Do we like Black Coffee?
Our score: 7 out of 10. No harmful words of his own turned up and he does a lot of practical good, but there's a contested Israel booking and a messy, still-running legal life.
Nkosinathi Maphumulo, known to the world as Black Coffee, came up from Durban and the Eastern Cape and built a career mostly outside the mainstream radio machine. He became the first African DJ to win a Grammy, taking Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2022 for Subconsciously. Not bad for a bloke who spent two decades being told his sound was too African for some rooms and too international for others.
On the sound, he's got a clear philosophy and says it plainly. Of the album, he said music should “divide barriers and unite us under this one universal language”. That's the whole brand: warm, borderless house music, and he's been the same bloke at it for years.
The messy bit is his split from actress Enhle Mbali. In 2021 she applied for a protection order and alleged he assaulted her. He denied it, and the Randburg Magistrate's Court denied her the order. She said she'd stop protecting him with her silence and alleged he lied in court. Today they're still stoushing over the divorce: a High Court ruled in October 2025 that their customary marriage was valid and ordered spousal support, and he has leave to appeal.
He's also the one doing the suing. After Nota Baloyi's social media posts, which he argued linked him to crime and questionable finances, the Johannesburg High Court ordered Baloyi in December 2025 to apologise. Baloyi denies accusing him of crime, says his posts were fact or fair comment, and alleges Black Coffee tried to intimidate critics. Where you land depends on whether you see a man defending his name or a rich man leaning on a critic.
The good stuff is real, and it's not just trophies. His foundation has been building permanent homes for flood-displaced families in Mthatha, and its Gift of Sight program has been testing children's eyes and handing out school uniforms. At a Billboard Africa award speech he told people simply to support each other and encourage young people's dreams.
So: would we back him? Mostly, yes. He's a gifted, generous artist who uses his money to lift kids, and the record gives us no reason to worry about his views. The asterisks are a contested Israel booking and a divorce and defamation fight still running in court. That's honestly the whole list.