Amapiano pioneer DJ Maphorisa has opened up about the cutthroat nature of the South African music industry, revealing how he stepped in to rescue his long-time collaborator, Kabza De Small, from a restrictive and low-paying record deal.

Speaking during an explosive appearance on Podcast and Chill with MacG, Maphorisa detailed the financial turning point that solidified their multi-million-rand brotherhood and established them as the undisputed kings of the genre.

According to Maphorisa, Kabza De Small was initially trapped in an exploitative record deal that did not reflect his true value or immense talent.

Recognizing his potential, Maphorisa leveraged his own industry power and long-standing relationship with major label Sony Music to orchestrate a massive rescue mission.

“I had to save him from that lame deal,” Maphorisa explained, highlighting that he wanted to transition Kabza into “real money business.”

The rescue mission culminated in a historic contract with Sony Music, which completely changed their financial trajectories.

Maphorisa revealed that the record label paid out a staggering R42 Million to R44 Million advance.

Instead of a shared lump sum, the deal was structured so that both DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small received R22 Million separately as an advance.

The funds were split to empower their respective hubs—Maphorisa’s Blaqboy Music (New Money Gang) and Kabza’s PianoHub.

While major label advances often come with heavy pressure to consistently produce high volumes of music, Maphorisa remains incredibly proud of shifting the South African music business module.

He noted that because they successfully paid back the initial multi-million-rand advance through their high studio output and streaming numbers, they are now aiming even higher.

“On our next deal, we could ask Sony Music for R100 Million,” Maphorisa boldly declared on the podcast, proving that their business chemistry is just as powerful as their musical yin-and-yang bond.

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