By Staff Reporter and bbc.co.uk
Nkosinathi Maphumulo, famously known as Black Coffee, is reserved, bordering on the shy. He is not one of those overly expressive club DJs behind the decks. He keeps a cool composure, but exudes enough power and energy that drives the whole dance floor into a frenzy. Black Coffee is innovative, creative and bold, traits which have turned him into a globally respected and admire DJ. He stands out among his peers as one of the a few DJs who have a genuine grasp of the exact purpose of music.
A love for homebrewed sound
He is not only a DJ but also an artist who embodies the creative potential for black South Africans in the post-apartheid era. For almost two decades, Black Coffee has been producing and playing house music that oozes soul and sophistication. He draws his inspiration from the homegrown music of South Africa, which he blends with a love for timeless hooks and masterful song writing. It is a blueprint that has turned him into a megastar and in the process enabled him to be an inspiration to a new generation of local producers.
While other DJs simply mix songs to exploit the unsatisfiable fun-loving urban house party market, Black Coffee recontextualises the songs’ previously undreamt-of musical potential. He has a marvellous gift of adapting and arranging each song into something worthy of the appreciation of young and old audiences, a feat that is not easy to accomplish.
His award-winning debut album Black Coffee, which was released in 2005, featured the late Hugh Masekela’s soul-stirring classic song, Stimela.
His interpretation of Stimela, was a clear sign that he is a genius who showed the world that it was possible to rework the impressive South African music catalogue into club music. Turning Stimela into a high-spirited remix was proof that he possessed great appreciation for music – a testimony of his resolve to be the best in the field.
In an era of mind-blowing showbiz industry craze for crude self-centredness, self-glorification and rampant dishonest appropriation of other people’s work, Black Coffee seized his triumph with a firmness that gave him an aura of sophisticated style and gracefulness.
Sacrificing and success
After his massive success and trainload of awards in the country, Black Coffee threw his gaze across the seas where he started marketing himself, at times playing for no fee. When he took on Europe where he knew nobody, Black Coffee was prepared to deny himself food and luxuries, until he made it. His sacrifice has delivered sweet sounds of success. On 3 April his long-held dream of winning a Grammy Award came to be when he became the first African to win a Grammy award for Best Dance/Electronic Album for his seventh album, Subconsciously.
Previous winners from the continent have won their Grammy awards in the World Music category.
Making history at
the Grammys
By Shingai Nyoka – bbc.co.uk
The superstar DJ – who has performed to hundreds of thousands of people at America’s prestigious Coachella music festival, in Ibiza and clubs around the world – had wanted his latest record to gain international recognition. He gave special thanks to all those who featured on Subconsciously, including another global star, Pharrell Williams.
“The main reason I do what I do is to carry the flag of my country. To be recognised in this way outside of a ‘World Music’ category makes all of the hard work worth it,” he said.
Now, he wants to use his music, which he describes as “home-brewed but future-focused”, to help more African musicians get recognition on a global stage. The 46-year-old was born in Umlazi, Durban, but at the age of eight, he moved to Ngangelizwe in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, where there was no running water or outside toilets and had to carry out daily chores such as milking his grandmother’s cows. He was desperate to get out and do something greater with his life.
Being part of his cousin’s sound system crew for parties offered him the first glimpse into his future. But at age 14 tragedy struck. On the eve of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, Black Coffee was out celebrating with friends. Suddenly, a car ploughed into the crowd and inflicted permanent injury, causing him to lose the use of his left hand. But this did not stop him from pursuing his music dream. He was driven and continued to practise.
‘I wasn’t feeling the music’
It wasn’t until 1994 that his music career began in earnest and it would be another decade before his big break. “I knew him in the early 2000s, and like lots of other kids, he would give me his demo tapes and I wasn’t feeling the music,” DJ Oscar Mdlongwa, known as Oskido, told the BBC. A few years later, Black Coffee found out where Oskido resided, went there and made him sit down to listen to his new project – a retake of old classics by legendary South African artists. Oskido was impressed and gave the young musician an opportunity, helping him create his record label Soulstic, from which his award-winning debut album Black Coffee, was released in 2005. “When I met him, he was a guy who was looking to be heard, for the world to hear him and some people didn’t believe in what he was doing,” Oskido recalls. ‘African musicians are unmatched’ Black Coffee hopes his win will help shine a light on African musical talent. “More and more artists from the continent are starting to break through to a more mainstream audience and I’m hoping this will continue to increase over time,” he said. His success has inspired other South African musicians
“We were due for a Grammy win of this magnitude and it will open new markets for South African artists,” Afro-jazz artist Simphiwe Dana told the BBC. Black Coffee’s success comes at a time when the influence of South African music is already growing around the world, thanks to a new genre called amapiano. A fusion of soul, Afro-house music and heavily synthesised piano, enjoys global streams on the AmaPianoGrooves playlist on Spotify. It has increased 116% globally over the past year, according to Rolling Stone magazine. Helping African children is a recurring theme of Black Coffee’s. He has a message to them, as well as for all those from an impoverished background who do not think they stand a chance: “It’s not about music alone but anything that they want to do. The Grammy is a symbol that it is possible to get here.”
