Tshepo Bareetseng

Durban-based dance duo Distruction Boyz nearly shut down the internet on Friday with the release of their highly-anticipated debut album Gqom is The Future‚ something that was all part of their master plan. “We were blown away with response to the album but it was really what we expected. It all went according to plan‚” the group’s Thobane ‘Que’ Mgobozi said. Que and his bandmate Zipho ‘Goldmax’ Mthembu set the ambitious goal to become the first act to reach gold certification for a gqom album. Gqom is a genre of dance music popular in Durban‚ only made mainstream recently. “We have only just released the physical copies of the album so it’s a little too early to tell how far we are from reaching gold but we have no doubt that we are going to go gold and even platinum. People love our music and our digital sales have been amazing. We are number one across the country‚” Que said. The group were instru...

Tiwa Savage is the one-of-one afrobeat heroine paving a lane for artists in her genre to take flight along. She spent years in the background on stage catching glimmers of legends’ spotlights, before singing her way towards stardom. Always cultivating her sound, the Nigerian songstress became a contender across the pond on The X Factor, before pushing her pen as a songwriter for Sony/ATV, and inking her record deal with Roc Nation. Queening isn’t easy, but Tiwa Savage continues championing the male-dominated music category with her acclaimed EP, Sugarcane. Billboard caught up with the singer to discuss the afrobeat scene going mainstream, her global experiences, an important lesson from Mary J. Blige, and why spreading love in these sensitive times is essential. You initially began as a backup singer. What was your transition like into the spotlight? I began as a backup singer, then I went into songwriting. It was like a gradual transition from doing backup vocals, to kin...

After news that The Wound (Inxeba) was picked as Mzansi’s entry for the 2018 Oscars‚ the film was called “offensive” by the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders‚ but producers hope a screening will help address any concerns. In a statement the producers said the screening on October 6 will be followed by a discussion between the National Film and Video Foundation‚ representatives of the film and traditional leaders. “I attended multiple screenings in Khayelitsha and Langa in Cape Town and it was encouraging to witness the conversations initiated by the film firsthand. After watching ‘Inxeba’ we were able to have a meaningful dialogue about it and the themes the film presents‚” producer Cait Pansegrouw said. The controversial film‚ which sparked debate across the country‚ was selected by the NFVF for submission at the 2018 Academy Awards (Oscars) for Best Foreign Language Film. Although the film mainly...

big baby news herself! In this extended supertease for season 14 of Keeping Up With the Kardashians , North and Saint's mother spills the beans while on the phone with sister Khloe Kardashian. "What happens every time I say, 'Guess what?'" Kim asks. "The person's pregnant?" Khloe asks before Kim announces, "We're having a baby!" OMG! Kim has been very open about her interest in surrogacy since she was told it's not safe for her to carry a third child. "I'm definitely leaning more towards I want to try... After talking to Kanye, I think I always knew that surrogacy was an option, but I didn't think it was that realistic of an option, and now I feel like that's my reality. I feel like surrogacy really is the only other option for me," Kim said on KUWTK back in April. And now it's a reality! Meanwhile, the season 14 supertease also shows Khloe's relationship with Tristan Thompson and Rob Kardashian...

Jazz Cartier is finally getting the recognition he deserves. After dropping his highly-celebrated sophomore mixtape, Hotel Paranoia, last year, the 24-year-old spitta signed to Capitol Records this past April and just wrapped up headlining a nationwide tour that saw him perform in 18 cities across North America. The self-proclaimed “Prince of Toronto” was born Jaye Adams in The 6ix but lived all across the globe since his stepfather worked for the U.S. government. “I used to watch Catch Me If You Can a lot, so I started to make up identities for myself,” he recalls. “At every school I was something new.” Jazz found his home in hip-hop, becoming a fan of spittas like Lil Wayne and Z-Ro. He began identifying as a rapper in the eighth grade while in Kuwait. But, his childhood hobby and coping mechanism became real during a 2009 trip to his hometown. Jazz’s dad called in a favor that landed him in the studio with Canadian rapper JB. It was there ...

Chester  Bennington’s death last month is still raw for the people who knew and loved him. JAY-Z recently honored the late Linkin Park frontman during a show at the 2017 V Festival. In footage from the show, Hov stands on a dark stage in front of what looks like an enormous gold balloon animal. “Can you guys light it up tonight. For Chester from Linkin Park, one time tonight,” Jigga urges the crowd. “Please make some noise so he can hear you all the way in heaven tonight,” he adds before rolling into a rendition of the Linkin Park and Jay mash up, “Numb/Encore.” JAY-Z seemed to have a closer relationship with Chester than most in the rap world. In 2004, Hov joined forces with Linkin Park on a collab project titled Collision Course, that spliced together songs from both Jay and LP’s catalogs. The six-song EP was commercially successful, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has obtained double platinum status. Chester’s suic...