By Arthur Greene
Oupa John Sefoka, also known as DJ Sumbody (1980 – 2022).
Oupa John Sefoka could talk for hours about amapiano.
In his numerous interviews on the burgeoning genre, the man known famously as DJ Sumbody showed a wealth of knowledge about his peers in the scene and the strides they were taking.
As well as his encyclopedic knowledge of who’s who, one is struck straight away by the way he spoke about fellow musicians. Whether it was serial collaborators Cassper Nyovest or Rorisang, DJ Sumbody always spoke of them with enthusiasm and kindness.
It is clear that he was grateful for their contribution to a genre he not only loved but for whose global popularity he can be partly attributed.
Sefoka was born in Pretoria in 1980 to the son of a taxi driver. It was the perfect setting to become what he always described as a “hustler”.
He eventually joined the family business, driving his father’s cars.
“I started being a DJ then,” he said in an interview in 2019. “While I was driving my dad’s taxis, just to collect records.”
He later enrolled at Tshwane University of Technology, but dropped out in his second year to pursue music.
It was during this time that he progressed from born hustler to entrepreneur. His path in music began as a radio DJ and eventually led to him becoming a pioneering amapiano artist and co-founding his brand Ayepyep Lifestyle.
The brand — which boasts a restaurant and nightclub — was named after his breakout single “Ayepyep”, featuring DJ Sumbody, DJ Tira, Thebe and Emza.
The critically-adored single propelled him to fame and the upper echelons of amapiano.
DJ Sumbody was shot dead in the early hours of Sunday morning at the age of 42 in Pretoria along with one other.
Pictured above: DJ Sumbody
