A few days after the nominees for the SA Hip Hop Awards were announced, rapper A-Reece has left fans shocked by his decision to withdraw from the 11th annual awards.
The news was announced by the SA Hip Hop Awards organisers in a statement posted on Twitter.
“The South African Hip Hop would like to announce that South African rapper A-Reece has withdrawn from the 11th Annual South African Hip Hop Awards and will not be participating in the ceremony this year,” read the official statement.
Official statement on A-Reece withdrawing from #SAHHA2022 pic.twitter.com/zPHPOy6chx
— #SAHHA2022 (@SA_HipHopAwards) November 18, 2022
A-Reece has previously won gongs at the awards. Last year, he won Mixtape of the Year and Lyricist of the Year.
In a statement, which was released through his newly launched record label, Revenge Club Records, he shed light on his decision to withdraw from the nominations.
He was nominated in the categories of Mixtape of the Year and Lyricist of the Year for his song “The Burning Tree”.
A-Reece's joint project Blue Tape with his brother Jay Jody also bagged a nomination.
“We acknowledge the significance of the South African Hip Hop Awards and the role the organisation plays in enhancing and growing the culture.
A-Reece with the most respectful way of saying voetsek to SA Hip Hop 😂 pic.twitter.com/wiTWIeJBRD
— Black Child ☁️ (@Dj_Mnkansi) November 19, 2022
“Receiving recognition for your art will always be an honour. Be that as it may, we wish to formally decline all nominations received by our artists for the year 2022,” read the statement.
The rapper also took to his Instagram stories to clear things up regarding the move by him and his brother.
“First I just want to say to my investors – I love you guys and I can never be thankful enough for your endless support throughout the years.
“Second, just to make something clear about the SAHHA statement released this morning – Jay Jody (on behalf of Blue Tape) and I did not withdraw our ‘submission’, we respectfully declined the nominations we received by the establishment.”