Sjava
Afropop · Hip Hop · R&B
Sjava is Jabulani Sihle Makhubo, a South African singer, rapper and actor born in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal, on 2 December 1983. At ten he was already writing…
Biography
Sjava is Jabulani Sihle Makhubo, a South African singer, rapper and actor born in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal, on 2 December 1983. At ten he was already writing songs for his school isicathamiya group. Before music took over he was a TV actor, best known for Zone 14 and Isibaya.
His voice on Miss Pru’s “Ameni” (2015) introduced him to a wider audience, and he signed to Ambitiouz Entertainment. His debut album Isina Muva (2016), whose Zulu title means “late bloomer”, went gold and won Best Produced Album at the SAMAs. In 2018 he featured on “Seasons” from the Kendrick Lamar-curated Black Panther soundtrack and won the BET Award for Best New International Act. His second album Umqhele, with “Umama”, came out that December.
He left Ambitiouz in 2020 and co-founded 1020 Cartel, releasing the gold-certified EP Umsebenzi that year. Isibuko (2023) debuted at number one and went platinum, and Ukhamba followed the same year. His style, which he calls African Trap Music, blends Zulu storytelling with hip-hop and R&B.
Latest Release
