, "I wanted to do my part to keep the art of lyricism alive."

Some of the country's most gifted lyricists—Kwesta, Ginger Trill, PDot O, Kid Tini, Touchline and many more—have each followed Stogie T's lead and rendered a freestyle verse over instrumentals for classic hip-hop songs such as "Grindin'" by The Clipse, "Hell on Earth" by Mobb Deep, "Pound Cake" by Drake, among a few others. Rappers from outside of SA, including Ian Kamau (Canada), John Robinson (NYC) and M.I Abaga (Nigeria) have also been invited to participate in the challenge.


#FreestyleFriday is one of many amazing series of content artists have been creating for fans while they are forced to stay indoors during the lockdown. If you are fan of bars, #FreestyleFriday has enough bars for you to play over and over and pick up those Easter eggs.

South Africa has some of the finest lyricists in the whole world, and #FreestyleFriday showcases some of them, both big and small.

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Stogie T is passionate about the art of rap. Apart from being an otherworldly lyricist himself, he hosts the YouTube show Verse of the Month on the website Slikour on Life's YouTube page. In the show, he picks the best verses by South African hip-hop artists and breaks down what impressed him. So, #FreestyleFriday is on-brand.

View some of the best freestyles from the series below, and follow the hashtag on Twitter and Instagram for more.











The cover artwork for OkayAfrica’s Best West African Songs of 2024 list featuring Ayra Starr and Tems.
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