What happened
Spotify said on March 6, 2026 that South African rapper Kwesta's double album DaKAR II had passed 51.8 million streams on the platform as the project reached its 10 year milestone. The album was originally released on February 26, 2016, and Spotify framed the anniversary as proof that the project is still attracting new listeners rather than surviving only on nostalgia.
Why it matters
This is a real catalog milestone for a South African hip hop album that did not fade after its first release cycle. Spotify said 2025 was the album's strongest annual streaming year to date and that the project hit a new daily streaming peak in November 2025. That matters because it shows older African releases can keep growing in the streaming era when the catalog stays culturally relevant.
The South Africa signal
Spotify said South Africa remains the album's biggest market on the service, with Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town leading local listening. Kwesta told Spotify that the most meaningful reaction still comes from Katlehong, the Gauteng township closely tied to his identity and fan base.
On February 26, 2026, Music In Africa reported that Spotify and Sony Music Entertainment planned a 10 year anniversary event in Randburg, Johannesburg to reflect on the album's legacy. Spotify later said it hosted a Johannesburg listening party with Sony for top Premium fans as part of the anniversary run.
The audience and track data
Spotify said listeners aged 18 to 24 account for the largest share of streams, and that nearly 40% of the album's listeners are Gen Z. That gives the story a second life beyond Kwesta's original fan base.
The platform also named the album's current top Spotify tracks as:
- Ngiyaz'fela Ngawe featuring Thabsie
- Ngud featuring Cassper Nyovest
- Nomayini
Outside South Africa, Spotify's March 6 update said the strongest African cities for listening included Harare, Lusaka, Gaborone, Nairobi and Lagos. That turns the anniversary into more than a local nostalgia story. It is also a regional streaming story.
What Kwesta said
Spotify quoted Kwesta saying the double album format was a risk, but one that let him show both the hard rap side and a softer, more vulnerable side in the same body of work. He also described the album's success as a product of timing, collaboration and authenticity rather than luck.
News24's February 26 coverage matched the broad streaming picture. It reported that DaKAR II reached its strongest annual streaming year in 2025, confirmed the November 2025 daily peak, and highlighted the same three top tracks that continue to drive listening on Spotify.
Why AfroStream is watching it
AfroStream tracks not only new releases, but also platform moments that show how African creator catalogs keep compounding. Kwesta's milestone is a clean example: a 2016 South African rap album is still adding young listeners in 2026, still creating live-event value in Johannesburg, and still producing measurable platform demand across multiple African cities.
For creators and managers, the lesson is straightforward. Catalog can keep working when the project has a distinct local identity, replay value, and platform support that helps new listeners keep finding it.
Source notes
- Spotify Newsroom, March 6, 2026: Kwesta's DaKAR II at 10
- Music In Africa, February 26, 2026: Spotify and Sony to mark 10 years of Kwesta's DaKAR II
- News24, February 26, 2026: Kwesta's legacy lives on: DaKAR II's streaming peak proves great art ages like fine wine