Cassper Nyovest has once again voiced his frustration with the South African Music Awards (SAMAs), this time accusing the organizers of robbing Tyla of the Record of the Year award.
Known for speaking out on industry issues, the rapper didn’t hold back as he took to Twitter to express his disappointment.
The SAMA 30 event recently trended as fans celebrated their favorite artists’ wins.
While Tyla emerged as one of the night’s biggest winners with multiple awards, her supporters, including Cassper, believe she deserved the Record of the Year title—especially given the global success of her hit Water, which even secured her a Grammy this year.
Cassper tweeted, “No ways. Tyla won a Grammy for Water, bro, but she don’t get the SAMA for Record of the Year at home? Haha, y’all are playing games.”
The tweet sparked a lively debate, with fans and critics weighing in on whether international recognition should influence local awards.
Some agreed with Cassper, feeling that Water was unfairly overlooked, while others argued that success abroad doesn’t guarantee local acclaim.
One Twitter user commented, “She could have been cheated locally… HOWEVER, we cannot & should not benchmark American success to automatically mean South African success. The masses of SA consume music differently, especially when it comes to genres like Amapiano, Gospel & Maskandi.”
Another added, “In South Africa, we don’t copy America… just because she won the Grammy, it doesn’t mean she should automatically win a SAMA.”
Some fans also expressed unfamiliarity with the winning record, noting, “I thought I was alone on this—even the Record of the Year winner, I don’t know him or his music.”
Others pointed out that while Water achieved international fame, it didn’t dominate locally to the same extent, saying, “Water couldn’t win locally because it wasn’t a big song in SA last year—Amapiano was everywhere.”
What’s your take on Cassper Nyovest’s comments? Do you agree that Tyla was overlooked, or do you think local success should stand on its own? Share your thoughts.
