Mzansi Crew

Originally starting out in different places, Mzansi Crew members Promise Tshabalala and Manqoba Khumalo had the same dream. Manqoba started out in 2006 to pursue his dream of becoming an artist of note. Originally from Newcastle, little did he know the journey would bring him to the city of gold, Johannesburg. Promise (aka Swazi Boy), originally from Swaziland, had the same dream, which started even earlier, in 2003. This was round about the same time the late third member of the original Mzansi Crew team, Pika 2, also started chasing the dream.

Eventually, the winds of fate would lead their paths to cross. In 2010, the trio formed a kwaito outfit named Mzansi Crew. With each member possessing different qualities, they managed to come up with a unique new take on the kwaito sound. Swazi Boy was the hip-hop and rap master, Pika 2 was the reggae-flavoured MC and Gaba Gaba (Manqoba) was the vocal genius, hitting all the high notes. Working with RMT (a record label in Johannesburg), the group prepared to record their first professional studio album at Bila Shaka Records. It was titled 'Tougher Than You' and featured great songs such as 'Isimayemaye', 'Bashanyana' and the debut single 'Amabhubesi'. Also included on the project was work from Vuthela Productions. Though the album was not widely acclaimed, the group’s talent led to them sharing a stage with the likes of Zulu Boy, Skwatta Kamp, Bricks, L-Tido, Big Nuz, Jozi, Phuzekhemisi, Biblos and many other top South African artists. They performed at numerous events such as the Soweto Beer Fest and the Mbombela Stadium Festival in South Africa, as well as others in Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Then the group suffered a tragic loss when Pika 2 passed on after being diagnosed with meningitis. It was a huge blow and would go on to change the group's destiny.

After taking a year-long break, Manqoba and Promise went back into the studio to record a few more singles with Ruff Nkosi from Dogmow Records. With new singles like 'I’m Sorry' and '442', the duo were ready for a comeback. Now working with JF Productions, they released their new singles and got a great response with massive airplay. They recently dropped a fresh single called 'Izolo', which has received a good response from stations where it has been playlisted, such as Yfm, Ukhozi FM, Umhlobo Wenene and Ikhwekhwezi FM. The group has also been featuring in The Sowetan, Daily Sun and Move! Magazine, and they have appeared on TV shows like 'Friends Like These' on SABC1, 'Shift', eTV's 'Sunrise' and SABC1’s midnight music show, 'Afterparty'.