Johannesburg – Durban Media House and Africori Music Group are launching Digital Maskandi Vol. 1, a first-of-its-kind unity project bringing together Maskandi legends, established stars and emerging voices from across South Africa.
Built around collaboration, cultural pride and musical progression, the forthcoming compilation connects Maskandi with hip-hop, pop, Xigaza, Afro-soul, folk and other contemporary sounds without losing sight of the guitar, lyricism and storytelling at the genre’s core.
Each collaboration draws from a different part of South Africa’s musical identity, creating new connections between regions, genres and generations while introducing Maskandi to new audiences.
The ambition is to respect the foundations, then see where they can go.
Across Digital Maskandi Vol. 1, established artists share space with younger voices, regional sounds meet national influences, and traditional storytelling moves through modern production without losing its identity.
The result is a bold statement of unity, culture and the future of African music, rooted in the idea that progression and preservation do not have to exist at opposite ends of the spectrum.
The idea for Digital Maskandi Vol. 1 was developed by Ntuthuko Mtshali, growing out of years spent working closely with the Maskandi community and creating platforms for its artists.
Over the past five years, Mtshali’s work within the culture has contributed to three South African Music Awards, including two Record of the Year wins and one Music Video of the Year award.
That journey planted the seed for a project with a bigger ambition: to bring Maskandi into creative conversation with artists and musical communities from across the country on a scale not previously attempted.
The full compilation brings together respected Maskandi names including Mzukulu, Dr Buselaphi, Saliwa, Jaiva Zimnike and Menzi, whose experience and connection to the culture anchor the project.
Alongside them, Sjava brings his distinctive meeting point of African soul, hip-hop and indigenous storytelling, while Blxckie adds the pulse and attitude of contemporary South African hip-hop.
Lowfeye of The Qwellers represents an emerging generation shaped by internet culture, street influence and an increasingly fluid relationship with genre.
Artists from different parts of South Africa bring their own languages, rhythms and musical histories into the compilation, allowing those differences to become a source of connection rather than division.
The first expression of that vision arrives this Friday, 11 September, with “Too Much,” bringing together newly crowned SAMA Best Male Artist of the Year Mzukulu and South African hip-hop star Blxckie.
Built around classic Maskandi guitar leads, Spanish guitar influences, and a seductive saxophone melody, “Too Much” is a melodic love song about feelings so overwhelming that kuningi — it is simply too much.
Their love could fill FNB Stadium and Moses Mabhida Stadium and still fall short of expressing its true scale.
Mzukulu’s rich, soulful vocal delivery meets Blxckie’s unmistakable melodic instinct and raw edge, with both artists finding common ground despite coming from distinctly different musical worlds.
The result captures exactly what Digital Maskandi sets out to do: put artists, sounds and traditions into conversation and allow something new to emerge.
At its heart, Digital Maskandi Vol. 1 recognises Maskandi as a living South African cultural force: deeply rooted in where it comes from, but capable of evolving, collaborating and finding new audiences without surrendering what makes it distinct.
With “Too Much” arriving Friday, 11 September, Mzukulu and Blxckie provide the first glimpse into a project built to show just how expansive that future can sound.
Too Much is out this Friday. Pre-add here
