Amapiano dance and Hip-Hop take centre stage as Sunlight’s Raise The Bar challenge, NextGen edition, opens the door to South Africa’s future creative voices
Long before the spotlight, South Africa’s most iconic dance moves and Hip-Hop verses have been created in school fields and hallways. Today, Sunlight officially launches the Raise The Bar: NextGen Edition, moving into schools nationwide and enlisting cultural powerhouse Robot Boii to discover the next wave of Hip-Hop and Amapiano talent.
As a performer who rose from grassroots dance culture to become a mainstream viral sensation, Robot Boii’s involvement marks a natural evolution for the platform, shifting the spotlight directly to the source where creativity is first shaped.
“I see so much raw talent at school level. Kids who already have rhythm, confidence, and their own style,” says Robot Boii. “Raise The Bar NextGen is about giving them a reason to believe that their starting point doesn’t limit where they can go because I too started entertaining at school, from Fashion shows to Fun Days to now traveling the world as Robot Boii.”
This year, the campaign is expanding its reach even further, ensuring that no emerging talent is left behind. By taking Raise The Bar directly into schools and widening the entry points for young creators, the platform is opening doors for even more undiscovered performers to shine, be seen, and elevate their craft on a national stage while giving back to their schools.
As part of the NextGen edition, ten schools across the country will be recognised as winners, each receiving R100 000 for the school, to support creative development and community initiatives, with an additional R35 000 for the winning entrants. Centred on collective expression, performance, and confidence, the initiative uses Hip-Hop and Amapiano as a shared cultural language, with the prize amount also nodding to Sunlight’s 135-year history in South Africa, linking today’s creativity to a legacy long woven into everyday Mzansi l