Def Jam Africa is finally in the soil of Africa with a pool of Nigerian and South African hip-hop and Afrobeats artists on its flagship roaster.

International music label, Universal Music Group has today announced the launch of Def Jam Africa, a new label dedicated to representing the best of hip-hop, Afrobeats and trap talent on the continent.

A press statement from UMG says Def Jam Africa will “follow the blueprint of the iconic Def Jam Recordings label, which has led and influenced the cutting-edge in hip-hop and urban culture for more than 35 years.” The statement further states that the label will initially be based in two of the continent’s main music and entertainment hubs Joburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria, but will identify and sign artist talent from across the entire continent.

With this development, the label now boast of a roster that includes some of the most successful African talent including Nigeria’s Larry Gaaga and Vector alongside South Africa’s Boity, Cassper Nyovest, Nadia Nakai, Nasty C, Tshego, Tellaman and Ricky Tyler. A majority of who were already signed to UMG.

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