The coronavirus pandemic has silenced many artists, but South Africa's house music pioneer DJ Black Coffee has been rocking it – dropping an album and creating a streaming platform.
The legendary DJ – whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo – released his sixth album, the first in five years, a few weeks before his 45th birthday.
As the pandemic hit the pause button on live music performances and pushed many in the gig industry to the brink, the township-born house superstar was navigating between composing, creating a streaming music service and philanthropy work.
On 5 February, he delivered a 12-track album, Subconsciously, featuring an eclectic mix of local and international artists, including American singer Pharrell Williams, French DJ David Guetta, Australian musician RY X and South Africa's Msaki.
"Every artist that's there brings a certain side musically of me," said the lanky, soft-spoken artist, reputedly one of Africa's wealthiest, told AFP.
"He is our biggest international success really because he is worth $60 million (about R858 million)," said Wits University anthropologist, David Coplan, echoing the Forbes Magazine richest artists rankings.
Black Coffee has carved a niche for himself in the highly diverse house music market.
