After what stretched on for what felt like centuries teasing the coming of his single, SAMA-winning singer-songwriter Sykes has lifted the latch and lid holding back “Awukwazi”. Accompanied by The Sisters, MK Productions, and featuring the Midas touch of Dlala Thukzin, the song heralds a triumphant ending to the star’s year while stoking the flames of anticipation pointing towards what promises to be a fiery 2026.
Rooted in the flavour of amapiano, “Awukwazi” is infused, however mildly, with whiffs of 3 Step rim hits and rhythmic cymbal pulses, the thumping tempo of kwaito, and the soulful and ambiant texture of deep house, creating a harmonic blend of sounds geared towards a fun time under the sun or a road trip with the windows rolled down.
Sykes | SUPPLIED
“Awukwazi” explores the quiet yet defiant indignation of a soul expressing disapproval at being criticised by those who aren’t familiar with it along with its ways, its fate, and its sacrifices. Sealed within the groovy hook knitted from the honeyed voices of The Sisters and the offsetting smooth quality of Sykes’s vocals, the artists tell off gossip mongers with the words, “Awukwazi ukukhuluma ngam’, nokuhleba ngam’ wena ungakaze phile umpilo yami ungakaze ube yimi nosuku olulodwa.”
With his verse, Sykes flexes his rapping faculties, carving out a quick-fire one-two on the mic in which he touches on his ambitions to make money, his desire to stroke the steering wheels of luxury cars, and the crab mentality that plagues Black people, keeping them stuck in the bucket of poverty. In addition to the pride of wanting to make something of himself, peer pressure is a secondary driving force behind Sykes’s words, with the musician highlighting his wish to be fresh like his contemporaries doing well for themselves.
Sykes | SUPPLIED
More than a party anthem, “Awukwazi” is a lift-me-up for the go-getters and hustlers well-aware of chirpy naysayers prophesying that they will amount to nothing. Celebratory and coloured in gaiety, the song imbues one with the sense of finishing a victory lap while dancing all the way to the finish line—the kind of attitude Sykes models in the song alongside The Sisters.
Listeb to “Awukwazi”:
