In a bizarre twist in the Amapiano music scene, a heated dispute between renowned DJ and producer DJ Maphorisa and singer Samthing Soweto has taken center stage, igniting a fiery debate on social media.
The controversy began when Samthing Soweto publicly criticized DJ Maphorisa and his collaborator, Mas Musiq, for not crediting him on their collaborative track, “Amalanga Awafani.”
Prior to the song’s release, a video surfaced showing Soweto singing the chorus, but his name was notably absent from the final credits. This omission prompted Soweto to voice his frustration online, accusing the pair of neglecting his contributions.
DJ Maphorisa, known for his vocal and often contentious presence in the music industry, responded last week by defending himself and Mas Musiq.
He took to social media to accuse Soweto of failing to contribute meaningfully to the track and of bullying Mas Musiq. Maphorisa also criticized Soweto and Amapiano star Sir Trill, suggesting that they are problematic when it comes to the business side of the music industry.
The situation escalated when Soweto was eventually credited on “Amalanga Awafani.” However, this resolution did not calm the waters. Instead, Soweto retaliated on social media with a series of tweets that further inflamed the situation. In his posts, Soweto accused Maphorisa of dishonesty and claimed that he had paid Maphorisa for the rights to his work. Soweto also alleged that Maphorisa had not produced any of his music and that he had used Maphorisa’s name to boost his own sales.
Soweto’s tweets read: “@DjMaphorisa shouldn’t lie the way he does, it’s gonna get him into trouble one day. I paid Phori for my Masters. I paid an amount that he asked for at the time. Further more, I lied about Phori’s contributions onto my project, He didn’t produce anything.” He continued, “So again, he didn’t produce my work. I worked with @mas_musiq and Howard n @KabzaDeSmall_ in that studio, who produced between 40 -60% of my work depending on how you view it.”
In response, DJ Maphorisa posted a video defending his stance, accusing Soweto of attempting to “win everything” by claiming ownership of the masters and asserting that Soweto was trying to sabotage him. Maphorisa claimed that he had requested an invoice from Soweto years ago to settle financial matters related to their work. He offered to return the money Soweto had paid, along with the masters, to resolve the dispute.
Maphorisa’s video stated: “Samthing Soweto please don’t make us kids. I asked you on the phone two to three years ago to send me an invoice. Let’s also pay you the way you paid us with Isphitiphiti so we can pay you and be square. Why do you want to win everything? Why do you want to own all the masters? Does it makes sense? Do we work for you?”
Soweto quickly responded to Maphorisa’s video with another tweet, clarifying his stance on the matter: “Ladies and Gentlemen here it is – @djmaphorisa confirms that I paid to own my work/masters. Which was the agreement we had vs what he said in his initial video where he stated that he gave me my masters. There’s nothing wrong in me wanting to own my work.”
As the dispute rages on, fans and industry insiders are left to navigate the complexities of the Amapiano scene and the often murky waters of music production and credit. With both artists standing their ground, it remains to be seen how this saga will unfold and whether a resolution will bring an end to this dramatic clash.
