Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the South Africa Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
A Durban DJ who became one of the biggest names in global electronic music, having played with the use of one arm since he was a teenager.
Nkosinathi Innocent Maphumulo was seventeen in 1990, at a rally celebrating Nelson Mandela's release, when a car drove into the crowd. His left arm was permanently damaged and he has limited use of it. He learned to produce and to DJ one-handed, and has said the constraint is why he approaches a track the way he does.
He built his career out of Durban and then Johannesburg, and was central to establishing Afro house — South African house music with African percussion and vocals at the centre rather than as a garnish — as a form that the rest of the world came to rather than the other way round. His residency at Hï Ibiza made him a fixture of the European club season, and he has produced for and with Drake, Alicia Keys, Usher and David Guetta.
He won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2022 for Subconsciously, the first South African to win in that category, and was named one of the most influential people in electronic music. At home he is among the country's most visible entrepreneurs and philanthropists.
He built his career out of Durban and then Johannesburg, and was central to establishing Afro house — South African house music with African percussion and vocals at the centre rather than as a garnish — as a form that the rest of the world came to rather than the other way round. His residency at Hï Ibiza made him a fixture of the European club season, and he has produced for and with Drake, Alicia Keys, Usher and David Guetta.
He won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2022 for Subconsciously, the first South African to win in that category, and was named one of the most influential people in electronic music. At home he is among the country's most visible entrepreneurs and philanthropists.
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