For a score of musicians, one of the most difficult feats is being consistent with your authentic self in the face of growth, success and the many life changes it brings. The creative act is premised on daring to challenge the status quo of your success by experimenting with the new instead of confining yourself to a rigid tried and tested formula and genre boundary. Big Zulu’s fifth studio album Icala LeMpumelelo (The Price of Success) stands as a defiant example of musical and creative freedom. The Bergville-born rapper and mogul has crafted a work that refuses categorization while simultaneously mastering multiple styles.
The album opens with its title track, immediately establishing the thematic core: success comes at a cost. Big Zulu’s ability to switch between soulful crooning and sharp, narrative-driven rap creates an emotional resonance that mere words alone couldn’t achieve. This duality is the perfect vehicle for exploring the album’s central paradox nuanced with stylistic showmanship. What makes Icala LeMpumelelo particularly compelling is how Big Zulu navigates different emotional territories with equal conviction. On love songs like “Mthulise,” “Amacala Othando,” and “Mbali Yami,” he reveals genuine vulnerability without sacrificing the authenticity that defines his artistic identity. Meanwhile, tracks like “Isisu Som’Hambi” and “Ng’Sale Nobani” offer glimpses into his personal journey that is marked by turmoil and struggle, delivered with the storytelling prowess that has become his trademark.
Watch “Amacala Othando” Visualiser here:
The production deserves special mention—predominantly smooth and laid-back, creating space for Big Zulu’s powerful vocals to breathe. However, the album doesn’t shy away from more aggressive sonic landscapes when the narrative demands it. The boom-bap influenced “Interlude” featuring Sjava delivers that raw cypher energy, while “iNkululeko” with Toss and Sir Trill showcases how traditional Hip-Hop elements can be reimagined in a South African context as they address their hunger for freedom. One can feel the hunger and urgency in the hook and their respective verses that detail their eminent rise from the pitfalls of the come-up.
Beyond its musical versatility, Icala LeMpumelelo offers a profound exploration of South African cultural identity. Big Zulu’s deliberate incorporation of maskandi elements—a traditional Zulu folk style characterized by its storytelling and cultural commentary—represents an aesthetic choice and a political statement about preserving indigenous art forms within contemporary expression. Songs like “Impilo Ekhaya” skillfully weave traditional Zulu proverbs and rural imagery with modern production, creating a bridge between generations that might otherwise drift apart.
Big Zulu | SUPPLIED
The album’s linguistic choices further emphasize this cultural statement. By rapping predominantly in isiZulu rather than English, Big Zulu reclaims narrative sovereignty in an industry often pressured toward Western assimilation. Yet when he does employ English phrases, they appear as natural code-switching rather than commercial compromise—mirroring how language functions in South Africa’s multicultural landscape. This cultural authenticity extends to the album’s treatment of success itself. Rather than embracing the individualistic narrative common in Western Hip-Hop, Big Zulu’s lyrics inconsistently frame his achievements within a collective context. “Abazazi Bafunani” critiques not just rap politics but the very notion that success should separate one from their community.
The recurring theme of remembering one’s origins (evident in both lyrics and musical choices) stands in stark contrast to the “escape the hood” narrative that dominates much of global Hip-Hop.
Watch “Abazazi Bafunani” here:
The collaboration with Shwi Mntombazane brings this cultural dimension into sharp focus, creating moments where traditional Zulu vocal techniques meet contemporary production—symbolizing how cultural preservation doesn’t require rejecting innovation. Similarly, the contemporary sonic arrangements of the album acknowledges South Africa’s evolving soundscape while bending the genre to fit Big Zulu’s narrative purposes rather than simply chasing trends.
Big Zulu’s curatorial instincts shine through his selection of collaborators. From Nkosazana Daughter’s ethereal vocals to Shwi Mntombazane’s maskandi influences, each featured artist brings something essential to the project while never overshadowing the album’s cohesive vision. The closing track “10 Past 4” with Durban legend Zakwe feels like a symbolic passing of the torch between generations, with Xowla’s melodic hook bridging different eras of South African Hip-Hop.
Big Zulu | SUPPLIED
What could have been a disjointed collection in less capable hands instead feels like a natural evolution of Big Zulu’s artistic journey. With a pristine respect for the art form, Big Zulu code-switches between genres demonstrating that these seemingly disparate musical traditions share common cultural roots and emotional resonances.
Icala LeMpumelelo ultimately succeeds because it never feels like a calculated commercial move to appeal to different audiences. Rather, it’s the work of an artist who genuinely contains multitudes—someone equally at home in the soulful vulnerability of Afro-soul and the assertive confidence of Hip-Hop. Through its genre-blending approach and cultural depth, the album makes a compelling case that artistic authenticity lies in embracing the full complexity of one’s cultural heritage rather than conforming to artificial boundaries.
Stream Icala LeMpumelelo here
