Uncle Waffles shuts down troll who insinuated that she may be a trans woman

At just 22 years old, Amapiano DJ Uncle Waffles is one of the most popular personalities on both social media and the music scene.

This success has become a double-edged sword, of sorts, as she becomes subject to not only criticism but malicious unfounded rumours.

The latest of these rumours about Uncle Waffles is that she is a trans woman.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a trans woman, hurtful things are being said about trans people in general when speaking about Uncle Waffles and as an ally of those who identify as queer, the DJ felt the need to temporarily break her policy of not addressing what is said about her online.

Taking to her Instagram stories on Thursday, the DJ called people out for not feeling ashamed about their obsession with her gender identity and genitalia. 

“I’m going to address this once,” she said before reminding people that she once said “just because someone is a public figure, doesn’t make them your friend.” 

She also asked; “Is it not weird that you guys are talking about a 22-year-old vagina on social media, asking me to prove it? Please hey, let’s not upset each other.”

Uncle Waffles then shared some comments from a previous post of hers showing the time when a follower asked why she chose to call herself “Uncle Waffles” instead of Aunt. 

“Who are you to even ask this? Why aren’t you focusing on your own life instead of coming to ask 22 year old girls about their private parts on the internet like a loser. Is that not weird to you? That you are on a strangers social media asking them to prove their sex to you?”

She further lambasted people for feeling entitled and getting used to other celebrities suffering in silence when they’re subject to such treatment. 

“I don’t usually say anything but now a whole community of people is getting affected. Please, it’s important to learn when you’re overstepping.”

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Uncle Waffles was recently tapped to be part of a select group of artists featured in a new documentary commissioned by Spotify to chronicle the deeply significant history of Kwaito, and how the genre of Amapiano echoes that same history.

The documentary will also be accompanied by two new playlists.

Titled Freedom Sounds: From Kwaito to Amapiano, the documentary features chart-topping Kwaitio and Amapiano musicians like Oskido, Thandiswa Mazwai, Young Stunna and Uncle Waffles, telling the authentic, layered story of how these musical genres are linked to the expression of freedom.

“Our 28th year of freedom comes at a time when positivity and hope for our future are much-needed. Our music culture and creative community continue to serve as a source of relief, pride, escape, opportunity, and hope for our future,” said Melanie Triegaardt, Spotify’s head of music strategy and operations in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“With this documentary, we want to showcase the importance of the creative community in freedom of expression and showcase the similarities and differences of eras seen through music culture in South Africa,” she added.

Directed by Chris Kets and Lindiwe Mngxitama, the documentary tells the evolutionary story of Ampanio by tracing it back from Kwaito, which originated from Soweto and coincided with Nelson Mandela’s inauguration. 

Kwaito was birthed during the post-apartheid zeitgeist, quickly establishing itself as a mainstream genre and, for many, it epitomised the sound of freedom in South African streets, with musicians of colour now able to access the industry and find global recognition.

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The playlists, Sound of Freedom and Kwaito Classics, each contain hit tracks by South African musical icons that pay homage to the sounds of South Africa’s streets.  

Kwaito Classics spotlights creators like Thebe  – who performed at Spotify’s Freedom Day event – M’Du, Trompies, Bongo Maffin and TkZee. 

Songs that Spotify said evoked the rhythm and musical heartbeat that would give rise to genres like Gqom, South African House/Dance, and, contemporarily, Amapiano. 

According to Spotify data in the last three months, the sounds of Kwaito continue to resound both locally and internationally. 

“Over the past 90 days, streams were generated as far and wide as countries such as the UK, USA, Germany, and Australia – all listed among the top 5 sources of Kwaito streams outside of South Africa. What also emerges from the data is that Kwaito’s popularity is not specific to any particular age range, with music lovers between the ages of 18 and 44 all listening to the genre in equal measure, at an average of about 22% for each age band,” explained Spotify.