One of the biggest kwaito acts of the late 2000s and early 2010s, Big Nuz ruled the South African summer for several years and ushered in a new era for a genre that had started stagnating. Signed to DJ Tira’s label Afrotainment throughout their prime years, the Umlazi, Durban trio (consisting of Mampintsha, Danger, and R Mashesha before the latter passed on in 2015) helped tighten Durban’s grip on South Africa’s dance music scene. Though formed in 2002, the genesis of their domination was “Uyoysholo Wena,” a 2007 collaboration with Durban’s Tira and Sox, and 2008’s “Ubala” from their sophomore album 2nd Round Knockout. Both songs are classic examples of Durban kwaito; where kwaito’s classic form took a lot of inspiration from hip-hop, the coastal city’s iteration leaned more towards house to match the city’s partying spirit. The tempo is higher, the rhymes catchier, and the lyrical content shamelessly gaudy. Though not as active in the 2020s, the pioneers of Durban’s flourishing dance music scene continue to record and perform.