In a move that is both professionally significant and deeply personal, Grammy Award winner Black Coffee has officially named his son, Esona Maphumulo (known as Sona), as his favorite DJ in South Africa.
While the “Drive” hitmaker acknowledged the potential for perceived bias, he insisted his admiration for his son’s craft is purely about the music and the “needle-shifting” direction Sona is taking.
Shifting the Needle in Cape Town
The endorsement comes after the father-son duo shared the decks during a recent performance in Cape Town. Black Coffee revealed that watching Sona’s set firsthand blew him away, citing his son’s unique ability to bridge the gap between local heritage and global trends.
“He played a set, and for me… he is on a direction where he is shifting the needle as a South African DJ,” Black Coffee explained. “With his exposure, and how he is traveling, how he is fusing South African music and what is out there in the world really blew me away.”
A Global Identity
Sona has been steadily carving out his own path, touring internationally and developing a sound that blends the soulful roots of South African House with experimental global influences. According to his father, this international exposure is exactly what makes Sona’s artistry stand out in the current landscape of the industry.
This public show of support solidifies Sona’s position not just as “Black Coffee’s son,” but as a formidable force in his own right within the electronic music scene.
