Uncle Waffles labelled as amapiano’s biggest culture vulture by industry producers

by Nomonde Simelane

When it comes to Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) app, nobody, whether celebrity or civilian, is safe from being the target of public dragging on any given day, amapiano sensation Uncle Waffles has found herself at the centre of controversy, as the industry producers have tagged her as a culture vulture.

The story of Eswatini-born South African producer and DJ Lungelihle Zwane, aka Uncle Waffles’ rise to fame, can be described as a miracle, as her viral 2021 clip has catapulted her to become one of mzansi’s most successful DJS and producers to come out of mzansi. She is an example of when opportunity meets luck, as one fortunate moment opened incredible doors for the youngster, and she has been able to remain successful, particularly on the international stage.

Although the UYAH hit-maker has maintained a relatively clean image, she has recently become the target of what is referred to as a ‘red wedding’ on X, as some members and fans of the amapiano industry have come out to voice some grievances about her.

During an Instagram live, fellow artist PCee, who has collaborated with Waffles on various projects such as Wadibusa and Yahyuppiyah, sparked the conversation when he addressed the exploitation he believed has been going on within amapiano for far too long. Although he did not specify any names, many onlookers concluded that he was referring to Waffles, although he has publicly come out to state that he was not.

PCee’s rant seems to have opened the floor up for others to voice out their frustrations regarding the international DJ, as some took to social media to reveal that they believe Uncle Waffles has been ‘gatekeeping’ her interntaional success, and has failed to uplift and send the elevator down for other local talents, despite using them for their projects.

Also see: WSU student shot dead by residence manager