Costa Titch

The South African artist Costa Titch, born in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, in 1995, rarely misses a beat. The MC had already had a successful career as a dancer with the New Age Steez crew when he decided to set his sights on musical success. His 2017 banger “Activate” gained worldwide attention after an L.A.-based influencer played the song on their Instagram stories. Despite the international exposure, the local market took a while to catch up. He collaborated with the new wave of Mzansi hip-hop artists—PatricKxxLee, J. Molley and others—while strategizing how to dominate locally. It wasn’t until the Mandoza-inspired “Nkalakatha” in 2019 that Costa Titch cracked the code: people needed something they could relate to, and the isiZulu parts served that need. His trap-flavoured 2020 debut album, Made in Africa, incorporates Indigenous languages and styles while keeping one foot in international waters, like Costa Titch himself.