Sho Sho Def

Hip-hop star Sho Madjozi is taking her South African culture global and everyone is listening

- Cori Murray

At the 2019 BET Awards, South African hip-hop star Sho Madjozi had two goals: enjoy herself immensely and meet as many people as she could. Not only was she nominated as one of the Best New International Acts, but it was also her first time in L.A. So Madjozi repeatedly told herself, “I’m going to have an amazing time regardless of what happens.”

Her award was presented during the preshow live stream, when host Terrence J announced the winner. Clearly distracted by the moment, the 27-year-old genuinely began congratulating Nigerian singer Teni the Entertainer. But as she was warmly embracing Teni, Teni must have whispered, “You won.” What happened next can only be described as Madjozi losing her s--t. Her lilac, Fulani-styled braids started bouncing emphatically as the gravity of the news hit her.

“I never really expected to reach those heights without the backing of a big label or something,” she says days later and still in shock. That’s right. Madjozi, born Maya Wegerif to a South African mother and a Swedish father, has been racking