''Limpopo Champions League'' is the debut studio album by South African rapper

Sho Madjozi Maya Christinah Xichavo Wegerif (born 9 May 1992), known professionally as Sho Madjozi ( ), is a South African rapper, singer, songwriter, actress and poet. Madjozi incorporates the Tsonga culture through her music and public image. In 201 ...

. It was released on 14 December 2018 by Flourish and Multiply.

Background

In an interview with

Elle Magazine ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the wo ...

''South Africa'', Sho Madjozi said that her debut album, ''Limpopo Champions League'', was conceptualised specifically for both her international following and her African fans. She quoted, "As a female artist, it was also important to her to prove that she can write and produce hits in male-dominated genres such as hip-hop, gqom and dance. I hope that when people listen to the album, they remember who they want to be – and go for it." On 26 November 2018, Madjozi posted on Twitter and Instagram the tracklist of the album and the official date of release.

Music and lyrics

''Limpopo Champions League'' is a diverse album which comprises hip hop, qgom,

shangaan electro Shangaan electro is a dance movement and musical style born from a 21st-century reboot of local folk traditions in South African townships, Tsonga Disco and Kwaito House. The movement has been spearheaded by DJ Khwaya and the producer Nozinja ...

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

afrobeats Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, pop,

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

, R&B, and

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

. Madjozi primarily uses the languages

Tsonga Tsonga may refer to: * Tsonga language, a Bantu language spoken in southern Africa * Tsonga people, a large group of people living mainly in southern Mozambique and South Africa. * Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (; born 17 April 1985) i ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

for her vocals, while Zulu, Swahili and

Tsotsitaal Tsotsitaal is a vernacular derived from a variety of mixed languages mainly spoken in the townships of Gauteng province (such as Soweto), but also in other agglomerations all over South Africa. ''Tsotsi'' is a Sesotho, Pedi or Tswana slang wor ...

as featured languages. The album's opener "Ro Rali" is a shangaan electro song which features the

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

"Afro-wedding music"-influenced vocals formed by the guest singer,

Makhadzi Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona (born June 30, 1996), known by her stage name Makhadzi, is a South African singer. Born and raised in Ha-Mashamba, Limpopo, her career began at the age of 12 as dancer prior pursuing a music career as a singer, while she ...

. "Idhom", the second track and third single, fuses qgom and house music, which according to Madjozi is about a former partner who left her heartbroken and is now regretting for leaving her. "Limpopo Champions League", the title track, is a mid-tempo gqom song with a melody reminiscing the previous track, "Idhom". The following track, "Wa Penga Na?", is a hip hop song with trap influences. It features rappers,

Kwesta Senzo Brikka Vilakazi (born 11 August 1988) known professionally as Kwesta, is a South African people, South African rapper and songwriter. Born in Katlehong, Gauteng, a township also known as "K1". In 2003, at the age of 15, he and his friend ...

and Makwa, who both primarily use isiZulu vocals. "Don't Tell Me What To Do" is a pop song with reggae-fused EDM and dancehall elements. "Huku", the lead single, follows with a gqom beat. "Changanya" is a house and kwaito song which features the Tanzanian artist Marioo, and Aubrey Qwana. "Kona" returns shangaan electro, and has a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

-influenced intro. "I Mean That" is a house and kwaito song, while "Yaz'Abelungu" starts with

deep-house Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ( ...

which leads to a high-tempo Afro-house. "Going Down" then follows which is contemporary R&B, mainly combining hip hop, featuring rapper pH Raw X and uncredited female vocals. "If I Do" is a gqom song, same as the last song, "Wakanda Forever" featuring rapper

Ycee Oludemilade Martin Alejo (born January 29, 1993), known professionally as Ycee (also stylized as YCee), is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. He gained popularity after his single "Condo", which features vocals by Patoranking, earned him ...

, which is the second single.

Release

''Limpopo Champions League'' was made available for

online streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

via various platforms, including

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

and

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

, on 14 December 2018 through Flourish & Multiply Records. It was also released for digital download.

Singles

Sho Madjozi pre-released two songs in supporting the album. "Huku" was released as the album's lead single on 9 March 2018. The song's music video was released on 18 May 2018 on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. The second single, "Wakanda Forever", featuring rapper

, was released on 30 November 2018. Giving her acceptance speech at the 25th edition of the

South African Music Awards The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in N ...

for Best Female Album, Madjozi said that her third single " Idhom" will be released the following day. It was then released that following day, on 2 June, along with its accompanying music video. "Kona", was featured on the musical drama series, '' Rhythm City''. It was later released as a single on 16 December 2019. "Don't Tell Me What To Do" was featured on the television commercial, by retail company Edgars, which shows Madjozi performing the song on a local street surrounded by various people. The advertisement premiered on 2 November 2018.

Track listing

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

and

Personnel

Musicians

* Maya Wegerif – main vocals, executive producer * Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona – guest vocals * Senzo Vilakazi – guest vocals * Neo Makwa – guest vocals * Marioo – guest vocals * Aubrey Qwana – guest vocals * Gift Nkuna – guest vocals

Production

* Tboy Daflame – producer * DJ Alphy – producer * Mafosi Chauke – producer * Makwabeats – producer * Mslyana – producer * PH RawX – writer and producer * Reuben Hlaku – producer * Sam Berson – writer and producer * Seed SA – producer * She's Drunk – producer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Limpopo Champions League 2018 debut albums