African Musicians Making Their Mark in America

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My guest tonight is a music producer and DJ from South Africa who has a new single out with Ussia called La La La.

Please welcome, Black Coffee, DJ, Black Coffee.

Welcome to the show.

Thank you for having me.

This is you know what, it's truly, truly, truly one of my pleasures to have you on the show because you have taken the world by storm. I remember when you first blew up in South Africa. You know, everyone just black coffee, bla coffee. This guy this black black black coffee, black coffee, black coffee, black coffee.

And I was like, who is he? What is it? Coffee? Is there a drink? Is there a new drink that's out? What is going on? I was like, no, this a DJ and is huge.

And then you went from South Africa and you went into the world and you've taken it by storm. Why do you think you have blown up as much as you have all over the world.

Doesn't it sound like your story?

My story?

Yeah?

No, no, no you think so?

No no no, no, no, no no.

Man.

It's resilience, you know, it's knowing hunger and knowing that you have experienced it. And you don't want to go back there. Wow, it's working from nothing knowing that you have nothing to lose, so whatever you gain is something that That is what has kept me going, That is what has gotten me to where I am today.

What I what I also loved about your journey and I've always enjoyed is that like in South Africa and in Africa and many countries around the world, there was always an instinct for people to aspire to create like an American or to or to create like a European. What set Black Coffee apart for me was you made the music of Africa, the music of South Africa.

And the world fell in love with that.

Was that like a specific choice you made where you're like, I'm not going to make European dance music. I'm just gonna make my music and it's going to be big in the.

World, definitely. And it hasn't been easy, you know, because sometimes there's hype that comes with the name, and then you get a big room, right because the name is so big, and then but the music is it is so maybe too soulful for.

The room, oh right right now.

So we've been through different phases trying to build that sound, and it took patience. You know, it took a lot a lot of time, it looked. It took a good team behind me, and it took love for what I do man to really push it.

Really is soulful.

I remember at Coachella, I was so excited when I saw your name on the list of artists who are going to be performing. And you know, a lot of people will think, like when it was dance. I remember my friends. I was like, guys, let's go to black coffee and they were like, what what is?

What is?

No?

I want coffee with movie.

I was like no again no, because everyone thinks as soon as you say do you like black coffee, people are like, ah, a bit of a sugar, a bit of no DJ black coffee. And and so we went to we went to the tent that you were playing in, and my friend said to me, he's like, man, I'm not a big fan of like ed M, I'm not a fan of dance. I was like, no, it's it's different. You're dancing to it, but it's not because people always think of like that's what people think of, where's your

It was you know what I mean.

It was Africa in the middle of California, black white, everyone dancing to your music.

Yeah. No, it was really beautiful. It was really beautiful.

You you You've done something really special for me though, or in my opinion, and that is you've taken the success of your music and you've used it to inspire a new generation in South Africa.

Uah.

You started a project.

Where you are building a school, but I think more impressive you're building a neighborhood.

What is that about? And why.

We're trying to And I'm going to say we because I'm working with other people. It's myself, it's Nelson mcgama who was here before, right, the artist, Yeah yeah, it's lad Dumolo who was coming, right, the designer, Yeah yeah, he had he's coming, right, What are you warning me? I'm telling you he's coming to this show. We try to change the narrative about the continent where maybe it is our fault, where we always seen Africa as an

Right.

It's powerful, it's really as parful because you have you have this initiative and it's called Africa is not a Jungle. And what I love about it is you say it's about Africans creating for Africans and not always looking to Europe to create for them, which is a powerful statement to make when you look at your journey as Black Coffee. I mean, you went out into a very competitive world. Djaying is not like an easy thing to just break into, especially when you have a different sound.

What happened to me DJing? Yeah, I used to dj. I used to actually used to create music as well.

And then I sent you a few samples and nothing has I mean, I'm glad you've got, but I mean I sent a few no one has ever gotten back to me about It's yeah, I mean, there's nothing in here, but we can act like we're drinking.

Just to get rid of the awkward situation.

But yeah, what like, what do you hope to achieve with the music around the world, you know, because I've always been intrigued by the message that you have. When you're playing your music, we see you collaborating with people like Drake, we see you, you know, people like Usha, we see we see artists who you wouldn't even associate with this genre, saying no, I love Black Coffee because of his message and how it pertains to music as

Africa has a voice, and over the years, I feel like that voice has diminished because of how the world has painted the continent.

You know.

One of the things that used to happen with me when I'll get bookings back in the day, that would want to put like bongos and African masks on the flyer. Wow, you know, because from Africa.

We all wear masks and have bungos, you know.

So it's something that we really thought for from the beginning to say, look, we want to play on the global stage right you know, which is what you're doing right right right now. I would like for the world to see that voice. I would like for the world to know that we are capable to be on the world stage. This is why I continue to try and collaborate with the greatest artists being from Africa though, and still keeping the sound that I believe in because we

You're doing it every single day, my friends. Thank you so much to be on the show.

I guess like, as a recording artist and songwriter from Nigeria whose new album is called Freaking Giants, please welcome burn A Boy, what do you think it is about Nigerian music and African music in particular that's blowing up all over the world right now?

Man, It's just the truth always just circles back, you know. It's like things always circle back to where they started from. You know, music as a whole started from Africa, you know, so it's always gonna circle back home.

You know, you think it's just gonna come back around them.

It's like it might leave again, but it's always gonna circle back home because like when everything else feels, everybody runs back home.

Everyone h.

Everyone start of sampling the sound as well. You know, you've got you've got Drake who sampled the sound. You know, you You've got You've got so many huge answers who sampled the sound. And now because of that, like when you hear songs in the club, you hear like Nigerian music, you hear African music. I've been fascinated by how it's not even like it's just music, which it is.

You you you have a specific title for it though, you call it afro fusion. What does that mean? What is what does afrofusion means?

It's like a pizza, right, Oh, I'm serious. So it's like a pizza, and then imagine the pizza is, like, what's the main thing in the pizza that every pizza needs?

It is the flower, right, Okay, the dough Okay, okay, the dough, the base all right, cool? Okay?

So yeah, so afro beat is the bass, right, and then now you can have any pizza you want, but you have the afrobeat bass. You know. So there's there's a there's the hip hop pepperoni.

Okay, okay, okay, I'm like hip ho that's actually.

That. There's the you know, all types of you know, so I just kind of make a nice pizza.

Oh I like that sona boy just throws in like an Afro pizza.

You need to trademark that hip hop pepperoni. You can make a lot of money from. Let me get one hip hop pepperoni.

Yeah, and then like what it should be is like a pepperoni that's really hot and then like when people eat it, then they start rapping.

The like, so I make a lot of money.

You are one of the artists who is featured on the Lion King.

Soundtrack with BEYONCEO you are.

You are also one of the few African artists who got to perform at Coachella, and that that's interesting because that's what inspired the name of this album, African Giant. Tell tell me how that how that came about?

Okay, so basically, I'm on the toilet seat.

I love how every single one of your stories starts with where you are. I love it. You have to be specific. I was on a boat, I.

Always remember. So basically I want to toilet seat and then my mom calls me and then she's like, yeah, you're doing coach and blah blah blah. I'm like, oh, yeah, that's that's nice. So I get off and then I, you know, go on the ground, right, and then I see the thing and then it's like my name. I've seen all the names and I'm looking for my name and I can't find my name. I literally can't find my name, right. So I'm like, I'm I really performing here.

It's my mom paying, you.

Know, what's going on. And then she's like, no, it's there. And then they circled. They had to circle it for me.

Oh, because like the names get smaller, yeah, it'll be like.

Yeah, So then I was doing a boy exactly what happened.

So basically that's never happened to me before. You know, I'm used to being the African giant, you know, right, So.

Because you're huge, this is like something I think people don't understand is how big a boy is.

It's just like, you know, like depending on.

Where you're watch news from before before, depending on where you get your perspective, you go like, oh, I don't know, but you are huge, you know what I mean. You're huge in a country with one of the largest populations on a continent, with one of the largest populations you know what I mean, all around the world.

And then they put like this, you know, right, So.

I'm not used to that, so I'm like, Okay, what's this. I don't like this. So basically I told them I expressed myself basically, and not just for that, for the fact that everyone else that's coming after me. It's like shouldn't have to go through that. They should. It's like it should be the same way like let's say the Latins and all the other international people that was there.

You know what I mean, they have started bringing like Jay Belvin will have a bigger fund.

Yes, exactly, So I'm thinking, I mean, it's only right, you know.

Right that one of the biggest artists in Africa would get one of the biggest fonts.

For the page. I like that.

I feel like I feel like, yeah, I'm not gonna lie. I feel like that was the Nigerian and you kicking in no, because Nigerians do not like Nigerians and humility don't mix like Nigerians are like Nigerians are like, we kick ass. You're the coolest Africans on the continent. And I can just see Nigerian looking like is this my name?

Did you run out of thinks? Did you run out of equals?

One thing I've truly loved is how like Nigerian artists have taken Africa to the world and you've blown up the continent. Everyone is now trying to emulate what Nigerian artists are creating.

But but truly they.

Are there artists that you dreamed of working off, that you were shocked to be working with when you were working with them.

Everyone everyone on my last album was and the previous like working with you in the previous one and working with you soon though, Like these are people that I worked on TV when I was in pamps, you know. Like so it's like seeing them in real life and actually making music with them and you know, getting the love and writing all that. It's it's sometimes it gets kind of weird because I'm like, ah, it's like my mom loves you.

Your mom A lot of people may not know this, but your mom is your manager.

Yeah yeah, Mama Burner crushes it by the way. I love her. I love her.

But here's but here's what I've always wondered, and it seems different. You know, in America, there's a culture of they call them the mammagers, you know, and it's like this idea is like if your parents is your manager, things always go wrong on your side, it feels like it's gonna be.

Exactly American manager.

But sure, was there not a part of you that was worried about having your mom be your manager?

I mean it's it's like it's it's obviously it's not. It's not all peaches and roses. Yeah, you get me. But it's a love of food. So I mean that that makes me happy.

And you're the artist.

Your mom is the manager. Technically, that's a power balance that has shifted over. But now she's your mom and she's an African mom, which means the power balance never shifts.

Over so exactly.

So are there moments where your mom goes like, no, this is this is how we're doing it, and that's how we do it.

Well, I mean you know what she does now like she used to do that, and then that wouldn't work out for her because you know it's.

Like you got me, like I just get storic.

I'm not exactly, so she figured out some other way she would make me feel like it's my decisions.

Mama, Burnot, You've got your family with you, you tour with them, you're traveling around the world. Yo, Can I just say congratulations as well?

And everything.

I mean, selling out the Old two Arena in London, selling out you know, the Forum in Hollywood. Now the first Nigerian artist to us sell out Madison Square Garden and to play it as well.

You know what thing? You know, one thing I always wondered, like why, how come? Well it's me. They always point out that, the fact that I'm the first to do it, like like the first landed on the moon.

It's like why when rock.

Bands performed in Tokyo and stuff, they don't say the first American rock band to perform in Tokyo.

I think because they're surprised. This is an element of surprise, you know. But why because we've come a long way?

Do you know how far Madison Square Garden is from Africa?

Yeah? But like do you know how far away Tokyo is for for kids?

But you see, that's the thing, if you think about it, culture has for such a long time been defined by America, and so it makes sense in a way for people to go like, of course the music is gonna go there, do.

You know what I mean? But now think about it things like.

But think about it right for.

The world to change the way it has I mean, you you you see Beyonce incorporating your music into her vibe. Do you get what I'm saying? These are big things that have never happened. It's beautiful, like everyone's everyone's her.

I would incorporate my music into her vibe.

My guest tonight is Nigerian American artist and producer Davido. No matter who you are in Africa, you have to admit Nigerians are the most confident Africans on the planet.

You know what I mean?

And I think it's it's almost fitting that niger boys were the ones who are like, no, no, no, our music will take over the world. The world won't take over our music. What do you think it is about Nigeria that made that possible?

I want to first of all give a shout out to all the Nigerians in the diaspora. When I say that, I mean like the Africans that live not in Nigeria, that in America, the ones that Europe, the ones that in London.

I bumped in Nigerians in Russia.

Every see anybody in the world, I knock this table I'm playing. Everybody in the world has a Nigerian friend, definitely, which real which way it is so I think, like even like in Atlanta, like with my music personally, it kind of started from like Atlanta, and it started from like Nigerians even being in the club and telling the DJs like, Yo, I want to spend fifty thousand dollars today, but play Davidoo's music when of my bottles are coming out.

Wow, Like that's an example.

Wow.

Yeah, but I'm saying it was a love. It was a deep love.

Yeah.

Just from that, and then it got to Yo, were in the club, a female goes to the DJ, Yo, play this song. Play the song. So from people in the diaspora doing that for us, right and us? I remember I came out here for tour twenty thirteen, sold out every venue that's insane, sold out every venue that this is without.

Exposure, right.

So I remember Live Nation calling the company, calling my manager.

Like, Yo, what's going on? Who is this guy?

We don't even know this guy America. I've done twenty shows sold out, but we have to give a shout out to the people that support us.

Yeah, I feel to you.

I mean Nigeria's I don't know what it is, but they don't play with us.

You know what.

I what I appreciate is how interconnected it has all become one of one of the most you know, glaring examples of this was during the George Floyd movement in America.

It swept the globe.

You know, you started seeing people protesting in Paris, you started seeing people protesting in London, and then one of the biggest protests happened in Nigeria. It was the End SARS movement. And I mean this was huge. You know, people were going, you know, Nigerians coming out saying, hey, we demand more from our government, we demand more from our police. And your song, Chris, went from you know, it was a song that you had written about your haters, but it became the anthem of the movement.

I feel like it.

Also changed something in you as a person and as an artist because you became really outspoken.

I did not record that song thinking that was gonna happens, That's the honest truth. But it's amazing how I saw my voice be an instrument for people, Like it was amazing.

I got it.

I got in a lot of trouble. I can imagine I got in a lot of trouble. I had to actually leave the country, Like it was that bad. I got in a lot of trouble because I was posted it like yeah, yeah, but you.

Know what I'm saying.

It was amazing to see people come out like that. And I'll say this, they listened, they heard us. They might not have changed nothing, but they were shook, you know what I'm saying. And I'm just I hope you know, I see a lot of young future leaders coming up in the next general elections coming up and whichever we have to do, but things are.

Going to change, my dude.

With people like you leading the charge, with artists and musicians getting in the conversation, with as you say, the diaspora communicating with each other, anything is possible moments. Thank you so much for joining me on the show. Thank you for coming out. Congratulations on your Global Citizens appearance. I mean, it was amazing to see you doing that. I know you're gonna be on the road in the US. I'm gonna try to come to your shows.

No, I'm coming to yours.

I'm coming to your shows.

I'm coming to your tour. That's what I'm doing. I'm going to do it.

Thank you so much for being I appreciate you.

Thank you for what you're doing for Africa, my dude, and we're gonna keep doing it.

We'll do it, my friends. Let's talk about the tour.

Man, like you said, you told me about the title, and you know you you've already been an artist too. Has gone from just making hit songs that are fun to hit songs that are fun and also have a meaning behind them.

Your new single stand Strong has inspired people. It becomes an anthem.

You know, this happened obviously in Nigeria as well with both end songs. Why stand Strong and then why the.

New tour name? Because I like this idea that you have in and around music.

Again, let me start with stand Strong. You know obviously like people know me, I make, you know, I make My music makes people smile and move, you know what I'm saying. But this time I was really inspired. Like a couple of years ago, Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir, they actually did a remix to my song.

You know, if I'm saying I.

Love you, I love you, that's not to any but they choose it to Jesus, I love you. You see, Kanye, They're like, I didn't know that was a remixes that was like the remix so since then, I've always wanted an opportunity to, you know, be able to perform with them. And then Kanye West was doing his listening party in the Mercedes Band Stadium in Atlanta, Yes, where he had all that, And then I met Jason, met the choir.

It's beautiful, man, It's beautiful. The tour has a great message. You're gonna be in Brooklyn, You're going to be in Boston. You got all the tour dates on life.

Yes, congrats on everything. We're seeing you again with Sir Wry with the toll, I want to say this, Okay, with the choy Yeah, yes, So with the tour we rise by lifting others. Is basically me not only bringing myself to the America, also bringing everything else, African food, African fashion. This was done by an African designer on the toy.

You're only wearing African designers, right, My.

Cosbits I'm only wearing African designers, I'm only eating African food. I'm having African chefs come in do food backstage. Wow, African dances so wow.

It's not joke, only mean.

So we're coming together, we rising and.

Taking a man.

That is a beautiful message. And yet you brought me no Joelof to the show. We'll we'll talk about it next time. We'll talk about it next time. Good seeing you.

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