GrandWest Arena Was Jam-Packed With Inkabi Zezwe’s Sold-Out Show
A big weekend kicked off for Inkabi Zezwe in Cape Town, which began on Friday, 28 July, where fans of the duo had a chance to meet the ‘Umbayimbayi’ hitmakers at the Shesha store in Canal Walk. Including ticket giveaways for the show, Inkabi Zezwe took snaps with supporters as well as signed autographs.
The second leg of the four city tour took place on Saturday 29 July where Inkabi Zezwe were met with a packed Grandwest Arena, their second show to sell out after the success of the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria (24 June). Fans enjoyed opening performances by Inkabi Nation’s Mduduzi Ncube who performed his new single ‘Njalo’.
Other opening acts included Xowla and Siya Ntuli and Cape Town-based upcoming Hip Hop artist Bravo Le Roux. Like the previous show, Ingoma dancers electrified the stage with their performance which signaled the colossal tune ‘Intro (Inkabi Zezwe)’.
In addition to all the tracks on the Ukhamba album, Inkabi Zezwe performed songs from their solo catalogs, satisfying both Sjava and Big Zulu fans. The show closed with fan-favorite ‘Umbayimbayi’ which, as ever, set the house on fire, solidifying why the hit song was #1 on South African radio for six weeks, has reached Double Platinum status in South Africa, and most recently being nominated for ‘Song of the Year’ at the DSTV Content Creators Awards.
Voting for the category : fans can vote for ‘Umbayimbayi’ on the official website HERE. Voting closes on 23 August.
On site was the Inkabi Zezwe capsule collection in partnership with Butan which the artists also sported on stage. This exclusive merch is available online and in stores below.
Butan
Shesha
The next stop of the tour was Carnival City in Johannesburg (26 August) which officially sold out already a month to go. Tickets to the last stop in Durban are still available on Computicket.
We want to thank all of our fans for their love and support, and we ask that they continue to support our work. Asihlangane at Carnival City. ~ Inkabi Zezwe
Ukhamba Tour Info
Durban
Date: 03 September 2023 05:00 pm
Location: Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium
Tickets: R380. Click here for more info.
Watch the grand west arena, Cape Town Recap below
About Inkabi Zezwe
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 ‘Best Produced Album’ awards at both the Metro FM and South African Music (SAMA) award ceremonies in 2017. That same year, Sjavawon 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 Ukhambawas 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 third nationwide tour which is on 26 August at the Big Top Arena in Carnival City, and on 3 September at Hollywood Kings Park Stadium in Durban.
Watch the performance aftermath HERE
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Images: Warner Music Africa
