South African hits from the 1990s and 2000s you probably forgot about

The streaming era has given rise to such a rapid pace of music consumption that most songs barely even have time to become the South African hits they were meant to be.

At the risk of sounding like the kind of old person who has become nostalgic about the music of their youth, they just don’t make South African hits like they used to.

This is not to say that current South African musicians aren’t any good. They are brilliant at what they do. They just have to compete in an era when the lifespan of a song is a fraction of what it used to be, thanks to the nature of music consumption in a digital era.

There are a large number of us who remember the lead-up to 1994 and the time after, and how perfectly the music captured the spirit of the moment.

While the music produced decades prior had a certain defiance in its nature, South African hits from the 1990s and 2000s were characterised by freedom – freedom to experiment, party and grow.

And grow it did. Spending weeks on the charts and inspiring the masses to make their way to music stores, clamouring for the physical copies of their favourite artist’s work.

Music fans no longer listen to full albums the way they used to. The majority of music fans now consume their music single by single and forget songs just as quickly as they fall in love with them.

ALSO READ: Samro wants to give you your share of R30 million

A 2019 News24 article dubbed South Africa one of the fastest-growing music streaming markets in the world, according to statistics compiled by music company TuneCore. 

Streaming sites with a stake in the local market don’t just cater to audiences who listen to the latest hits.

Platforms like Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music are a favourite for people who want to listen to oldies but may no longer have either the physical CDs, tapes and vinyls they used to or the equipment needed to play them.

If you are among those old enough to have recently received your Covid-19 jab, you may want to take a look at some of the South African hits from the 1990s and early 2000s that you loved but may have forgotten about.

Listen to 1990s and early 2000s South African hits

Click here to listen to audio of the full playlist on YouTube Music.

READ NEXT: YouTube Music scholarship gets boost from Black Voices fund