Official 2026 release photograph: PHUNYUKA BAMPHETHE - Single — Apple Music
Cassper Nyovest — born Refiloe Maele Phoolo in Mahikeng in 1990 — began rapping at twelve, left school at sixteen and moved to Johannesburg in 2008 to chase music full time. The gamble paid off in 2013 with Gusheshe and then Doc Shebeleza, singles that fused motswako's Setswana wordplay with big-room hip hop; he has since folded kwaito and amapiano into the mix.
He founded Family Tree Records in 2014, released seven albums from Tsholofelo to the chart-topping Solomon (2023), and built the Fill Up series into a national event, selling out the Ticketpro Dome, filling Orlando Stadium and moving 68,000 tickets at Moses Mabhida Stadium. The enterprise has widened since: the Billiato liquor brand, Root of Fame sneakers, television hosting on SABC 1 and a celebrity boxing record that stands at two wins and a loss.
Fresh from her second Best R&B/Soul Album SAMA, lordkez brings Kwesta into her “Neo Nostalgia” world on “4SHO”, turning a week of recognition into the beginning of another chapter.
Cassper Nyovest’s SAMA32 hosting role is more than a celebrity booking. It marks a public reconciliation between one of South African hip-hop’s biggest stars and an awards institution he criticised for years.
The Ascots did not simply add another marquee to the Durban July. It turned race-day hospitality into a boutique festival, raising the expectation of what premium Durban July experiences can become.
SAMA32 is putting some of its behind-the-scenes women in public view, shifting attention from the awards-night stage to the production, planning and operational labour that makes the ceremony possible.
Cassper Nyovest’s latest single is not just a comeback moment. It feels like an artist with legacy, leverage and self-awareness choosing to renovate the house he helped build.
SAMA32’s shortlist shows a South African music industry no longer defined by one centre. From Durban Gqom to Maskandi, Amapiano, Jazz, Gospel and regional scenes, the country’s sound is spreading power across many hubs.
Kabza De Small headlines the 2026 edition of Galaxy 947 Joburg Day, gates from 09:00. The first 2 000 tickets sold include preferential parking. The Chill Zone is an 18+ area.
Sun-El Musician is on the announced line-up for 947 Joburg Day at Crocodile Creek Polo Club in Lanseria. Gates 09:00; the first 2 000 tickets include preferential parking.
Computicket lists Daliwonga among the performers for the Denim and White themed Exclusive White Spring Picnic at Willowmoore Cricket Stadium in Benoni. Tickets range from R195 to R750.
Amanda Black is billed among the headliners for the Jozi edition of the Kota Festival, themed EZASE MZANSI: iDiski, running 10:00 until midnight at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec. Tickets went on sale on 3 August 2026 through Computicket BoxOffice; headliners are still being rolled out on the festival's official channels.
Emtee is named among the headliners announced for the Jozi Kota Festival, themed EZASE MZANSI: iDiski, running 10:00 until midnight at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec. Tickets went on sale 3 August 2026 via Computicket BoxOffice.
A-Reece is billed among the headliners announced for the Jozi Kota Festival, themed EZASE MZANSI: iDiski, at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec from 10:00 until midnight. Tickets went on sale 3 August 2026 through Computicket BoxOffice.
