DJ Speedsta’s “120 Ocean View” Album Misses Spotify Top 200 On Debut Day. South African hip hop DJ and producer DJ Speedsta is facing tough waves with his latest project “120 Ocean View,” which failed to make its debut on the SA 🇿🇦 Spotify Daily Top 200 chart on its first day of release. The news was shared by 2022 Africa, a trusted music stats blogger, sparking an online debate around timing, genre politics, and Speedsta’s relationship with the amapiano movement.
Fans were quick to offer theories on why the album sank beneath the surface. A recurring sentiment pointed to unfortunate release timing—120 Ocean View dropped at the same time as Kabza De Small’s long-awaited 16-track amapiano project “BAB’MOTHA.” The two albums collided in a genre showdown, with Kabza’s name dominating social media trends and playlists across the country.
“You can’t drop when Kelvin or Kabza are dropping that day , only A-Reece can go toe to toe,” an X user wrote.
But the storm didn’t stop there. Another wave of backlash emerged over DJ Speedsta’s previous comments regarding amapiano, which many fans interpreted as dismissive. “I think people are tired of Piano,” Speedsta said in a past interview. “And I say this with the utmost respect to what they’re doing and their move. But I think people are just tired of Piano.”
His remarks resurfaced immediately following the album’s performance flop, with amapiano lovers accusing him of alienating the biggest audience in South African music today. “Love to see it man, you hate on Piano, you try and compete with it and drop on the same day as the biggest piano artist. You are shown dust.”
The 14-track “120 Ocean View” was intended as a statement piece for Speedsta, who gathered some of the country’s most respected lyricists and producers for a sonically rich hip hop offering. While the album received modest praise from core hip hop fans, the data tells a different story when it comes to mainstream traction.