Prince Kaybee crowns 2023 with 10.7 million streams on Spotify

Controversial House music DJ Prince Kaybee gets to cap off turbulent 2023 on a high note, as he has amassed an unprecedented 10.7 million streams on Spotify, according to the platform’s annual report. This caught the DJ off guard, as he admitted to not putting his usual effort into his music throughout the year.

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WHAT CHALLENGES DID PRINCE KAYBEE FACE?

In 2023, the musician suffered public backlash for supporting the New Zealand All Blacks over his home country’s Springboks team. Another layer of the scandal was added to the DJ’s collection in August, where he faced pedophile claims by influencer Cyan Boujee in August over a leaked sex tape.

Also Read: ‘My boys’: Prince Kaybee celebrates All Blacks quarter-final win

Despite the negative press that headlined his entire year, his music still resonated with 1.5 million listeners across 180 countries, accumulating an impressive 819K hours of playtime.

Also Read: Calls to cancel Prince Kaybee following Cyan Boujee’s accusations

On his Instagram, he expressed his surprise and appreciation to his fans, saying, “I didn’t really give music that much time this year. But to those that still f*ck with me. THANK YOU.”

Unlike him, this didn’t come as a surprise to most of his loyal fans, who are still avid listeners of his music. Some of them showed this in the comments, with some showing their loyalty to his work, saying, “We are loyal to your music, and others congratulating him for hitting this major milestone, letting him know he “deserved it.”

WILL AMAPIANO TAKE OVER HOUSE MUSIC?

CNN reported that Spotify’s flagship Amapiano playlist saw a staggering 622% increase in streaming in South Africa alone during the pandemic. The UK and US followed closely behind, ranking second and third, respectively, for the most streams of the same playlist. This surge in popularity has continued unabated, leading to concerns about DJ Kaybee’s long-term relevance.

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However, his supporters remain unfazed, praising the timeless nature of his House music genre. In response to his celebratory post on X, one fan wrote, “Forever wena. You released some timeless gems.” Another echoed the sentiment, adding, “You’re talented, and your music is timeless.”

While Amapiano has undoubtedly catapulted to the forefront of the South African music scene, house music remains highly significant,  with household names like Oskido, Heavy-K, and Master KG still topping charts and bagging multiple awards.

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