This is why the Youth Hip-Hop Festival is going 100% local

It's no secret that there has been a positive shift in the South African music landscape since the commencement of a new policy that sees local music dominate SABC radio stations.

While this policy only applies to SABC platforms, event organisers and various initiatives have adopted the notion which supports the 90%  quota -  which is celebrating the richness and diversity of local talent as well as enhancing the quality of lives of local artists.

Take the annual Youth Hip-Hop Festival for instance. Despite managing to draw in large crowds last year by bringing international hip-hop heavyweight Rick Ross, the event organisers have opted for a 100% local line-up this year - given the "reaffirmation of patriotism in our country right now."

Speaking to TMG Entertainment, the event's promoter Hlubi Radebe revealed that in addition to supporting local acts, getting an international artist was hardly justifiable - especially with the high costs the festival would have to incur just to bring them in.

"When we were getting quotations for the international guys, we found even the lower guys were costing over R4.5 million at this time of year. So, for us, we questioned, how do you justify paying that much for just one guy," he explained.

"On top of that, we found that there are so many local artists that we have that are more talented. So, it just did not make sense to have an international artist," he added before pointing out that the festival started off with a line-up made up of local artists only, and it still managed to provide unsurpassed entertainment.

While supporting local is excellent, we can't shy away from the fact international artists often pull in bigger audiences, thus bringing in large profits for the event organisers. However, Radebe believes that's a risk worth taking.

"It might affect us a little bit, but we have dropped our ticket prices to be more accessible – because that's what we are about. Being a youth hip-hop festival, we wanted to be more accessible to the youth," he claimed.

"Being funded by government, you want the ease of going to bed, knowing that you have spent the budget that you have been given responsibly, and that's what we have tried to do."

According to Radebe, the festival - which takes place on  11 June at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban - will be placing an elaborate focus on hospitality and personal service.

"We want to make sure that the people that come there get an excellent service," he revealed.

"We have beefed up on everything – including security – to ensure that the experience within the fest is a pleasurable one."