South African music has spent years putting artists into categories. Soul artists belong here. Rappers belong there. Amapiano artists have their own lane, as do pop, Afro-soul and R&B acts.
It is often how audiences understand the music they love, but for artists, those boundaries do not always hold up in the studio.
Singer-songwriter Zonke’s new single, “Mngan’am”, featuring rapper Yanga Chief, breaks all those boundaries.
When Zonke approached Yanga Chief to feature on “Mngan’am”, the collaboration could easily have been framed as an unexpected meeting of two artists from different musical worlds. Neither of them sees it that way.
“Mngan’am”, which means “my friend” in isiXhosa and isiZulu, blends Afro-soul and hip hop, touching on friendship, loyalty and honesty. On the song, Zonke’s soulful singing pairs perfectly with Yanga Chief’s rap, allowing both artists to showcase their own unique style.
For audiences familiar with Zonke’s soulful catalogue and Yanga’s place in hip hop, the pairing may initially seem unexpected. Speaking to “The National” about the collaboration, both artists said they cared more about their creative link than about staying in one musical category.
“I didn’t really think of us as coming from completely different musical worlds. I’ve always listened to and enjoyed different kinds of music, including hip hop. I think as artists, we can have different ways of expressing ourselves and still find common ground,” Zonke said.
Zonke approached Yanga Chief after developing an appreciation for his artistry, particularly his writing, delivery and approach to music.
For her, the decision was not about forcing hip hop and soul together for the sake of an unusual collaboration. It was about recognising something in his work that could complement the song.
That connection, according to Zonke, comes down to authenticity.
“Yanga has his own voice and his own way of telling a story, and I appreciate that. I’m also very particular about being honest in my music, so I think that’s something we have in common.
“The music may sound different, but I think when you are genuine about what you’re creating, there is a connection there,” she said.
It is a simple idea, but one that says something about the way South African music is more commonly being made.
The most interesting collaborations do not always come from artists who sound alike. Sometimes, they come from artists with enough confidence in their own identities to allow those differences to exist without trying to smooth them out.
According to Yanga, working with Zonke offered exactly that.
“It was definitely a special collaboration for me. Zonke is an artist I have a lot of respect for, so when she approached me, I was excited about the possibility.”
Like Zonke, he does not see music through the rigid categories that audiences often apply to artists.
“I don’t necessarily think about music in terms of being in different categories. What connected me to the song was the feeling in it,” he said.
“You don’t have to sound the same. There just has to be something that connects you creatively.”
That connection also became clearer once the two artists worked together. He shared that collaborating with Zonke revealed more about the creative process behind the music he had known her for.
“I think you get to understand the person behind the music when you work with someone. With Zonke, I saw how intentional she is about what she creates. She’s very clear about what she wants, but at the same time, she gives you space to bring your own creativity into the process,” he said.
That balance became important to how “Mngan’am” took shape. Zonke said neither artist entered the collaboration trying to change the other. Instead, they allowed their individual styles to meet.
“With Yanga, I wasn’t trying to change what he does, and I don’t think he was trying to change what I do. We allowed the two styles to meet naturally,” she said.
For an artist who has spent years building one of the most recognisable voices in South African music, Zonke’s openness to collaboration is also rooted in the way she listens.
Her musical vocabulary, she said, has always extended beyond the sound she is most associated with.
“My listening has always been quite broad. I’ve always enjoyed different kinds of music, and I think everything you listen to becomes part of your musical vocabulary in some way,” she said.
“As I’ve grown, I’ve naturally been exposed to different sounds and artists, and that keeps me curious.”
She does not necessarily bring every influence she hears directly into her music. But listening widely can change the way an artist thinks about a song or approaches an idea.
That curiosity is perhaps what makes “Mngan’am” more interesting than a simple story about two artists from supposedly different worlds coming together.
The collaboration raises a broader question about how much freedom South African artists are given to move beyond the sounds audiences first fell in love with.
Zonke believes there is more openness now, with artists experimenting and finding new ways to express themselves. But she also understands why audiences develop expectations.
“People naturally associate artists with a particular sound because that’s what they have come to know and love,” she said.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. But I also think artists should be given the freedom to grow, explore and surprise people. That’s part of the journey.”
Perhaps that is where “Mngan’am” finds its real significance. It is not that Zonke or Yanga have abandoned the musical world they are known for. Neither needed to become something else for the collaboration to work.
Instead, the song is a reminder that an artist’s identity can be more expansive than the genre assigned to them.
Sometimes the connection is not in the label attached to the music. It is in the feeling of the song, the honesty of the artists and the space they are willing to give each other.
And in a South African music industry where more artists are beginning to test those boundaries, that may be the more interesting story behind “Mngan’am”.
nomathamsanqa.sithathu@nationalmg.co.za