Apple Music’s end-of-year charts are based on plays between November 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. While amapiano spread like wildfire across the globe, South Africa’s highest-charting musicians of 2023 affirmed their rank as the keepers of that flame, with heavyweights like Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa, Kelvin Momo, Mas Musiq, and Mellow & Sleazy all delivering the soundtrack of the streets. Tyler ICU & Tumelo.za's mega-viral hit “Mnike” took the sounds of South Africa around the world, even earning him a nod at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Afrobeats songs from across the continent also swept SA this year: Ayra Starr’s “Rush,” Rema and Selena Gomez's “Calm Down,” Burna Boy’s “Last Last,” and Libianca’s “People” were on repeat. After Rapper AKA crafted a love letter to South Africa with his final album, MASS COUNTRY, released just two weeks after his untimely passing in February, it became a beloved national soundtrack, with fans spinning collaborations with Nasty C (“Lemons [Lemonade]”) and KDDO (“Company”) all year long. Here’s what Apple Music listeners couldn't get enough of in 2023.