@vibe_pta: The original “Nana Thula” released in 2019 by Kabza De Small, DJ Maphorisa, and Njelic has emotional lyrics written by Samthing Soweto that reflected Njelic’s real-life struggles as a parent. Before his music career exploded with early Amapiano hits like “Shesha Geza” and “Nana Thula,” Njelic was a struggling DJ and vocalist trying to make ends meet in Soweto. The lyrics capture Njelic’s real-life anxieties of leaving home every day to “phanda” (hustle) for money while his child was left behind in poverty. When Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa were working on the instrumental, Njelic shared his personal life struggles and the pain of his situation with acclaimed singer-songwriter Samthing Soweto. Samthing Soweto, renowned for his ability to translate raw human emotion into beautiful isiZulu poetry, took Njelic’s story and structured it into a lullaby format. While Njelic initially downplayed how much Samthing Soweto wrote, stating in interviews like Podcast and Chill that Samthing Soweto mainly helped him “refine the concept,” it is widely acknowledged in the industry that the emotional framework of the song was a perfect synergy of Njelic’s real life and Samthing Soweto’s brilliant songwriting pen. The great irony and beauty of “Nana Thula” is that the very hustle Njelic was crying about became the track that completely changed his life, taking him out of poverty and ensuring his children would never go hungry again. “Nana Thula” is widely considered a cornerstone track of the Amapiano genre having surpassed more than 6.6 million streams on Spotify and earning a nomination for Record of the Year at the 30th Annual South African Music Awards (SAMA30) 🏆 Do you still have this song on rotation? #amapiano #kabzadesmall #viraltiktok

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Monday 21 September 2026 14:10:04 GMT