Meet the 3 New Members of the African Trap Movement (ATM)
One of South Africa's biggest trap movements is expanding.
Emtee, Sjava, Saudi and their producer Ruff were able to give trap music a South African flavor. The artists, who are currently signed to Ambitiouz Entertainment, call the sub-genre they created African Trap Music and their label African Trap Movement.
Emtee, who's credited as the originator of the genre, is a top tier South African musician with multiple awards and a platinum selling album on his 2016 debut Avery. He has since followed it with a more refined sophomore, 2017's Manando and 2019's DIY 2 EP.
Saudi dropped his debut album D.R.U.G.S Inc in 2017, and, together with Sjava, appeared on the Black Panther soundtrack curated by Kendrick Lamar and TDE.
Sjava's debut album Isina Muva (2016) sold gold, and he has been one of the country's most loved artists since then. Last year, he won the People's Choice Award International at the B.E.T Awards last year. He released his sophomore album Umqhele in 2018, and it showed maturity and revealed an artist who's growing towards himself.
ATM is not just popular among hip-hop fans, but has managed to crossover. Their uplifting and relatable vernacular lyrics and fondness for blending trap with South African genres like Afropop, maskandi, mbhaqanga and even kwaito, have ensured they resonate with the average South African.
Sjava, Ruff, Emtee and Saudi. Photo by Sabelo Mkhabela.
ATM, however, extends further than Emtee, Saudi and Sjava.
Ranks, Sims and Just G are the newer members of the label. They are demanding to be heard, dropping singles consistently, hopefully building up to bigger projects.
ATM may seem new to many of us, but the homies go years back, since the 2000s. Lebo ATM is the label's manager who went to the same high school as Emtee. Together, they shopped their music to Ruff. Through him, they met MarazA, who worked closely with Emtee and Ruff.
The come-up story of ATM is made up of the members looking out and bailing each other out when necessary. And, to this day brotherhood and the upliftment of each other and their fans is a huge part of ATM.
Asked how the journey has been, Lebo says:
"It's been both life changing, inspiring, and also there's been a lot of heartbreaks. It's been a great, great life journey for us. Most times, it's difficult. No lie. Because now it's a movement that was started by people who are signed. So, we are basically not signed. I don't know how I can put it, but I would say we are basically people behind the big stars, people behind Emtee Saudi and Sjava. It's difficult when you are behind someone because what you do is not really noticed until [someone like] Sjava references that this person did that. Also, if they are signed to a label, that means us as the movement, we don't dictate a whole lot of things that revolve around it."
Beyond the artists, the ATM family includes graphic and fashion designers and a videographer and photographer.
This year, the crew's new members plan to release more music, and they are off to a great start. Ranks recently dropped the EP For The Skreets, while Just G just released "One Night," a followup to last year's "Uyasebenza."
In the following pages, we get to know the three new artist members of the crew; Ranks, Sims and Just G.