Kabza De Small Shows DJ Maphorisa Some Love. Kabelo Petrus Motha, better known by his stage name Kabza De Small, is a South African DJ and record producer. He has been referred to as the king of the Amapiano genre, and he is known for his extensive collaboration with record producer DJ Maphorisa. Maphorisa’s studio has become a legendary haven for artists, both up-and-coming and established, that pass through it — including Kabza De Small, whose I Am The King of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust helped introduce amapiano to a wider audience.
Kabza’s life literally changed after being discovered by Phori, and worked together on several projects that have since made history in the music industry till date. With that being, Kabza has decided to show Maphorisa love and thanking him. He wrote, “God Bless @DjMaphorisa dankie Bru.”
Kabza is more than just a collaborator or music partners as their relationship has gone as deep as brotherhood. Phori is known as the man with the Midas touch on Mzansi’s music scene, making superstars out of the new talent he discovers. Last year he and Kabza released a hit almost every week.
Speaking on how met Kabza, Phori said: “Live gigs helped me evolve and stay on top of things on the streets. Before organising a gig, I would always ask: “Who’s popping? What’s going on? What’s new on the scene?” Once in 2018, before doing a show in Soweto, I asked, “Who’s upcoming?” And the streets responded with a conclusive, “Stokie and Kabza”. So I booked them. Kabza had a hot single at the time, “Umshove,” and I immediately suggested that we work together. His friend also told me how he’d been a huge fan of my music from the Uhuru era. But with amapiano, I didn’t want to interfere much by introducing too many new elements. I was already a fan of the sound. Back at the studio with Kabza, I would study him while he did his thing and then step in where I’m mostly good at — songwriting and recording vocals. We had two different chemistries that benefitted from each other. We really vibed in studio, and as a result, composed a lot of music and experimented with new sounds.”
