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ARTIST OF THE YEAR
If comedy were a country, this man would be president. No local artist had a year that could match that of Trevor Noah’s. The funnyman struck gold in a traditionally white American world. On retiring as host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart was reputed to be worth R1 billion. Now Noah’s taken his seat. He’s become one of the planet’s most recognised TV stars overnight. If you’re thinking of trying to book Noah for a gig nowadays, you’ll need at least R3 million, excluding flights and accommodation. And he’s moved more than 150 000 copies of his DVDs. But it’s not just about money and fame. Noah has undergone emergency surgery, been accused of stealing jokes and had to contend with the racism of the remote control this year – yet he came through unscathed. Most importantly, he has brought with him to The Daily Show a black African team of writers who have unlocked a new space in TV comedy production. – Phumlani Sithebe Langa
COMEDY
It wasn’t all about Trevor Noah. Hitmaker Leon Schuster retired from film making and that was a thing. Tats Nkonzo had success at the Edinburgh Festival. David Kau and Kagiso Lediga continue to rock comedy’s TV production, birthing The Bantu Hour and prepping for another show. Loyiso Gola was booked at the Soho Theatre in London, which is a big deal. Female comedians are finally rising. Khanyisa Bunu became the first woman to win people’s choice at the Savanna Comics’ Choice Awards. Tumi Morake worked across TV, advertising and stage in a busy year. The queen of Zulu comedy, Celeste Ntuli, made our cover, and Noko Moswete and Nina Hastie are going places. – Charl Blignaut
MOST HILARIOUS NEWCOMER
Muslim comedy continues to rise, with Yaseen Barnes taking best newcomer at the Savanna Comics’ Choice Awards. But our money is on rising star Dillan Oliphant, who won the roast award at the Comedy Central International Comedy Festival. – Charl Blignaut
INTERNET STARS
These are our top 10 internet breakout stars who made endless hours of online distraction worth it in 2015:
1. Lulama Wolf @lulamawolf
Blogger and serial Instagrammer Lulama Mlambo, known as Lulama Wolf, is a stylist and foodie with a keen interest in visual arts. Her Instagram reads like a mood board of carefree, black-girl life.
2. Yoliswa Mqoco @yoliswa_xo
A stylist, personal shopper and former fashion student, 22-year-old Mqoco takes stylised selfies and posts beautiful images upon beautiful images of her body and her life as a queer black woman.
3. The Daily Vox @thedailyvox
The young online news portal went from having 4 000 Twitter followers before #FeesMustFall to 12 000 afterwards due to its comprehensive coverage. This is a formidable site for emerging voices that counter mainstream media narratives.
4. Pontsho Pilane @pontsho_pilane
Wits honours journalism student and Daily Vox reporter Pilane was one of the leading reporters on #FeesMustFall. From on-the-ground coverage to using video streaming app Periscope while getting shot by the police at the Union Buildings, she received much praise and 2016 will see her start a new job at the Mail & Guardian.
5. Thick Leeyonce @thickleeyonce
Wits student and photographer Lesego Legobane is known on the internet as Thick Leeyonce. She has more than 116 000 collective followers
on Instagram and Twitter. She’s famous for photographing celebrities and posting images of her voluptuous body, but has repeatedly been called out for plagiarism.
6. Trevor Stuurman @trevor_stuurman
Stuurman’s digital star has been rising for years, but this year has been his best. Featured as a model and consultant for Woolworths, the photographer and film maker was runner-up in GQ’s Best-Dressed Man Award and named the next big thing at the SA Style Awards.
7. Man Make Coffee @manmakecoffee
It’s no easy feat to start a coffee-appreciation blog and develop an Instagram following of more than 50 000 people in less than a year, but Andy Anderson, AKA Man Make Coffee, did it.
8. Suzelle DIY @suzellediy
The YouTube channel of the DIY Afrikaans “chick” now has more than 63 000 subscribers in stitches with her quirky sense of humour, style and a unique approach to the mundane tasks for cooking, hosting and DIY. Her videos have been viewed more than 10 million times.
9. Moshe Ndiki @moshendiki
Even though he’s been posting his hilarious home-made videos since 2013, 23-year-old Mr In Terms of Everything Moshe Ndiki rose to internet fame in 2015 after thousands of views of his isiXhosa rants and skits on YouTube.
10. Tony Gum @tony_gum
But Ndiki was narrowly pipped by #Trending’s internet star of 2015, Tony Gum. You know you’ve made it when you get a double tap and a nod in the form of an online feature from US Vogue. This was the year for the 20-year-old Cape Town conceptual photographer and artist. Vogue called her “the coolest girl in Cape Town”, a sentiment we can’t disagree with since she used a basic camera and elements from her surroundings to create a new narrative around self-portraiture and the digital world in South African art – a feat that saw her exhibit at the FNB Joburg Art Fair. – Milisuthando Bongela
#YEAROFTHESTUDENT
Hashtags surrounding the university protests against fee increments (#FeesMustFall and #NationalShutdown) were the first and third most used in the country this year, according to Twitter. They were not only used to voice support and cover developments, but also aided students to mobilise on the ground. – George von Berg
MEME OF THE YEAR
Nicholas Fraser’s Vine “Why You Lyin’?”, posted on August 29, sent social media and the globe into a frenzy of 51 million loops. No one had heard of this man before he asked us, “Why you lyin’?” but his face is literal perfection and has now become the symbol for calling out someone who is not telling the truth. If you’ve seen the video, “hmmmmohmygod” instantly pops into your mind as soon as someone tries it on you. – Khanyisile Khubeka
WORDS
Emoji fever
This was the year of the emoji. Tweeting and texting using them is now ubiquitous. For the first time, the Oxford Dictionaries word of the year is a pictograph, officially called the Face with Tears of Joy emoji. This emoji is used to express that moment when you’re laughing so hard, you cry.
Fleek
This adjective is used to describe something good, attractive or stylish. It gained popularity this year when Peaches Monroee used it on Vine to describe her eyebrows on her way to a party, not knowing she would create one of the year’s biggest words – Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé repeated it in Minaj’s hit Feeling Myself. Basically, “on fleek” is now a compliment: “Wow girl, your outfit is on fleek!”
Whoo, shem!
A hilarious exclamation popularised by Idols judge Somizi Mhlongo, which is used to show surprise and disbelief at whatever is happening. You can check out Somgaga’s DStv Compact advert to see how it’s properly done.
Yaaaas!
Popularised by young gays in the US, it was adopted by the mainstream and now you can’t be excited without it. It’s usually used to show support, encouragement and agreement. – Khanyisile Kubeka
FILM
Hottest documentary
This year saw the rise and rise of Rehad Desai’s powerful Marikana documentary, Miners Shot Down, which won him an International Emmy Award on top of countless others. Even though it has its faults, it’s our doccie of the year - watch the full documentary above.
Top fiction film
Sibs Shongwe-La Mer’s nihilistic, suburban, suicide drama Necktie Youth won best SA film at the Durban International Film Festival; Akin Omotoso’s romcom, Tell Me Sweet Something, was a hit with audiences; and Sara Blecher’s Dis ek, Anna tackled teen sex abuse with insight and compassion. But our fiction film of the year is Ernest Nkosi’s low-budget, big-hearted, educative, sugar daddy township film, Thina Sobabili. It has received awards around the world and is SA’s official entry for the Oscars and the Golden Globes. – Charl Blignaut
SCANDALS
AKA vs Cassper Nyovest
Christmas was special last year when rappers AKA and Cassper Nyovest settled their beef and posed together for a photo that sent social media into a frenzy.
Fast-forward six months and you get the infamous alleged five-finger slap to Cassper’s face after an altercation with AKA at a well-known club. The ongoing feud culminated in the release of AKA’s diss track, Composure, to which Cassper replied with Dust 2 Dust, both of which were filled with excessive jabs and punches below the belt.
Their feud generated millions in publicity, so it’s quite likely to remain a feature of 2016.
AKA, Bonang, DJ Zinhle
We all know that AKA and DJ Zinhle were a cute item for three years. Not once did we suspect that Super Mega and Queen B may have been an undercover couple, or that things between Zinhle and AKA may not have been as rosy as they seemed. Then, kaboom! In August we had a statement released by Zinhle on her blog stating that she had an honest conversation with AKA, who – she claimed – confessed to having an affair with Bonang Matheba for five months. Denials ensued, but either way, AKA has to receive the award for the most scandalous cat in Mzansi this year. – Khanyisile Kubeka
RAPEY CULTURE
It was a year riddled with high-profile sexism and pervasive rape culture. It was also a year in which young women led and demanded intersectional feminism (calling for an end to sexism, homophobia and transphobia as urgently as has been the case with white supremacy).
BiC in SA infamously published an ad on social media that read: “Look like a girl. Act like a lady. Think like a man. Work like a boss. Happy Women’s Day.” When there was an outcry, the chorus of “PC Nazi feminists” was strong and loud – because sexism is normative, so we think it’s funny and witty.
There was also the release of Ayanda Mabulu’s Pornography of Power painting that caricatures President Jacob Zuma raping a black woman intended to represent South Africa, while the same woman is raped by the representation of colonial and white supremacist power. More disappointing than the artist using rape as a metaphor was the level of public discourse that couldn’t see anything wrong beyond Zuma’s nudity. (There was also Anton Kannemeyer’s R is for Respect, which once again fetishised Zuma’s penis in a lazy and unimaginative way.)
We heard concerning stories of young women being sidelined in the national #FeesMustFall movements, while harrowing stories of sexual assault came out of students’ movements at the University of Cape Town, with the rape at Azania being one of the big stories.
But the winner is the Our Perfect Wedding episode where a man casually admitted to being a sexual predator. – Gugulethu Mhlungu
RADIO
Firings, suspensions and falling ratings at new stations made for an awkward radio year – until Gugs Mhlungu and Sizwe Dhlomo settled in at Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk from 8pm to 11pm. Night Talk trends nightly. It’s compelling, political and engaging and the best thing to happen on radio in ages – but with a disclaimer. Mhlungu co-edits #Trending as a day job and tried to stop us giving her this award. We ignored her. We will pay. - Charl Blignaut
MUSIC
Shining stars
South African a cappella group The Soil enjoyed great success in 2015 with a third sold-out performance at the Apollo Theater in New York, a BET International Africa Act nomination and numerous awards for their sophomore offering, Nostalgic Moments. Some of the finest 2015 releases came from Riky Rick, the Cashtime Life crew (with their boss, K.O, at the helm) and L-Tido. Dbn Nyts remained a dance floor must-have with their huge hit Shumaya, featuring Zinhle Ngidi & Trade Mark. Another artist with a big year was newcomer Nathi, whose debut album, Buyelekhaya, went platinum, with his single Nomvula becoming one of the most played songs in the land.
Dezemba hit
House music giant and producer Black Coffee continued to be a sought-after DJ worldwide and released his latest album, Pieces of Me, featuring what has arguably been the biggest House song this year – We Dance Again – with Nakhane Touré (whose latest EP The Laughing Son is really worth getting).
Hip-hop heavy weight
Super Mega – AKA’s Levels album went gold and won numerous awards, including Best Collaboration of the Year at both the MTVs and Metros, with the massive All Eyes On Me single with Da L.E.S and Burna Boy. He also competed for the 2015 BET International Africa Act Award in Los Angeles (which went to Ghana’s Stonebwoy).
And the winner is...
Don’t tell AKA, but we give this year to Cassper Nyovest. Just. He ended up with more than 20 awards for his 2014 debut album, Tsholofelo, including five Metro FM Awards. He also reached his dream of filling up the Dome in Joburg, a first for a South African artist, and going platinum with his second album, Refiloe. – Gugulethu Mhlungu
