Hennessy, the world’s leading cognac brand and alongstanding champion of music, has just dropped the much-anticipated Hennessy Cypher 2025. This launch affirms Hennessy’s role at the forefront of global sound: one that successfully blends Hip-Hop, Amapiano and
Afrobeats for the first time ever.
Featuring a powerful mix of artists from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and the UK, this year’s Cypher is a pan-African and diaspora collaboration that places Hennessy once more at the forefront of cultural innovation and sound evolution.
The Hennessy Cypher 2025 represents a unique blend of feats: it’s a genre-fusing, gender-inclusive and boundary-breaking musical experience designed to showcase Africa’s global influence and celebrate the diversity of expression. It also echoes the brand’s ‘Made
for More’ philosophy, a belief that when creativity meets culture, the result is always greater than the sum of its parts.
For the first time, the Cypher features female artists while merging Amapiano, Afrobeats and Hip-Hop into a single track. This bold move reflects both the richness of Africa’s evolving soundscape and Hennessy’s commitment to elevating underrepresented voices and redefining the concept of what a Cypher can be. Six artists widely known for their unique sound and style take centre stage: Kabza De Small, Femi One, Ms Banks, Blaqbonez, Jaivah and Joey B.
“At its core, the Hennessy Cypher is about creativity and passion for music,” says Vincent Montalescot, Hennessy’s global Chief Marketing Officer. “It is a true collective play, uniting artists who are disrupting genres and shaping culture, across Africa and beyond. As a master blender of talent and vision, Hennessy continues its long-standing relationship with Africa and reaffirms its commitment to championing African creativity on a global stage”
The music video for Cypher 2025 unfolds inside the Hennessy House, a metaphorical mansion where each room represents a different genre, rhythm and cultural movement. This symbolic creative concept brings to life the idea of co-existence over competition, where Hip-
Hop, Amapiano and Afrobeats live side by side in a single visual and musical space.
Directed and produced in Cape Town, South Africa, the Hennessy House becomes a canvas for multi- cultural sound and continental fashion, transitioning from room to room in a sleek journey through a diverse musical landscape.
For over 50 years, Hennessy has been woven into the DNA of Hip-Hop. From Tupac to Snoop, Nas to Drake, the brand has been name-checked in over 4,000 songs, making Hennessy the most mentioned spirit brand in music history.
