Arthur Mafokate (born 10 July 1972) is a South African

kwaito Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of h ...

musician and producer. In 1994, he released his debut album titled ''Windy Windy'' with the hit track "Amagents Ayaphanda”.

Life and career

Early life

Arthur Mafokate was born on July 10, 1972. He is the son of Olympic equestrian and philanthropist Enos Mafokate. He was born in Soweto,

Gauteng Province Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only 1. ...

but his family later moved to Midrand. He became a backing dancer for artists including

Brenda Fassie Brenda Nokuzola Fassie (3 November 1964 – 9 May 2004) was a South African singer, songwriter, dancer and activist. Affectionately called MaBrrr by her fans, she is also known as the "Queen of African Pop", the "Madonna of The Townships" or si ...

, Monwa & Son and Johnny Mokhali.

First Kwaito Hit

He released the first kwaito hit with his 1995 song "Kaffir" which to date has sold over 500,000 copies. Its lyrics reflect the new freedoms that emerged after the political changes of 1994, including the implementation of a new constitution and democratic election system. The title, " Kaffir," is a derogatory term used mostly in South Africa as a racial slur to refer to black people. In his song, Mafokate protests against the use of the word "kaffir," claiming that his employer (called "baas" or boss) would not like to be referred to as "bobbejaan," or

baboon Baboons are primates comprising the genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow baboon, the Kinda baboon and the chacma ba ...

. At the 2021 Mzansi Kwaito and House Music Awards, his single "Hlokoloza" received a nomination for Best Kwaito song.

Controversy

In 2017, the artist Cici, who was then his partner and signed to Mafokate's label, accused him of physical abuse during the time they were living together. Cici had a serious injury and had to be treated in a hospital. He was arrested and released on bail pending a court case. After Cici posted images showing the injuries she sustained, widespread condemnation on Mafokate led to cancelling of the 100MenMarch which was a march to highlight

gender based violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...

perpetrated by mostly men against women and children. Mafokate denied all allegations and was found not guilty by Midrand Magistrate court in 2019.

Allegations of unlawful enrichment at SAMRO

In 2019 the

Southern African Music Rights Organisation SAMRO, the Southern African Music Rights Organisation, is a copyright asset management society. It was established by the South African Copyright Act, and aims to protect the intellectual property of music creators by licensing music users, col ...

(SAMRO) sued Mafokate for unlawful enrichment. According to the court case, Mafokate and a number of other members of the leadership of SAMRO overpaid themselves by more than R1.6 Million rand. Mafokate himself was irregularly overpaid by R84 000. SAMRO would later become the centre of a scandal regarding the underpayment of royalties to artists, much of this taking place during Mafokate's time working for the organisation.

Awards

In 1998 he won the Song of the Year for his song Oyi Oyi at the SAMA FNB Awards. Mafokate, credited as the King of Kwaito, was the first artist to win the South African Music Awards category of The Song of the Year as voted for by the public. He was recognised for his contribution to this new generation of music at the 2007 FNB South African Music Awards.South African Music
/ref> His victory in the 'Song of the Year' category, depicts the peculiar popularity of a music genre which does not analyse the historical black struggle like traditional South African music has often done. The genre of

Kwaito Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of h ...

music resulted from "the lifting of sanctions in South Africa which provided musicians with easier access to international music tracks and a radical revision of censorship, while the easing political situation allowed for greater freedom of expression. Freedom of expression meant that for the first time, the youth of South Africa could make their voices heard". Making his voice heard through the song Oyi Oyi, Mafokate hit a particular note with South African audiences "in a year when the competition was strong, indicating his enduring appeal for his hundreds of thousands of fans". Unlike the often apolitical characteristics of

music, Mafokate does address the lower class black experience in South Africa in much of his music as is revealed in the lyrics of "Kaffir". Mafokate describes his success in these words: "I commit myself in everything that I do. Give me a script now to portray a character, for example, and you’ll see my dedication. I’d never claim my looks have anything to do with my success. It’s entirely what comes from within me". Arthur was honored at the 2016 South African Metro FM Music Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award for recognition of his 22-year-old successful entertainment career.

Discography

Albums

* 1994: ''Windy Windy'' * 1994: ''Scamtho'' * 1995: ''Kaffir'' * 1996: ''Die Poppe Sal Dans'' * 1997: ''Oyi Oyi'' * 1998: ''Chomi'' * 1999: ''Umpostoli'' * 2000: ''Mnike'' * 2001: ''Seven Phezulu'' * 2002: ''Haai Bo'' * 2003: ''Skulvyt'' * 2004: ''Mamarela'' * 2005: ''Sika'' * 2006: ''Vanilla & Chocolate'' * 2007: ''Dankie'' * 2007: ''Arthur Vs DJ Mbuso: Round 1'' * 2008: ''Kwaito Meets House'' * 2011: ''Hlokoloza'' * 2013: ''Kommander''

References

External links

Arthut Mafokate
on music.org.za {{DEFAULTSORT:Mafokate, Arthur Living people South African musicians Kwaito musicians People from Rustenburg 1962 births