Moozlie has highlighted the realities faced by women in the local hip hop industry, pointing to persistence and collaboration as key factors for visibility. Speaking on a recent episode of 5 Nights with DJ Speedsta, she addressed the challenges women face and the importance of working together.
During the conversation, Moozlie reflected on the role of collaboration in shaping South African hip hop. She explained that the culture of working together has been central to the genre’s development from its earliest stages.
“I think just beyond the women, South African hip hop in particular was built on the foundation of collaboration,” she said. “If we take it all the way back to the first ever SA hip hop album that was ever dropped, it was a collaborative album. If you think about the biggest names, Skwatta Kamp, and even the individuals, if you think about ‘Run Jozi’, when you think about those kinds of moments, collaboration was always the thing that made it happen.”
She added that this approach is particularly important for women in the industry. “I think for girls in particular, it’s really important for us to work together because the dudes just don’t get it, they just don’t get us,” she said.
Moozlie also spoke about recognition disparities, noting that women often have to make repeated efforts to be acknowledged. “Girls have to do things five times to get recognised for the first time, whereas a guy has to do it for like the first time and even if they didn’t like it, they’d be like ‘oh okay he did that’,” she said.
She referenced her recent collaboration “Push iDust,” whith Nomfundo Yekani and Ma Ka Boi, as an example of how collaboration can influence visibility and audience reception.
Speaking about Nomfundo Yekani, Moozlie said audiences had already been familiar with her name, but the collaboration created a stronger connection with listeners. “Even with Nomfundo for an example, people have been hearing the name but because now she’s been coming on the scene with Moozlie, people are now like ‘yeah we know Nomfundo, she’s our girl’,” she said.
She also pointed to Ma Ka Boi’s evolving recognition. “Even with Beekay, she’s been pushing for so long but now that she’s coming back as Ma Ka Boi with the mask and going crazy, people are like ‘ohh that’s interesting, I wanna know more about that’,” she said.
Moozlie concluded by noting that support systems within the industry play a role in navigating challenges. She explained that sharing knowledge and experience can assist artists in understanding the space and building their careers over time.
