DJ Sliqe has weighed in on the changing role of international co-signs in South Africa’s hip-hop industry, arguing that overseas endorsements once mattered far more because artists had few ways to reach global listeners on their own.
In remarks on the influence of international hip-hop, Sliqe said a co-sign from an established figure could be decisive when access to worldwide audiences was tightly controlled. “That co-sign meant everything,” he said.
The gatekeeper era#
According to Sliqe, artists could not simply use social media to reach millions of people or build an international following overnight. Instead, established figures had to recognise their work, vouch for them and open the door to a wider audience.
“Someone with rich credibility and an established audience on the other side of the world had to choose you,” Sliqe explained.
He called that period a form of “chosen culture”, pointing to the role of influential gatekeepers in deciding which artists received attention beyond their immediate surroundings.
A shift driven by the internet#
Sliqe contrasted that era with the current digital landscape, where the internet has changed how artists gain recognition. “But something has shifted, dog. The internet is now doing exactly the work without anyone’s permission,” he said.
He also recalled that a connection with a major international platform such as Ebro was once seen as a significant achievement. “Remember, like, we used to get Ebro. You got one Ebro, and it was very important,” he said.
For Sliqe, that hunger for an international stamp of approval appears weaker among younger artists, who can use platforms such as TikTok and other social media channels to build audiences without waiting for established international figures to validate their careers.
“I don’t think this generation even desires to,” he said. “They don’t. They don’t need to do that.”
