South African Amapiano Artists Killer Kau and Mpura Die in Car Accident

by | Aug 12, 2021 | Obituary, Stories | 0 comments

Killer Kau Mpura green background

Amapiano artists Killer Kau and Mpura passed away on August 7th in a head-on collision en route to their performance in Rustenburg, South Africa. Emerging artists Khanya “The Voice” Hadebe, DJ Thando Tot, and TD were also killed in the accident. While early reports suggested that fellow artist Kabza De Small died in the crash, that information was proven false after De Small tweeted.

In total, six people were killed in the head-on collision. The Amapiano scene and other global music communities took to Twitter to pay tribute to deceased,

Killer Kau (real name Sakhile Hlatshwayo) was in the process of writing his third full-length album, Amaneighbour, as a follow up to his previous acclaimed LPs Game Changer and After School. Hlatshwayo’s rise to fame was spurred by a video of one of his performances that went viral and caught the attention of DJ Euphoric.

Similarly, Mpura had a rapid success with “Umsebenzi Wethu,” a collaboration with Busta 929, Mr JazziQ, Lady Du, Reece Madlisa, and Zuma that skyrocketed in popularity after its 2020 release. Both artists were staples of Amapiano, a South African style of house music known for its hybrid lounge and jazz elements.

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