Mr JazziQ Speaks On How Different His Sound Is From Josiah De Disciple. Tumelo Manyoni, has been one of amapiano’s torchbearers as the genre has gone global over the past few years. While churning out hits at a rate comparable to fellow heavyweights DJ Maphorisa, Busta 929 and Kabza De Small, JazziQ has established himself as a producer and DJ in South Africa. He has also been nurturing his independent label, Black Is Brown Entertainment.
JazziQ’s rise to amapiano royalty has been swift. He was first introduced to the scene as one half of the amapiano duo, JazziDisciples, alongside long-time collaborator Josiah De Disciple, who he met in high school. The song that put them on the map was their 2018 single, Long Lasting. “That was actually the first amapiano music video,” JazziQ says. “We shot it at a big amapiano party called House of Piano that used to happen every year. It was mandatory for us to be there because we were driving the culture. It was massive, it was crazy. People loved what was happening in the video and the [party energy] is what people loved. It was the first video that’s just instrumentals, there were no lyrics, nothing.”
The blend of their contrasting sounds made JazziQ and Josiah a dynamic combination.“We’ve always had different tastes in music, always,” he says. “Josiah was more of a soulful guy, and I was more drawn to the street and upbeat vibe. But at the end of the day we had a common understanding about where we wanted to drive JazziDisciples and how we wanted to go about it.”
Along the way there were some misunderstandings and Josiah decided he wanted to focus on his solo career in 2020. “That was okay and I supported him,” says JazziQ. “His way of making music is more spiritual and more calm, it’s different to what I’m making. I can give you a bit of everything in a song. I don’t think we’ll be making music together anymore though, things are just shaky.”
