D.Y.K 17 March 2021
BLAQ DIAMOND
- The duo’s names are Ndumiso Mdleteshe and Sphelele Dunywa. They were both born in 1994.
- They grew up in Ladysmith, KwaZulu Natal.
- When Ndu and Danya were in grade 9, they used to rap battle on the school bus.
- The first day they released their first album, it was number one across all genres.
- Ndu and Danya also play musical instruments like the piano, marimba, and drums.
STOGIE T
- Tumi Molekane born 16 August 1981 is a South African rapper and poet.
- He was born in Tanzania while his South African parents lived in exile there. In 1992 he repatriated to South Africa and took up residence in Soweto.
- He was the lead vocalist of Tumi and The Volume, which consisted of members from the Mozambican band 340ml. They officially disbanded in 2012
- In 2016 Tumi relaunched himself as Stogie T and released an album called Stogie T which featured Da L.E.S, Lastee, Emtee, Nasty C, Nadia Nakai & Yanga.
- In 2016, he was featured on Ghanaian rapper Manifest’s album “Nowhere Cool”. In 2018 Stogie released Honey and Pain, which is the follow up to his eponymous 2016 album.
KWESTA
- Senzo Brikka Vilakazi (born 11 August 1988) known professionally as Kwesta, is a South African rapper and songwriter.
- Born and raised in Katlehong, Gauging, a township also known as “K1”. At the age of 15 in High School, he and his friends formed a rap group “Ghetto Fellaz” which then changed to “The Juvenylz”, in 2003.
- He released his debut studio album Special ReKwest (2010) and his second album DaKAR (2013), which peaked number 3 on iTunes South Africa Hip-hop/Rap chart
- In February 26, 2016, he released his third album DaKAR II, which singles include – “Ngud’,” “Nomayini,” “Day Ones,” “Ngiyazifela Ngawe,” “Mayibabo” and “Mmino” and was certified 7x Platinum by Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA)
- He is currently signed to his own independent media company known as RapLyf Record, with co-founder Kid X
MAGGZ
- The Soweto-born star whose real name is Gift Magubane took the rap scene by storm, with hit songs such as Girls, Change and No Tweets Allowed
- Growing up in Soweto Maggz has always been inspired by his surroundings. Gangs often patrolled the hood and demanded their respect; this violent persuasive behavior influenced Maggz’s lyrical composition
- He worked with Omen “the Chef” on his first mixtape entitled “Sorry for the Long wait”, and then worked with Bongani “Bongz” Fassie on his break out album
- He has been featured on hits like “Heaven” by Da L.E.S also featuring AKA, “Good Times Back” featuring PRO from the ShowLove Mixtape, “Sgelekeqe” by DJ Vigilante featuring PRO & MaE
J MOLLEY
- Jesse Molley, known as J Molley, is a 21-year-old rapper, singer and songwriter originally from Pretoria, Centurion but currently resides in Johannesburg.
- He grew his fan base off the internet with his first single reaching 10 000 plays on Soundcloud in a month. He is one of the artists leading the new school rappers
- The young rapper is inspired by young American artists who also grew their following online. He said Lil Yatchy, Playboi Carti and Travis Scott are some of the acts who really inspire him in his craft.
- His stage name came from the realisation that people couldn’t make out his surname, “Molle”, so when he finally needed to come up with an a.k.a for himself, he just thought, “J Molley” and it stuck!
BRYSON TILLER
- Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter.
- Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he started his career in 2011, releasing the debut mixtape titled Killer Instinct Vol.1.
- Tiller initially gained notable recognition following the release of his debut single, “Don’t” which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The record’s success led to a deal with RCA Records.
- He released his debut studio album, Trapsoul in October 2015, which reached number eight on the Billboard 200.
- His debut album’s second single “Exchange” peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy nomination.
SIMMY
- Simmy’s Umhlalela reached 1 million views in under 90 days.
- Simmy’s Umhlalela spent 11 straight weeks on the charts, climbing from #74 in its first week to as high as #16
- She came into the limelight after collaborating with Sun-EL in the song Ntaba Ezikude.
- Simmy attended KwaZulu-Natal University for a Social Studies degree.
- Simmy tried her luck earlier in the industry by entering music competitions like Idols South Africa as well as South Africa’s got talent but was not successful. She eventually got signed to Sun-EL’s record label.
SUN-EL MUSICIAN
- Sun El Musician and his four siblings were raised by a domestic worker in Rosetta’s farms, located around Mooi River.
- He recorded the hit Akanamali with Samthing Soweto in 2016, a year after Sun-El moved to Johannesburg.
- Akanamali opened doors for Sun-EL, including a chance to work with Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats, after they heard the song while visiting SA
- He studied at the University of KwaZulu-Natal for a short period of time, then dropped out to pursue other things.
DA CAPO
- DJ Da Capo’s real nameio is Nicodimas Sekheta Mogashoa
- The self-taught DJ cemented his place at the international dance music scene following a win at the 2019 DJ Awards 22nd edition held at Ibiza, Spain.
- Da Capo Indigo Child album recorded a massive success after it was released in 2017. The 12 track-album featured other South African artists like Berita, Tshepo King, and Wanda Baloyi.
- He caught the attention of the famous Canadian DJ/producer Nick Holder, who is the owner of DNH Records, a Toronto based music label, and they eventually signed a deal in 2010.
- He released Genesys the follow-up album to the 2017 Indigo Child, on Friday, 29 May 2020.
SHA SHA
- She She is a singer born and raised in Mutare in the heart of Zimbabwe
- Her singing talent is a gift that was discovered after she joined a choir, and soon, she commenced taking piano lessons. Her friend presented her music to one of Zimbabwe’s leading radio stations.
- She met Audius Mtawarira, a renowned producer, who became her mentor and assisted her in improving her crafts in the music industry.
- Her music career kick-started in 2017 when she and Audius were introduced to South African producers. She then came to South Africa and started working with a few producers and rappers such as Rouge and Priddy Ugly.
- Interestingly, her cab driver introduced her to the famous DJ Maphorisa. She played for him one of her songs, and he approved it. It was here that their journey of working together started.
MATT SIMONS
- Matt Simons is an American singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York City. He was born and brought up in Palo Alto, California. Hailing from a musical family, his grandparents were both opera singers in Los Angeles.
- Having played the saxophone from an early age, he got a degree in jazz saxophone performance at the Purchase College Conservatory, as well as learning to play on piano
- He released his first EP Living Proof in 2010 and spent 2011 touring the United States and Europe, including the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.
- His greatest commercial success came with “Catch & Release” title track from his similarly titled album Catch & Release, released in 2014
- He has release two full-length albums globally, achieving chart success across Europe, South Africa, and the Americas
DOJA CAT
- Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
- Born and raised in Los Angeles, she began making and releasing music on SoundCloud as a teenager. Her song “So High” caught the attention of Kemosabe and RCA Records where she signed a joint record deal at the age of 17
- Doja Cat released her debut studio album, Amala (2018), to commercial failure, but later earned vital success as an internet meme with the single “Mooo!”, which appeared on the deluxe version of her debut album along with singles “Juicy” and “Tia Tamera” in 2019.
- Doja Cat’s second studio album, “Hot Pink” (2019), reached the top 10 of the US Billboard 200 and spawned the single “Say So”, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart following the release of two remixes with Nicki Minaj
- Doja Cat has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and has won two American Music Awards in addition to the MTV Video Music Award for “Push Best New Artist”, and for the EMAs.
TYLA
- She was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa to a family of Mauritian and Indian descent.
- Tyla is a multi-faceted artist who sings, writes, paints, acts and dances in addition to a multitude of other creative talents.
- Tyla began pursuing her music by posting videos of herself performing both covers and original songs on Instagram, and sending those videos to everyone in the industry. She eventually received an email from her now-manager who she was convinced was trying to scam her.
- Tyla was soon having regular recording sessions with her go-to collaborator Kooldrink, who produced her impossibly catchy breakout single, “Getting Late”
- With her single “Getting Late” (2020) doing the rounds, Tyla is currently working on her debut project, a combination of R&B, House, Afrobeats and Global Pop.
KOOLDRINK
- Munashe Kugarakuripi is a South African DJ, sound engineer and record producer who found fame with the name Kooldrink. From a young age he began experimenting with electronic music and discovered his incredible ear for the technical aspects of production
- He became a resident DJ on the 5fm Ultimix @ Six, at the tender age of 13, and went on to play main stage of the highly publicised H20 festival.
- At age 16 he was offered a record deal at a major international label before finishing high school.
- His dream is to take African electronic sounds to spaces like MainStage at ULTRA.
- Kooldrink has worked on projects with Sho Madjozi, DJ Maphorisa, Rudeboyz, Diplo, Shane Eagle, Ganja Beats, Youngsta CPT and many more.
CIZA
- His mom Hlanhla Nciza is a lead singer of the Afro-pop group Mafikizolo and his dad, Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza, is the music mogul who discovered many talented people
- Ciza started making music at the age of 15, watching his mom and dad. He spent most of his playtime as a teenager in the studio writing songs
- His music has Afro-beat sounds infused with Afro-pop and various South African musical elements
- His first single’s title “Adge” is taken from the Yoruba language of Nigeria, and is a chant used for kings.
- He is working on releasing his debut 7-track EP soon
MAPARA A JAZZ
- Before the explosion of their hit record “John Vuligate”, Mapara A Jazz was just a group whose popularity was limited to Pretoria.
- The duo consisting of Leonard Malatji and Mano Nephawe, started making music in 2007 under the moniker of MaBen10.
- They first gained popularity in the Pretoria music scene through the Mamelodi township genre of Barcadi music, emulating the likes of DJ Hu Knows, Bujo Mujo, and DJ Mujava
- In 2012, they converted to amapiano and changed their name to Mapara A Jazz. The title denotes their infusion of jazz into their songs.
- They started promoting “John Vuligate” over a video edited of dancers (who were initially dancing to another single they were suppose to release) and put that on Tik Tok. The girls at the garage station then copied these guys and from then on, the song soared into the stratosphere.
JUICE WRLD
- Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Chicago, ILLinois.
- He started rapping in school but rose to fame in 2018, when single Lucid Dreams peaked at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No.10 on the official UK chart.
- “Lucid Dreams”, along with his earlier hit single “All Girls Are The Same”, helped him secure a recording contract with Lil Bibby’s Grade A Productions and Interscope Record.
- He derived his stage name from late rapper Tupac Shakur and his part in the film Juice and that it represents taking over the world.
- His first posthumous album, Legends Never Die (2020), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album was the most successful posthumous chart debut in over 20 years.
YOUNG THUG
- Jeffery Lamar Williams born August 16 1991, known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter.
- He is considered to be one of the most influential rappers of his generation, with his music having heavily shaped contemporary trap music and inspired numerous artists.
- In early 2013, he signed with Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records, and later that year he released his label debut mixtape “1017 Thug” to critical praise
- Young Thug received mainstream recognition in 2014 with the singles “Stoner” and “Danny Glover” in addition to appearances on several singles, including Tyga’s single “Hookah”, and Rich Gang’s single “Lifestyle”.
- Young Thug’s debut studio album, “So Much Fun” (2019), debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and included the Billboard Hot 100 top-twenty singles “The London” and “Hot”.
MARK RONSON
- Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive
- Ronson was born in London and raised in New York City. While attending New York University, Ronson became a popular DJ in the hip hop scene
- He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and Burno Mars.
- He has received seven Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Winehouse’s album “Back to Black”, and two Record of the Years for singles “Rehab” and “Uptown Funk”.
- He received an Academy Award (Oscar), a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Awards for co-writing the song “Shallow” (performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper) for the film “A Star is Born”.
MILEY CYRUS
- Miley Ray Cyrus; born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.
- Noted for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans a range of styles, from Pop, Country Pop, to Hip Hop, and Rock.
- Cyrus has attained the most US Billboard 200 top-five albums in the 21st century by a female artist, with a total of thirteen entries.
- Cyrus, a daughter of country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus, emerged as a teen idol while portraying the title character of the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana (2006 – 2011).
- As Hannah Montana, she attained two number-one and three top-five soundtracks on the US Billboard 200. She broke-out on her own with US number-one album “Meet Miley Cyrus” (2007)
FAT JOE
- Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper and actor from the Bronx, New York.
- He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin’ in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a solo career and set up his own label, Terror Squad, to which he signed Big Pun, Remy Ma, DJ Khaled, and many more.
- Fat Joe’s debut solo album, “Represent”, was released in 1993 and spawned the single “Flow Joe”, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs.
- He is best known for the songs “Lean Back” with Terror Squad (2004), “What’s Luv?” featuring Ashanti and Ja Rule (2002), “Make It Rain” (2006) featuring Lil Wayne, and “All The Way Up” with Remy Ma featuring French Montana and Dre (2016).
- Fat Joe has also appeared in several films, including “Scary Movie”, and “Happy Feet”, as well as Spike Lee’s Netflix series “She’s Gotta Have It”.
DJ KHALED
- Khaled Mohamed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, songwriter, record producer, and media personality.
- Khaled first gained prominence as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, and translated his popularity by working with Terror Squad as a DJ for their live performances.
- Khaled released his debut studio album “Listennn… the Album” in 2006, which earned gold certification. He followed it with the album “We The Best” (2007), which contained the top 20 single “I’m So Hood”.
- His subsequent two releases were released after he founded the record label “We The Best Music Group”. Both albums charted in the top ten on the US Billboard 200, with the latter containing the single “All I Do Is Win”, which was eventually certified triple platinum.
- His eleventh album, “Father of Asahd”, was released in 2019; it peaked at number two, and the song “Higher” won Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, Khaled’s first Grammy award win.
AMORPHOUS
- His name is Jimir Reece Davis, but goes by Amorphous in the creative world.
- Amorphous is popular for his mashups of big radio hits, like his mashup of Rihanna’s 2016 “Kiss It Better” with Luther Vandross’ 1981 classic “Never Too Much”, which has accumulated over 80,000 likes on Twitter in its first week
- He was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he developed a passion for music and filmmaking at a young age.
- He started playing with music and film since he was a toddler, and at 23 started taking it more seriously over the last six or seven years
- Beyond his mashups, Davis is also a budding filmmaker and producer. His portfolio includes documentaries on stars like Aaliyah and Rihanna.
MAJOR LEAGUE DJZ
- Major League DJz is a South African hip-hop/kwaito music band consisting of the twin brothers Bandile and Banele Mbere.
- The duo has completely revolutionised kwaito music into the modern urban culture of music.
- The twin brothers were born in Boston, USA, on 3 January 1991. They relocated to South Africa after the apartheid era.
- In primary school, the duo used to play the piano, and after completing their high school, they started DJ and music production. Currently, they are famous for being the leaders of what is known as the “New Age Kwaito” music.
- In 2016, the Major League joined the Mabala Noise recording label. It was introduced by their friend and co-worker Riky Rick. Mabala Noise Entertainment offered the DJ duo to collaborate with Anatii and Cassper Nyovest.
CASSPER NYOVEST
- Refiloe Maele Phoolo (born 16 December 1990), professionally known as Cassper Nyovest, is a South African rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur and record producer.
- Born and raised in Mafikeng, North West, he is regarded as one of the most successful artist in South Africa
- In 2014, he established his own record label, Family Tree Record.
- Nyovest rose to fame with the release of his debut studio album, “Tsholofelo” (2014) which produced the successful singles “Gusheshe” and “Doc Shebeleza”.
- With the success of his first “Fill Up The Dome (2015)” concert held at Ticketpro Dome, Nyovest made this an annual event to fill up other stadiums, such as – Orlando Stadium (2016), FNB Stadium (2017), Moses Mabhida Stadium (2018) in Durban, and Royal Bafokeng Stadium (2019) in North West.
KAMMU DEE
- Kamogelo Duma, popularly known as Kammu Dee, is a highly talented South African artist and DJ.
- He was born in 1999 in Soweto, Johannesburg. While growing up in Orlando West, he met his friend and long time music collaborator Semi Tee.
- His interest in the Dance/Electronic genre of music finally led him to collaborate with his childhood friend Semi Tee and Miano on the monster hit Ama Uber (2020)
- Also, in 2020, the trio featured the famous rap superstar Cassper Nyovest on their critically acclaimed song, Siya Trenda.
