'A BET nomination means I'm on the right path' – Maglera Doe Boy

Maglera Doe Boy is not focused on chasing rap stardom but rather rewriting the local hip-hop lexicon through his poetic lyrics paired with cinematic visuals.

The 31-year-old from Kanana township in North West is receiving his biggest career recognition at the 2025 BET Awards, where he is nominated for Best New International Act, won by Limpopo dance queen Makhadzi last year.

He will compete with fellow SA artists TxC and Dlala Thukzin; Nigerian megastar Shallipopi, Odeal from UK and others. The winner will be announced on June 9 in Los Angeles, California.

“I was a hood kid growing up. I would wake up at 5am and go hunt with my boys. We’d go look for pigeons and sometimes mice. We’d roast and then eat them. I know what you’re thinking, but funny enough, mice taste like a beef patty – they’re tasty,” Maglera said.

“I was a playful and naughty child, but strict as well. I was that kid who’d stand up to bullies when they bullied other kids. I think that’s where my sternness comes from. I come from a humble family. We were not too poor, nor did we have much.

“Most of my family members were people in the police forces, others were soldiers. So, discipline was a big thing in my family. I had a level of sternness because I’d emulate my father and my uncles.”

Tyla is once again nominated for Best International Act, the award she won last year. Ayra Starr and Rema from Nigeria, Swaziland's Uncle Waffles and Ghana's Black Sherif are also noted in the category.

Maglera plans to step on the red carpet in what he calls “full kasi flair” next month. “I started rapping when I was 10 years old. My group and I started performing with Jub Jub when he was working on his album. Through that experience, I knew that this is what I wanted to become,” he said.

“I had great mentors around me. Towdeemac, Khuli, Kay Gee – the whole Morafe gang. These guys poured so much into me as a young rapper. Khuli was the first guy to tell me, ‘sit in the driver’s seat, this is an automatic, let’s go’. Towdeemac has always been the strategist and Kay Gee was my vocal coach. They helped shape me into the rapper that I am today. I’m happy to say that I’m still close to all of them to this day.”

While Maglera is noted as a “conscious” rapper, the Makazana hit-maker described his sound as fluid. “I refuse to be boxed sonically,” he says.

“The hood has jazz in its bones, trap in its lungs, gospel in its scars. I try to capture all of it. My music is not just for radio spins or club sets. It’s for the people who live the verses. Those who see themselves in the stories. This fame thing doesn’t surprise me. I grew up as a cool kid, I was always the centre of attention and very much well-spoken and brave, so this fame is the same thing but on a larger scale,” he said.

From Kanana to the global stage, Maglera has carried his township with him, not as a mere backdrop but as the soul of his sound. “I’m excited about my trip to the US. We’ve seen AKA and Sjava raise the flag high and with my nomination, this means I’m headed in the right direction, much like the pioneers before me,” he said.