DJ Maphorisa reflects on songs that built amapiano

The global icon breaks down his eagerly anticipated Scorpion Kings Live concert and his hopes for a full circle moment with Canadian superstar Drake.

DJ Maphorisa describes his upcoming Scorpion Kings Live [with Friends] concert as a love letter to 2019 – a pivotal year when amapiano was still an underground force that echoed at kasi grooves, and thumped through taxi speakers.

Songs like Amantombazane, Lotto, eMcimbini, and Banyana weren’t just hits – they were cultural timestamps that marked the genre’s breakout moment.

Having cemented himself as a producer, curator, and sonic visionary, DJ Maphorisa’s hand in shaping the amapiano sound launched many household names into the spotlight, names such as Kabza de Small, Kamo Mphela, Uncle Waffles, Felo Le Tee, Scotts Maphuma, Focalistic, Tyler ICU, Musa Keys, Dlala Thukzin, DBN Gogo, Sir Trill, Daliwonga, Young Stunna, Toss, Mr JazziQ, Kelvin Momo, and many more.

From selling sweets in high school to fund his music dreams to co-producing Drake’s 2016 global hit One Dance, the 37-year-old, also popularly known as Madumane, told Sowetan that his career has been defined by reinvention and cultural foresight – a journey he hopes will come full circle through a direct collaboration with Drake.

How do you feel about the “Hao Khonagale” pose going viral?

[Laughs]. I was just simply LIVE on Instagram trying to address an issue that I had. My fans caught me off guard when I least expected it. Somehow, they found “hao khonagale” to be funny, and they took it and made it go viral. It exceeded my expectations at how big this saying got, but at the base of it all, people found it to be fun and entertaining… something we strive to do as musicians.