Popular styles of music in Namibia include
hip hop,
R&B,
Soul,
reggae,
afro-pop,
house and
kwaito. Upon Namibia's independence
Jackson Kaujeua and
Ras Sheehama were the most outstanding Namibian performers. Kaujeua had been performing since the 1970s; he performed a mix of Namibia's traditional genres with afro-pop/gospel sounds. Sheehama performed reggae, in footsteps of reggae late legends
Bob Marley and
Lucky Dube. Sheehama performed in
Jamaica,
Cuba, UK, Switzerland and the
Czech Republic. Other early Namibian musicians include a Setswana band called People's Choice, that was popular between 1996 and 1998 for their hit single "Don't Look Back (Siwelewele)", a kwaito trio called
Matongo Family, Boli Mootseng, X-Plode with members (Jaicee James, Lizell Swarts &
Christi Nomath Warner Warner Christi),
oshiwambo indigenous rapper Shikololo and
R&B turn-producer Big Ben.
Reggae/Dancehall/Afrobeats The Namibian reggae platform has produced artist such as
Ras Sheehama, Petu,
Ngatu, who has been performing since 1994, Mighty Dreeds and EES. In the early eighties a band called We Culture was formed in
Katutura and this turned to be Namibia's first reggae band. Another band followed called Roots rebels also based in the Katutura location. The Namibian independence came and most of the Namibian population that was in exile came back to Namibian and bands like Young Dreads later renamed as Mighty Dreads, Ras Sheehama, Los Amadeus, Omidi d Afrique, Shem Yetu, Organised Crime and 40Thieves. Most of these bands faded or became one and a group of young Namibian reggae musicians came up later. Most of the Mighty Dread band members left and formed Formular band or engage into solo careers. Dancehall, Ragga and Dub was gaining popularity and singers like Ngatu (from the Mighty Dread), Doren, Iron Roots, Ras Kasera and
Ten-Dreadz came up with a new blend of Ragga Dancehall.
Rock n roll Rock n roll is widely celebrated by the white communities of Namibia.
Die Vögel is one of Namibia's most outstanding rock n roll bands. The band had success with the
German-speaking Namibians during the 1970s.
Stefan Ludik was Namibia's first
Big Brother Africa participant in the show's
first season. G3 a duo of two young Namibians gained success with their hit single
"Olupandu" in 2005. One of the country's most durable rock bands is Bedrock (The Band In The Sand). Formed in 1994 in Oranjemund, the band has released four albums of original material over the years: Recovery (2001), So, Where's The Party? (2003), Simplicity (2008) and Desert Rock (2010). They describe their sound as Desert Rock, an eclectic mix of styles from 1970s rock, blues, pop and folk. Riaan Smit – Namibian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and frontman of the band Crimson House Blues. He is known for blending blues, folk, and Afro-gypsy influences in his solo work. Smit is the great-grandson of Costa Rican poet and political figure Rogelio Fernandez Guell .
Rogelio Fernández Güell Township Disco / Bubblegum Township Disco/Bubblegum is better known as Bubblegum Mapantshula Afro pop, with a rhythm that brings together artists such as Brenda Fassie and the Big Dudes, Chicco Twala, Dan Nkosi, Ebony, Richard Makhubale of Volcano, Dan Tsahnda of Splash, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Alec OmKhali of Umoja. Gabkoz also is better known for such type of music in Namibia as well as Specco, Scorpion, Ocean Girls, Mr. Tjiuti, Raindrops, Sonic Witness, The Couples, Right Choice, Manelo, and People Choice band, Erick Mahua, Rirua Murangi and Chicco of Chiccolela Production who have contributed much in these genre.
Namibian hip hop Hip hop music and culture have strongly influenced
Namibian youth, particularly through American acts such as
Tupac Shakur,
The Notorious B.I.G.,
Nas,
Jay-Z,
Snoop Dogg,
Dr. Dre, and
Eminem. . He is regarded as the most successful hip hop artist in the country. He won the coveted Best Male Artist at the
Namibian Annual Music Awards (2011) becoming the first Hip Hop artist to do so. Early
Namibian hip hop acts included Dungeon Family, which was composed of the newly recreated supergroup The Kalaharians, the popular girl duo
Gal Level, and future music producer Elvo with his group Lash Attraction, who rapped in a style similar to
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. In the late 1990s, more Namibians began experimenting with hip hop, and names such as Fidel O’Del and Shikololo started gaining popularity. Shikololo was the first Namibian artist to experiment with vernacular rap, performing in
Oshiwambo. He influenced later rappers such as M2DY and Tesh to follow the same path. Namibian hip hop rose to prominence with Black Market Entertainment, a hip hop–based label founded in Windhoek by the late producer and rapper Kanibal. Kanibal assembled a collective of rappers called The Militants, which included his best friend Catty Catt, Dante, and DVD. The Militants dominated the Namibian hip hop scene between 2003 and 2007, both as a group and as solo acts, paving the way for more rappers to join the young industry. In 2005, Kanibal signed
Jericho to Black Market. Jericho would go on to become Namibia’s biggest rapper when he became the first in the country to release a full-length hip hop album. From 2005 onwards, Namibian radio was dominated by local hip hop, with more acts joining the scene, including Dore, Wamboe Suen, DJay, KK, Mark, Contract Killers, and Area 51, among others. In recent years,
Black Vulcanite has been recognized as one of the most outstanding hip hop recording groups in Namibia. Namibian hip hop continues to compete with
Namibian kwaito for popularity.
R&B, pop, afro-pop R&B has been popular in Namibia since the 1990s. Namibian R&B singers have influenced the genre with
afro-pop. Most of them perform a mixture of
pop/afro-pop and R&B. Afro-pop is the African style of wester-pop. The Namibian
R&B/pop genre has produced continental celebrated duo
Gal Level and solo singers African Boy, Sally Boss Madam,
Christi Nomath Warner (who uses her poetry as basis for her lyrics) &
Lady May. Te Quila, Jewelz and Sally Boss Madam are one of the most promising R&B/pop singers of Namibia. Male artist such as Rodger and Nasti are also popular they all show influence from
Ne-Yo,
Mario, and
Chris Brown. Jossy Joss and
Big Ben are one of the earliest singers of Namibia. Big Ben has been the most consistent with this genre since his first release in 2001. == Young Musicians Early 2000s ==