International superstar dance and house music DJ and producer Black Coffee has been peaking in his musical career with international recognition since the release of his last dance album which featured the likes of Usher, David Guetta and Cassie. He continues to tour the world and rub shoulders with big names in the entertainment scene. Yesterday, the artist whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo was dubbed a heroic figure by Canadian rapper and musician Drake who is the most-streamed artist on any digital platforms to date - a feat many other musicians aspire to.
Drake popularly known to the gram by Champagne Papi shared a carousel of images of individuals he deems as his heroes with his 115 Million+ followers with the caption, “heroic figures” and Black Coffee was one of them. This comes after the release of his surprise dance album “Honestly Nevermind” which dropped on June 16 leaving many of his global fans with mixed emotions although still enjoying his sound.
Black Coffee was credited as one of the main producers on Drake’s experimental dance album with other South African names such as Tresor and his son Esona being part of this huge global project.
This is not Black Coffee and Drake's first collaboration, in fact, the duo has previously collaborated on the remake of Coffee’s “Superman,” a seminal 2009 hit. Drake's rendition, “Get It Together,” was released almost a decade later on his 2017 mixtape More Life. Due to the substitution of the original singer Bucie with then-burgeoning British singer Jorja Smith, the song received mixed reviews and public reactions.
As of 2022, Black Coffee has won the Grammy award for 'Best Dance/Electronic Album' for his album Subconsciously, and he has performed on the biggest stages all over the world. Therefore, it shouldn't be surprising that Drake engaged the South African producer to oversee the sonic and creative direction of his experimental dance album.
The fact that an artist whose stature is as influential and global as Drake can do that is truly historic and not by any means a small feat, particularly for the burgeoning South African dance and house music scene. While it doesn’t originate here, dance and house music has always had a home in South Africa. The country has produced many great dance music artists, birthed multiple sub genres and has contributed to the global dance/house music landscape and industry.
Black Coffee is credited as a producer on the tracks “Texts Go Green,” “Currents,” and “Overdrive.”. His Midas touch can, however, be felt on most parts of the 11 dance songs included in the 14-track project. Even his biological son, Esona Tyolo (Sona) made his debut and secured himself a producing and songwriting credit on the song “Texts Go Green.” “Falling Back” and “A Keeper” are produced by &ME and Rampa — whose 2018 track “Muye” got treated to a Black Coffee remix, and became a prominent feature on the DJ’s live sets. Australian artist and producer RY X worked on “Sticky.” The artist made an appearance on Black Coffee's Subconsciously track “I’m Fallin’”.
