South African producer Mas Musiq began developing his exquisitely laidback amapiano sound while attending Johannesburg's Academy of Sound Engineering. Born Thabo Ngubane in Gauteng province's Thembisa Township in 1997, Mas was discovered by high-profile DJ Maphorisa, who signed him to his Blaq Boy Music label in 2019. The next two years proved pivotal as Mas began collaborating with the Scorpion Kings on tracks like his breakout hit, "eMcimbini". His debut album, Mambisa, features his sonic panorama of minor-key keyboards, accentuated shakers and log drums, and frigidly cool contemporary-R&B-inspired vocals. In 2020, he released the collaborative EP Shonamalanga with fellow Thembisa native Aymos, who also composed Mambisa's hit single "Zaka". Mas’ creative burst continued in 2020 with Mambisa 2, an even more sumptuous collection that provides something of an amapiano apotheosis in the stirring gospel-jazz organ riffs of "Joni".