Although the organisers did all they could to put on a top-notch production, there were a few minor hiccups. One of them is sound problems.
The absence of South African A-listers, particularly from the amapiano scene, stood out at this year’s awards. Many of the category winners were not present.
Each artist’s motivations were different, including some of Amapiano’s top performers like DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, Uncle Waffles, and Daliwonga. Traveling abroad are DBN Gogo, Young Stunna, and Focalisitic.
One has to question whether these performers were unable to change the dates of their overseas tours in order to accommodate the once highly regarded honours given that the awards’ date is publicised far in advance. Or they choose not to.
Following the night, DJ Maphorisa tweeted a middle finger to the awards presentation and said that the accolades didn’t bring any money to their table.
He wrote, “You can’t cheat the numbers and f*** the samas forever; it doesn’t even provide food on the table.”
As these game-changing bands have dominated the music landscape for the previous two years, their performance on the well-lit stage would have been a significant event in the culture of the Amapiano.
Not only are amapiano musicians being ignored, but even major hip hop groups were completely absent.
The following celebrities choose to watch the awards from a distance: AKA, Cassper Nyovest, Blxckie, Nadia Nakai, and Kwesta.
According to rumours, the organisers tried to hire Mzansi’s biggest artists for the awards, but they were all booked for other events.
If the greatest names in music are unable to attend or are unwilling to do so after the epidemic, it begs the issue of whether they are worth the time and expense.