Was Shane Eagle wrong for joining Love & Hip Hop South Africa?

As some of you may know by now, MTV Africa is broadcasting its very own edition of Love and Hip Hop South Africa, where the reality TV show is following some of the most prominent artists in the South African hip-hop scene.

The global Love and Hip Hop reality show is coming to South Africa and will feature some of the most prominent Hip Hop artists as they unveil the ins and outs of the music industry.

Here’s a first look at the cast ⬇️

🔗 More on HYPE now ! 📲 pic.twitter.com/RJzxsXWGLw

— HYPE MAGAZINE (@HypeMagazineSA) January 30, 2023

We are getting a deep dive into their personal lives and insight into how the industry works as well as their achievements and struggles.

Now the cast features a host of artists ranging from the North God himself, Da L.E.S, we also have Yanga Chief, Gigi Lamayne, DJ Speedsta, Fifi Cooper, Shane Eagle, J Molley, and Money Badoo.

When it comes to Love and Hip Hop, the reality TV show has a negative stigma surrounding it due to it representing black people and the hip-hop culture in a bad way.

Also, Love and Hip-Hop’s views and engagements are centered are drama and toxicity which really isn’t for the empowerment or progression of black culture, or at least that is how I perceive it but I could be wrong.

And it has also been said that artists and rappers that take part in this show are at the tail end of their music careers, which is why they need a show like this to keep them relevant.

This is actually my problem with Shane Eagle taking part in a show like this because I honestly don’t believe he is at the tail end of his career, I mean if anything, he is actually at his prime.

Now granted, Shane Eagle did not have the best year in 2022 despite dropping his album “Green”, but I don’t think this is the right move for his career at this point in time.

I mean Shane Eagle came out with the following tweet a couple of weeks back saying;

Nobody can fuck with me this year

— Eagle (@Shane_Eagle) January 4, 2023

Now if this is what he meant, then it isn’t very pleasant to see.

I mean as I said previously, Shane Eagle is currently in his prime. He has fans eagerly waiting on him to drop new music and live up to expectations they know he can reach, but joining Love and Hip Hop seemingly takes away from that.

We all know that Shane Eagle is a big fan of J. Cole and in the past, we have had Cole speak on how artists who join Love and Hip Hop have pretty much fallen off.

In the song “1985” where J. Cole was addressing SoundCloud rappers like Lil Pump and Smokepurpp, the North Carolina native rapped;

To any amateur niggas that wanna get rocked. Just remember what I told you when your sh!t flop. In five years you gon’ be on Love & Hip-Hop, n!gga.

Listen to “1985” by J. Cole below;

Therefore it is crazy to think that Shane Eagle would move in this direction knowing that his very own idol condemned a move like this, but I guess he doesn’t mind hurting his image at this point in time.

Honestly, I just took it up to Shane Eagle not being managed well, I mean he is currently under his own label “Eagle Entertainment” where it’s been rumoured that his girlfriend, Nicole Swartz, is managing him.

Now if that is the case, it would make sense as to why he is participating in a show like this and it needs to be said that she is part of the cast as well, so maybe she could have influenced Shane Eagle to do the show even though he might have not wanted to.

Either way, it is not a good look and I’m sure if he was still being managed by “Stay Low”, a move like this would have never taken place.

A couple of months back we had Priddy Ugly making it clear that he would not be showcasing his private life on television, he went on to say;

A few people have asked, so I’d just like to make it clear. With numerous offers over the years, all have been declined. Myself & my partner have never been interested in being part of a reality show in any form, especially one that has to do with our relationship.

Warm regards.

— NTJA’KA, MY HOND (@ItsPriddyUgly) January 18, 2023

So my thing is this, if Priddy Ugly had the self-awareness to not be part of a show like this, why couldn’t Shane Eagle either, I’m sure the rest of his peers were approached by MTV to do the show.

I can imagine that A-Reece, Nasty C, and Blxckie declined and do you know why? because they recognize the stigma that comes with being a part of a reality TV show like this and they also recognize that they still have a lot more to offer musically instead of chasing relevancy through a television show.

Now that is not to say that Shane Eagle does not have much more to offer us musically, considering that he is one of the top rappers in South Africa, but a move like this seemingly puts the music in the back seat.

So with going this route, I’ll definitely be watching his moves outside of the show and to see whether he is still in it for the music or not.

And with that being said, you guys let me know your thoughts on this, is Shane Eagle ruining his reputation by joining Love and Hip Hop or does this have no effect on his career?

Please also let me know whether you are watching the show and which artists are you most excited to see.