Closing off our list is a conscious rap song that uses Woody Guthrie’s American folk anthem This Land is Your Land as a reference to paint a portrait of his own home grounds. 30minutes to Soweto is a sobering listen that sees Priddy Ugly recounting tales from his family and upbringing.

Priddy Ugly laments on these abusive experiences whilst showing patterns that emerged from them, exploring the effects these experiences had in shaping him and a generation of similar kin. “Most of our fathers were the type to beat our mothers so our mothers wore their face-beat just to keep it undercover. And deep benеath the covers therе were heaps of secret lovers; love we’d need to rediscover, just to teach it to each other.” Backed by a chillingly pensive production where the only reprieves come from recorded anecdotes, 30minutes to Soweto really zones in on Priddy Ugly’s ability to be an engaging and poetic storyteller. His performance is delivered in earnest and manages to imbue clever wordplay and playful delivery as a means to further immerse us in the depth of the world he wants us to see.

30minutes to Soweto is captivating storytelling from a dynamic rapper whose craft continuously manages to bat at a high level. It’s one of my favourite rap performances of the year. The sample of children singing This Land is Your Land in the background subtly brings attention to the fact that this is the environment that children grow up in whilst feeling like an added commentary that asks; Was this land really made for these people to live a happy or prosperous life?

Read the full Top 22 of 2022 here. Read more Priddy Ugly related content here, Shooterkhumz here.

Fun Fact: Shooterkhumz is tied for the producer with the most production credits on our 2022 list. He shares this distinction with MashBeatz and DoouShii who all carry 3 production credits.