Mlindo the Vocalist Shares How Riky Rick Helped Him, SA Slams DJ Maphorisa: “How Is This Possible?”

• Mlindo the Vocalist shared a touching story about how Riky Rick assisted him when he was down and out
• In the same interview on the Piano Pulse podcast, Mlindo the Vocalist shared some details about his debut album, Emakhaya
• The revelation sparked outrage on social media, with several netizens blasting DJ Maphorisa

Award-winning producer and wheel spinner DJ Maphorisa caught heat on social media after Mlindo the Vocalist opened up on how the late South African musician Riky Rick helped him.

It seems every South African musician has a heartwarming Riky Rick story. The Boss Zonke Forever rapper was known for supporting budding musicians, and Mlindo the Vocalist shared his story.

Mlindo the Vocalist opens up about Riky Rick helping him

In an interview with Piano Pulse, Mlindo the Vocalist shared how Riky Rick came to his aid. In a snippet shared on X on Tuesday, 24 June 2025, the Isandla Ska Baba singer also touched on several issues, such as his music production process and not making money from his debut album.

In the candid interview, the musician shared that Riky Rick gave him clothes after Mlindo the Vocalist visited the studio.

“Riky gave me clothes. He didn’t take me to the shop to buy clothes or send me money. He actually took clothes from his wardrobe when I went to the studio,” Mlindo said in the snippet.

Mlindo the Vocalist suggested that he didn’t make money from his critically acclaimed debut album Emakhaya, which was released in 2018 under DJ Maphorisa’s record label, BlaqBoy Music. The AmaBlesser hitmaker shared that when lockdown was imposed, he had to relocate because he didn’t have any money.

His revelation left Thakgi and the Piano Pulse crew stunned and they asked where the money he made from his debut album had gone, to which he suggested that he had not made any money.

“Lockdown hit when I was home. I couldn’t be locked down this side. The coins were not coining. Emakhaya was released 2018. Then 2019. Now it’s 2020. Which money? What money are you talking about?” Mlindo the Vocalist said.

Watch the video below:

SA slams DJ Maphorisa after Mlindo shares Riky Rick helped him

Mlindo the Vocalist’s revelation that he had not made any money from his debut album left netizens fuming. DJ Maphorisa, previously accused of exploitation, caught heat from netizens.

Here are some of the reactions:

@DladlaT_ claimed:

“Phori robbed our boy😭😭😭, 'which money'😂😂😂”

@uKilla_K asked:

“Ah, broer didn’t make anything from ‘Emakhaya’? That's a top 10 most-streamed album. How is this possible?”

@uShobzin predicted:

“Phori is going to go live later today. 😅”

@lindamnkhonto questioned:

“Uthini uMlindo 🙄”

Mlindo the Vocalist's manager blasts DJ Maphorisa

This isn't the first time DJ Maphorisa has been in the headlines for taking advantage of Mlindo the Vocalist.

In 2022, Briefly News reported that Mlindo the Vocalist's manager claimed that DJ Maphorisa wanted to exploit the musician.

In a sit-down with MacG on Podcast and Chill, Mlindo's manager at the time, Nyiko, said that although Maphorisa was the stepping stone that Mlindo the Vocalist needed to break into the South African music industry, their relationship soured when Phori wanted Mlindo to change to Amapiano.

This was after Madumane accused Mlindo of backstabbing him after he opened doors for him in the cut-throat Mzansi music industry.

Source: Briefly News