BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MBABANE – A proud moment for Ayacity!
Proud and humble are adjectives that do not even begin to describe the feeling of seeing a big star wearing your merchandise. This was the case for Ayacity when South African DJ and record producer Kabza De Small wore an Ayacity-branded t-shirt while he was in the country.
The SA DJ was booked to be the headliner at the debut of the Balcony Groove on Thursday at Ocean Cuisine Restaurant and Bar at Riverstone in Manzini.
Kabza De Small (born Kabelo Petrus Motha) has been referred to as the king of the Amapiano genre. He is considered one of the best-selling music artists of Amapiano and also one of the pioneers of the genre. With his breakthrough in 2018, he played an instrumental role in popularising the Amapiano genre.
When reached for comment on how the move came about, Ayacity, born Ayanda Motsa, said: “Well, he is my big brother and those close to me will tell how much I idolise him. I have been looking up to him, and I do not know how it happened, but there was a time when he was playing at Solani’s Shisanyama, and I was playing just after him. That was when we exchanged contacts, so ever since that day, we have been communicating.”
He went on to say, “Kabza has even invited me over at Konka late last year, so yeah, we have a personal relationship now; hence, when coming to Eswatini, we communicate, and he would ask me to fetch him at the border gate, just like we did for MTN Bushfire last year. I had to go get him.”
“About him rocking the merchandise, well, the last time he was here, we were rocking the merchandise, and I guess he liked it because he actually asked if there was something in stock for him, so this time around I had to make sure there is. The first thing he said when I got him at the border was, ‘Ebaba, where is my stuff?’”
“I thought he was on his everyday jokes until we got to the hotel, and the rest was history. He actually wanted the full suit, but we only had the tops available. So yeah, he’s my big brother. I look up to him a lot.”
When asked when he started making the merchandise, Ayacity shared with this publication that he started in 2017, but he never sold it. It was just for him, but going forward, he will now start selling the merchandise. To purchase, one can get in touch with Mahlubi at 7813 9904 or via Ayacity on his social media handles.
Ayacity has been a DJ since 2011 in the Amapiano genre. He has opened for Black Coffee and Lady Zamar. He has shared the stage with DJ Shimza, Sjava, Sun El, Kabza, the late AKA, Ricky Rick, and many more. His latest Extended Playlist (EP), titled Rose and CroCity, have both been published under Kalawa Jazmee Records. It’s worth mentioning that his latest EP, Rose, is named after his late mother.
