After more than 15 years in the music industry under the name DopeDeep, DJ and producer SEBA Nonkosi is entering a new chapter with a new artistic identity and a renewed focus on original music, production and performance.
The artist officially introduced SEBA Nonkosi as his new name, describing the move as a progression from the work and experiences that shaped his career rather than a departure from them.
While DopeDeep remains part of his artistic history, SEBA Nonkosi will now represent the direction he wants to take as a DJ, recording artist, producer and curator.
In an official statement announcing the transition, he reflected on the years spent building his career and the experiences that came with it.
“DopeDeep has been the foundation of my journey,” he said, acknowledging the passion, experiences and dancefloors that have contributed to his development as an artist. In addition he said growth demands evolution. From this day forward, he introduces himself as SEBA Nonkosi.
A New Identity with a Clear Focus
The new identity comes with a clear focus on the kind of music and career he wants to build. SEBA Nonkosi describes himself as an Afro-house and electronic dance music DJ, producer and curator whose work draws from African rhythms alongside deep house, Afro-tech and melodic electronic music.
His stated intention is to create music and performances that connect people through rhythm and emotion, while developing original productions and collaborative projects.
Although SEBA Nonkosi is a new name to the market, the person behind it is not new to the industry. His previous career as DopeDeep stretches back more than 15 years and includes performances at events in both Eswatini and South Africa, multiple event curation credits and recognition at the MTN SWAMA Awards, where he won DJ of the Year in 2021.
He was also among the Top 10 finalists at the 2011 Gauteng Festival DJs Battle. Those experiences form the foundation of the new chapter.
The transition therefore comes with an existing understanding of performing, working with audiences and navigating the demands of the entertainment industry. What changes is the name and the direction attached to it. For SEBA Nonkosi, the move is connected to a deeper commitment to his work as a recording artist and producer. In his announcement, he described the change as a rebirth and a renewed sense of purpose, while making it clear that DopeDeep will continue to exist independently.
“DopeDeep will continue to exist with its own identity and purpose, while SEBA Nonkosi becomes the face of my journey as a recording artist and DJ,” he said. That distinction allows the two identities to coexist rather than positioning the new name as an erasure of everything that came before.
DopeDeep represents the career that established his experience, while SEBA Nonkosi is intended to carry that experience into a new phase of music-making.
Cueing New Rooted Sound
The direction of that music is rooted in Afro-house and electronic dance music. SEBA Nonkosi’s artist profile describes a sound influenced by the spiritual energy of African rhythms, the deeper textures of house music and the atmosphere associated with Afro-tech and melodic electronic production.
He is also positioning himself beyond the role of a DJ who performs music created by others. Original production is a central part of the new chapter, with collaborative projects also in development.
Worth noting, SEBA Nonkosi is also preparing to introduce listeners to more of his music, with a number of releases in the pipeline.
His first official single under the SEBA Nonkosi name, ‘S.O.S’ is set for release on Friday, 14 August 2026, through international record label Tshikomba Records.
S. O. S Out Now On Major DSPs
The Afro-house track is a collaboration with Privacii, a liSwati artist based in South Africa who also works within the Electronic Music space.
SEBA Nonkosi says the collaboration developed naturally, beginning with a drum progression that he sent to Privacii, who then built the melody and mixed the track.
The record was subsequently picked up by the label, which is preparing it for release this week. Alongside the single, SEBA Nonkosi has a mixtape available for free streaming and is continuing to develop further releases and collaborations.
SEBA Nonkosi Releases New Mix
He has also shared his first official Live Mix on YouTube, featuring some of the music he has created with fellow DJs.
“People can expect a lot of music to come from me,” he says, pointing to the releases ahead as part of the new chapter he is building as SEBA Nonkosi.
For an artist with a long history behind the decks, that move represents an expansion of the work rather than a complete change of course.
DJing remains at the centre of his identity, but production gives him another way of shaping the music he presents to audiences and establishing a sound that can exist beyond individual performances.
His description of himself as a curator also speaks to the broader role he has played within the music and events space.
His career highlights include multiple event performances and curation work across Eswatini and South Africa, experiences that have given him an understanding of how music functions within different environments and audiences.
The new chapter will therefore be built around three connected areas: DJing, original music and curation.
Moving Forward with Greater Clarity
SEBA Nonkosi says the intention is to create music that reflects where he is now rather than simply repeating what has already worked for him.
In his statement, he described SEBA Nonkosi as representing the artist he is becoming with a commitment to becoming more intentional, authentic and fearless in his creative work.
That evolution comes at a time when electronic music continues to create space for African artists to develop sounds that draw from local musical traditions while engaging with a wider international dance music culture.
Afro-house and Afro-tech in particular have become increasingly visible within electronic music spaces, creating opportunities for producers and DJs to develop their own interpretations of the sound. For SEBA Nonkosi, the African foundation remains important. His profile describes his work as being inspired by the heritage of organic sounds and the evolving global electronic music movement.
Rather than treating those influences as separate, his stated approach is to bring them together through rhythm, atmosphere and electronic production.
The next stage of his career will be measured through the music that comes out of that approach. He is currently developing original productions and collaborative projects, with the new identity expected to become increasingly associated with those releases and performances.
There is also an acknowledgement from SEBA Nonkosi that a career transition of this kind requires patience. Changing a name after more than a decade in the industry means introducing an established audience to a new identity while continuing to build recognition around it.
That process begins with the announcement itself, but it will ultimately depend on the work that follows. For the artist, the decision appears to be less about starting again than moving forward with greater clarity about what he wants his career to represent.
The experience accumulated under DopeDeep remains part of the story, while SEBA Nonkosi becomes the name attached to the next phase.
His statement closes with a message to the people who have supported him throughout his career, thanking those who have been part of the journey from its early stages through to the present.
“The story is only beginning,” he wrote. For an artist with more than 15 years behind him, that beginning comes with plenty of history already in the rear-view mirror. The challenge now is to translate that experience into a new body of music, a stronger production catalogue and a clear identity within the Afro-house and electronic dance music space.
SEBA Nonkosi is stepping into that work with the foundation of DopeDeep still intact, but with his attention firmly turned towards what comes next.
