Samas to honour Black Coffee for his achievements on the world stage

Hot on the heels of news that he had a hand in shaping the sound of Drake’s latest project Honestly, Nevermind, the South African Music Awards (Samas) are set to honour DJ Black Coffee for his achievements on the world stage. 

“Acclaimed house maestro, Black Coffee, will be presented with the International Achievement Award in recognition of his prolific international musical career and setting a gold standard of excellence,” said Samas organisers, the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA), in a statement. 

According to RiSA and the Samas, the DJ and producer defies convention. 

“Sidestepping Afro-house clichés in favour of restrained sophistication, Black Coffee’s penchant is for true Afropolitan house. His biggest breakthrough, however, was in 2017 when his classic Superman was reimagined into Get It Together by Drake and globally released.” 

Another reason Black Coffee will be honoured at the awards show set to take place later this year, includes the fact that he has managed to get a number of firsts under his belt. 

The fact that he became the first DJ to perform at Coachella twice is on that list along with the fact that he is the first African artist to have his show on Apple Music’s Beat 1 and the first African DJ to win a BET award. 

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“In 2022, he became the first African DJ to win a Grammy award for his album SBCNCSLY which includes features from the likes of Pharrell Williams, Diplo, Kelly Rowland and Cassie. This moment came shortly after he launched the Black Coffee Foundation.”

Another thing that caught the attention of RiSA and the Samas judging panel is the fact that Black Coffee invested in building a school and invested in a music streaming platform merged with a social networking platform called GongBox that aims to have artists own the rights to their music and allow them to profit in the most positive light.

He will be honoured alongside legendary musicians Joe Nina, Jimmy Dludlu and McCoy Mrubata who are all set to receive the #SAMA28 Lifetime Achievement Award this year. 

The award recognises musical giants who have significantly contributed to the development, upliftment, and advancement of the South African music industry over at least two decades.

“We are proud to be recognising these national treasures and ambassadors of South African music. These acts have not only raised the profile of South African music as a whole but served to inspire, nurture and cultivate South African talent. Deservedly, these individuals will be presented with these honours at Sun City,” said RiSA CEO Nhlanhla Sibisi. 

All these distinguished honours will be handed over at the 28th annual Samas which will take place on Sunday, 28 August 2022, at Sun City and will be broadcast live on SABC1 (DStv channel 191) from 8pm.

Tickets for the Samas are available at Ticketpro.

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