Inkabi Zezwe commenced their much-anticipated live tour in Sunbet Arena to a SOLD-OUT auditorium.
Fans from across South Africa including KZN, Eastern Cape, and Gauteng all came to celebrate the Sjava and Big Zulu on their first tour as a duo. Many aspects of this collaboration are monumental. In January this year, Inkabi Zezwe set out to create a body of work that would celebrate brotherhood, isiZulu culture, and music in a way that connected all South Africans.
Fans enjoyed opening performances by Inkabi Nation’s Mduduzi Ncube, Xowla, Lwah Ndlunkulu, and Siya Ntuli. Suddenly the stage began to rumble, signaling the beginning of an electric night. Ingoma dancers emerged and lit up the entire arena with the Intro song on the Ukhamba album. Inkabi Zezwe performed all songs from Ukhamba including their solo music – much to their fans’ delight. A memorable moment of the night was Inkabi Zezwe’s Sesotho rendition of ‘Umbayimbayi’ before the duo had to perform the hit song 5 times after receiving a standing ovation and in true rockstar fashion, the stars were even met with intimate garments thrown on stage by female fans. Celebrity attendees spotted on the night included Shaka iLemba star, Lemogang Tsipa, musical artists Busiswa, Stilo Magolide, and Zulu Mkhathini as well as DJ Sabby. On site was the official Inkabi Zezwe capsule collection in collaboration with popular clothing brand Butan which Inkabi Zezwe sported on stage during their performance. Before purchasing a T-shirt one fan eagerly expressed ‘I have to match with Sjava’.
Their first single ‘Umbayimbayi’, now Double Platinum, was released on 24 March and enjoyed instant success topping Apple Music’s Top 25 Johannesburg, Durban, and Top 100 South AfricaCharts while also dominating iTunes. The hit track also reached #1 on Spotify’s Made in South Africa, Bhinca Nation and Hot Hits South Africa playlists. ‘Umbayimbayi’ also has a total of 5 weeks (3 consecutive) at #1 on national radio and 6 weeks in the #2 position. The album has had major highlights with all tracks charting on Spotify charts on release week (12 May). With so much support from fans and music lovers across South Africa, it was no surprise that the tour would kick off on a high note.
The next stop on the tour is Grand Arena, Grandwest (Cape Town) on 29 July, Big Top Arena in Carnival City on 26 August then Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium on 3 September. Tickets to the upcoming shows are available on Computicket HERE.
Sjava, whose real name is Jabulani Hadebe was born in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal in 1984. He began exploring music at age 10, forming his own acapella group ‘Abafana base Mpumalanga’ but his entertainment career was set in motion when he took on acting, starring in popular television shows such as Zone 14 and uGugu no Andile. His debut album Isina Muva (2016) was his major transition into the music industry and earned him the ‘Best Produced Album’ awards at both the Metro FM and South African Music (SAMA) award ceremonies in 2017. That same year, Sjava won the first DStv Mzansi Viewer’s Choice Rising Star. In 2018 Sjava was featured in the Kendrick Lamar-curated and Grammy-nominated Black Panther: The Album soundtrack. In the same year, the superstar won a BET award for ‘Best International Act’ and released his sophomore album Umqhele which scored him ‘Best Afro-Pop Album’ and ‘Album of the Year’ wins at the 2019 SAMAs. His recent album Isibuko (2023) maintains Sjava’s dedication to highlighting the human experience with a rich, bulbous, and ethereal soundscape. Born Siyabonga Nene in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal in 1987, Big Zulu transitioned into rap music in 2008 after a stint in the taxi industry. The rapper’s music is often filled with aspirational subject matter that his fans have long gravitated towards. He melds Maskandi and Hip-Hop with his gripping flow and cadence. Ushun Wenkabi his debut album was released in 2018 but it was Zulu’s third album Ichwane Lenyoka (2021) that helped catapult him to superstardom. The album boasted the hits ‘Mali Eningi’ featuring Ntaba Yase Dubai and Riky Rick, ‘Inhlupheko’, featuring Mduduzi Ncube, and ‘Umuzi eSandton’ with Lwah Ndlunkulu.
As a testament to his persistence and talent, Big Zulu has won several awards including Song of the year for ‘Mali Eningi’ and ‘Album of the Year’ at the 2021 South African Hip Hop Awards. The superstar has also won the ‘Collaboration of the Year’ at the 27th annual SAMA awards. As a duo, Sjava and Big Zulu make up Inkabi Zezwe, a project that celebrates the connection they have as Zulu brothers and musicians. This collaboration places them at the precipice of an interesting moment in music and culture. Their music as individual artists travel back and forth through traditional isiZulu musical forms and more contemporary musical expressions. Sjava is R&B and Afropop / Hip-Hop inclined whereas Big Zulu uses Hip-Hop / Rap to negotiate his musical identity. This ambivalence of genres is a prime opportunity to imagine and create music that is not only an autobiographical anecdote of their intimate worlds but as artists who are attentive to contemporary South Africa. Their new music explores everything that matters to them; love, intimacy, joy, aspiration, and people. Inkabi Zezwe is about community and the beauty of shared experiences, after reaching Gold status on ‘Umbayimbayi’ just a week after its release, Inkabi Zezwe keeps winning as the hit single hitting Platinum with over 2.8 million streams in 2 weeks, the music video for Umbayimbayi has gotten significant attention accumulating 4.6 million on Spotify, additionally 4.9 million views on YouTube.
The album Ukhamba has additionally just surpassed 10.8 million streams to count, with no surprise as days into its release it went #1 on various charts including Apple Music’s Top 25 Johannesburg, Durban, and Top 100 South Africa Charts. On the streaming platform today, ‘Umbayimbayi’ sits at #1 on the Mzansi Hits and Mzansi Soul playlists and the Top 25 Durban chart. Additionally, the song is currently #3 on Apple Music’s Top 100 South Africa chart and is still #1 on iTunes. On Spotify ‘Umbayimbayi’ maintains its #1 position on Made in South Africa playlist and holds the top position on the platform’s Hot Hits South Africa playlist as well. On YouTube, the song is a hit as it’s the top trending song, #1 on the Top 100 Songs South Africa chart, and boasts 818K streams on the official audio. The album Ukhamba was featured on an impressive 520 playlists across the platform. Two specific tracks, namely “Ilanga” and “Iskwele,” have successfully reached the top 65% of the most popular songs on Spotify, The music video for “Umbambayi” has garnered significant attention, accumulating 4.6 million views on Spotify.
Still to come is Inkabi Zezwe’s nationwide tour which commences on 24th June at Sunbet Arena in Time Square, 27 July at Grand Arena Grandwest, 26 August at the Big Top Arena in Carnival City, and 3 September at Hollywood Kings Park Stadium in Durban.