Journey continues for amapiano pioneer DJ Stokie

DJ Stokie’s invisible cape and tenacious spirit makes him the Superman of amapiano.

Real name Setoki Mbatha, he is one of the pioneers of the fast-growing global genre. He has been instrumental in helping to craft the distinct and dynamic sound.

The 41-year-old is the hit-maker behind smash hits Superman, Soke S’bone and Ipiano e’Soweto. He recently dropped his latest album, Journey Continues, which not only uplifts amapiano beats but shows off his signature sound blended with deep basslines, catchy melodies and infectious rhythms. 

“My family and relatives are actually the ones who named me Stokie because I used to play music for them using cassette tapes. I’d play one song and then another one, I was probably ten years old at the time. Somehow, they started saying I’m their DJ and then DJ Stokie came about. Ever since then, I’ve always gone by that name,” Stokie chuckles.

“I was in high school, maybe around 14 when I first saw a DJ set. My friend Mpompo was the one who taught me how to DJ. At that time, he used to have a set at what was known as Soweto Community Radio back then, but now it's called Jozi FM. Every Friday he would go there and perform on air.

“So, I started joining him and I ended up getting a slot to play as well.”

While deejaying was popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Stokie explains he took serious honing his skills in his teens, over popularity, because he knew one day it would all pay off.

In his late high school years, Stokie learnt how to produce a song from scratch, but it was in 2012 that his life was changed forever – all thanks to a genre not many were fond of due to its specific and distinct tone.

“When we started producing amapiano with the likes of Kabza de Small, MFR Souls, Gaba Cannal and De Mthuda, we were all still underground. I used to take their music and play them at the many gigs I had,” he recalls.

“Amapiano has been there for more than 15 years but it started underground first... back then people didn’t understand the sound because house music was dominating.

“The problem came when I would get booked and I’d play a sound not many knew, in a way house heads saw our sound as a threat but I still pushed it regardless.”

Even though he and the underground amapiano peers did not get the support that they needed from the masses at first, Stokie is grateful to have witnessed the evolution of the genre that has since been adopted by other artists from Nigeria, Ghana, Botswana and America.

“Everyone is now making money from amapiano and that’s what made me push every day. This genre is and continues to change a lot of lives from across the world,” says the Soweto-born musician.

“As a DJ, I am tasked with bringing joy to people through music; through sound that sticks with them and connects them. This has been my plan since I was young in the music scene, hence my album is titled, Journey Continues.”