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Ciza ever knew his clip to regularisation would come. His begetter Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza co-founded TS Records successful 2001 with Sbusiso Leope, a vigor DJ and TV presenter amended known arsenic DJ Sbu. And his parent Nhlanhla Mafu served arsenic the pb vocalist for the Afropop radical Mafikizolo, whose 2013 planetary deed “Khona,” featuring chap South African kwaito radical Uhuru, won grounds of the twelvemonth astatine the South Africa Music Awards and opus of the twelvemonth astatine the MTV Africa Music Awards successful 2014, portion Mafikizolo earned a champion planetary act: Africa information astatine the BET Awards aboriginal that year.
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But the creator and DJ calved Nkululeko Nciza hasn’t fto the “nepo baby” stereotype impact his ascent. “Where I’m from, they’ve conscionable embraced the information that I’m from a philharmonic [family]. For them, it’s similar euphony royalty,” Ciza tells Billboard.
After performing successful precocious schoolhouse competitions with his rap radical KIC (Kids successful the City), Ciza went solo astatine property 18 and released his debut record, “House Party,” which grew fashionable among the section precocious schools. “I benignant of had a kid prima moment,” helium recalls.
The pursuing year, helium booked a one-way formation to Atlanta, Ga. to be Morehouse College to survey concern entertainment, but the pandemic derailed his plans. And Afrobeats’ planetary dominance made Ciza power gears. “That’s erstwhile I was like, ‘Rap is not my happening anymore. I privation to bash Afrobeats,’” helium says. “Afrobeats was taking implicit the satellite astatine the time. I was like, ‘OK, amapiano is the biggest happening successful South Africa. But the radical who are truly doing it for maine and carving existent superstars were successful West Africa.’”
After releasing the singles “Come Alive” and “Adje” successful 2020, Ciza started making a sanction for himself a twelvemonth aboriginal erstwhile helium collaborated with South African superproducer and amapiano pioneer DJ Maphorisa (whose erstwhile radical Uhuru produced his mother’s radical Mafikizolo’s “Khona” smash) connected the prosperous Afrobeats-meets-amapiano grounds “Bank Notification,” which was aboriginal included connected Ciza’s debut EP that year, Golden Boy Pack. But with COVID-19 “[slowing] down the momentum,” helium says, and Ciza struggling to find his dependable successful the market, helium took a little hiatus from releasing music.
“This is erstwhile I fell successful emotion with DJing and Afro house,” Ciza says. At the time, 3-step – South Africa’s latest dance music genre that is named aft its signature three-kick drum bushed and blends Afro tech, amapiano and breached bushed – was bubbling, and Ciza was determined to enactment his ain rotation connected it. With the assistance of shaper Jazzworx and vocalist Thukuthela, Ciza created an planetary deed with “Isaka (6am)” successful April.
“‘Isaka (6am)’ is fundamentally a prayer, maine asking God, ‘Yo, I wanna go a amended antheral for my son. I privation to go a amended antheral for my family. But I besides privation to unrecorded my dreams. Let this hustle beryllium fruitful, and whitethorn radical spot my talent,’” helium explains.
The connection “isaka” straight translates to the container in Zulu. As for the 6 a.m. timestamp successful the title, it either represents the clip 1 gets location aft a agelong time (and night) of work, oregon erstwhile 1 returns aft spending their hard-earned wealth astatine the club. Either way, Ciza has played “Isaka” successful the nine astatine 6 a.m. and adjacent later, “and successful antithetic parts of the world, too,” helium chuckles.